Onions: The Perfect Substitue For Wire Brushes on Your Grill

Instead of cleaning your grill with a wire brush, you should try using an onion. I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to fire up the grill and serve up some delicious food for my family. When it comes to grills, I have used a Weber charcoal grill, a gas grill, and my favorite to date, a pellet grill. They all are great and get their job done in their own way. Over the past few years, I have used my pellet grill more than the others just because I feel like food tastes better on it. Whatever grill you use, one thing that you must do is clean the grill grates before cooking each time.

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Don't Use Wire Brushes on Your Grill

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't clean my grill grates with a wire brush. It's what I have always used and it gets the job done. However, using wire brushes to clean your grates can be dangerous. According to ConsumerReports.org, an estimated 1,700 Americans went to the ER from 2002-2014 after accidentally ingesting wire bristles that made their way into their grilled food.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission recommends cleaning your grill with balled-up aluminum foil or a nylon brush. However, I just found out about another way you can clean your grates that not only works but adds a little extra flavor to the grates too.

Try Cleaning Your Grill Grates with an Onion

According to My Recipies, you should try cleaning your grill grates with an onion. Yes, an onion! First off, you are going to want to heat up your grill. Then, cut an onion in half and stick a long grilling fork into the end of the onion. rub the cut side of the onion along the grates to remove the grime and access food. My Recipies also says that you can remove those "tough spots" by spraying the grates with lemon juice or white vinegar as the extra acidity helps with the cleaning process.

Oh, and if you're using a charcoal grill, don't waste that cut onion by throwing it away after you clean the grates. Toss it into the coals after you're done to add some extra flavor to your food. Genius, right? It's all a win-win. Give it a try the next time you fire up the grill and see how you like the results.