In South Africa, a home’s biggest pride and joy is often the braai. However, if you don’t properly clean a braai, not only will it look terrible, but it can also affect your digestive system. These grids can easily build up with excess grease and smoke residue, which can prevent it from maintaining a consistent temperature as well as affect the flavour of the food you are cooking. Who wants that?
A good idea is to set a rule that after each braai, you clean it straight away while it is still hot. Wait for it to be cool enough to touch before doing so, then use a damp cloth to wipe it down. There are many household items that make for a perfect cleaning aid when tackling cleaning the braai, and these are a few that you can use to ensure your braai stays clean and neat!
Baking Soda
Baking Soda does wonders when it comes to dissolving food still stuck on the grid, as well as getting rid of grease. Simply sprinkle the powder over the entire grid and allow it to stay for about 10 minutes. You will need to activate the baking soda by adding warm water and scrubbing it thoroughly with a sponge. Once done scrubbing, give it a good rinse and you should be good to go.
Vinegar
Vinegar is another multi-dimensional cleaning aid, which can be used for almost anything. You can create the perfect solution with half water, and half vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray this mixture onto the grid and allow it to sit for 30 minutes. You can then empty the bottle and re-fill it using only a small amount of vinegar. Give it another spray and let it sit again for 30 minutes. Once done, wipe the grid clean. To create a great rust remover, you can add some salt to the above-mentioned mixture too!
Strong Brushes
A more common way of cleaning your braai would be with a specialized cleaning brush. These usually have a much longer handle with a very rough scourer attached to one end, allowing you to work faster and easier than with a normal scrubbing brush.
Sunlight
Another easy cleaning method is to soak the braai grid in hot, soapy water with some dish-washing liquid, such as Sunlight. Submerge the grid into a container big enough for it to fit, and let it stand for 30 minutes to an hour. This allows burnt foods to loosen up quickly and allows you to easily scrub it all off after soaking.
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