Gas Barbeque Cleaning

[RosscoPCole]

I have recently bought an Outback 4 burner gas barbeque and was wondering how often do you clean it?
Do you just brush down the grills after every time you use it? Or do you give everything a thorough wash? Should I leave the drip tray alone or should I clean it every time I use it? And what about the deflector things that go between the flame and the grill?

[Big Al.]

I have the Outback 2 burner, had it now for over 8 years, replace the St/St burners a couple of years ago, it's done me proud.
Cleaning, just a light wipe after use when it's cooled down I use a 1/2" layer of dried builders sand in the drip try when it gets used give it a stir around and probably depending on use replace once a month.

That's about it really.

[mattdaniels]

A stiff brush and wharp factor 10 on the burners is all you need.

[skibum]

Be warned though - I recently turned mine up high after a big cook to burn off the residue. After a few minutes we noticed the top of the BBQ warping. Turns out the excess oil/fat in the drop tray ignited and we had 4ft flames coming up once the lid was lifted. So... the lesson is, keep an eye on the drip tray, but if that isnt too full, just full burn for 5 mins then go at it with a stiff wire brush to get rid of the baked on crud.