# Dirty gas grill jets...



## aprilb (Feb 4, 2006)

How do you clean the gas jets that get plugged under the grill?

I don't use the grill in any capacity to get grease on the jet burners (I cook eggs and use a flat grill for pancakes and hash browns). They just started doing breakfast about a month ago but but the primary renter of the place has been doing the fast food burgers burgers and such for almost 4 months. 

I was told to just route it out with a little wire...but I'm thinking...wait a sec...I just got here and I don't cook anything directly on the grill.

The appliances and ss walls around the grills are totally nasty and the jets are working at maybe 1/2 effeciency at best. Everything around the flat grill is gross but underneith the grill is pristine (natch). The flat grill itself has about 2mm of baked on carbon crud (I just started working there as the am cook and ... yeah, well it's special) 

We run the am and pm service separately and my manager just bought some grill bricks. I'm guessing they're going to be untouched for many months.

I need to leave a note or speak with the guy politely explaining that you really need to clean these things in order for food to come out properly, (not to mention health issues) but It's apparent he really doesn't care (as in 'it'l do'). It was actually suggested that I clean them by one of the pm cooks? (Can you say "in your dreams" boys and girls?) ****, if it were my place it would have been the first thing I did when I took over. 

Bear in mind this is my 2nd week and I kept expecting to find dinosaur bones in the piles of crud I when I was poking around.

Also, what is the policy about smoking in the kitchen? Yeah, he does. I don't know if he smokes while cooking, but he certainly has no qualms about walking around with a lit one while his prep guy is setting up for afternoon/evening service. I don't smoke so it's never even been a question to answer.

Thanks

April


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## peachcreek (Sep 21, 2001)

I've cleaned an old grill a couple of times. What I did was took the top off and cleaned underneath the grill, unplugged the burner holes and put the top back on. With the tops I use the scrub and soak method and after a few rounds the grill seem to come clean. If you maintain your grill once you give it the big cleaning you should'nt have to go through the process again. And then again if I were working there after the first little while if I had a half a minute to stand and look at the crud I probably start mining through it and clean it up. For me though cleaning is sort of an obsession. I think it is my split motivation of hygiene, fire danger and not ever letting anything I cook touch a filthy surface. If I'm using a flat grill for cooking I want it to at least start out silver. The "crud" on the grill comes up on to the food. The last place I worked that had a grill, I rescrubbed before I started my afternoon shift. The AM person who they had clean it before I would arrive would leave it half done and call it good. The owner could care less. Gross!
Good luck.


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## steve a (Mar 13, 2006)

I feel your pain and I know the pain too. Heck, I've actually made more money from a company in which I worked by doing routine maintenance for them than working the line.

Anyway... If you can remove the lines, unclip them from one side (as is often the case), twist and remove. They'll usually be connected to a nipple which may also need a wipe off. Take them out and use wire brush or steel wool to scrape off reside. Then I break out the old handy-dandy cordless drill with the tiniest drill bit I can find attached and bore out those holes which are plugged up.

Run a clean cloth over everything to remove grit and residue and check to see that you haven't pushed any grit back into your jets; reconnect. Fire it up to ensure all's working and walk away a happy camper knowing you CAN cure an ailing piece of equipment.

As a side note, it sounds like you're talking about a flattop/griddle as opposed to a grill, yeah??

Many of the flattops I've used are hinged so that you can lift them to access what needs cleaned. And no, it's not just crud from the griddle that's causing the build up. Grease splatters ~ remember those little droplets will FLOAT for ages ~ compounded by dust particles will build up and cause the gunk as well.

Ciao,


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