Grill Cleaning Brushes

From Season 4: Steak Tips

Anyone who has ever grilled a rack of sticky barbecued ribs has had to deal with the task of removing the sugary, burned-on mess that gets left behind. The ideal time to do this is soon after your food comes off the grill, but, if you're like most of us, you close the lid, walk away, and save the mess for the next time grill duty calls. We set out to find a grill brush that could make the tedious task of cleaning a gunked-up grill grate more efficient. And we did not want to exert superhuman strength to get the job done.

We concocted a "paint"—a mixture of honey, molasses, mustard, and barbecue sauce—that we could burn onto our brand new grates. We coated the grates four times, baking them for one hour in the test kitchen ovens between coats. The result was a charred mess that would be sure to challenge even the hardiest of brushes.

In the end, only two brushes were able to successfully clean our molten mess down to the grill grate in a reasonable number of strokes. These unusual brushes have no brass bristles to bend, break, or clog with unwanted grease and grime. Instead, they come equipped with large woven mesh stainless steel "scrubbie" pads. The pad is able to conform to any grill grate's spacing, size, and material, including porcelain. Best of all, the scrubbie pads are detachable, washable, and replaceable (a spare is included).

We compared the two similar models in a head-to-head competition and concluded that the smaller handle of our winner was more comfortable for most testers. it worked faster, and it had a lower price.