A good outdoor grill is designed to withstand the raging flames of an open fire, even when they reach temperatures as high as 600 °F or more. But come winter, that same piece of seemingly invincible cooking machinery is no match against a little ice and snow.
“Moisture from snow, rain, and condensation accelerates the corrosion of any piece of metal equipment,” said senior staff writer Tim Heffernan, who co-wrote our gas grill guide. “Most grills have a lot of painted carbon steel in their construction, but paint wears off and then rust sets in,” he explained. “The nuts and bolts, meanwhile, are usually zinc-plated carbon steel, but the zinc plating is sacrificial. Once it starts disappearing, they will rust too.”
But if you give your grill a little annual TLC before winter sets in, you’ll be able to enjoy it for years and years to come. “It’s a longevity issue,” said senior staff writer Lesley Stockton, also a co-author of our gas grill guide. “If you don’t ever winterize your grill, it’ll simply age much more quickly,” she added. In her guide to cleaning a grill, Leslie notes that her father’s Weber Genesis has lasted nearly 20 years, with routine maintenance and parts replacement.
Fortunately, winterizing a grill—whether it’s a gas, charcoal, or pellet grill—is easier than you probably think. Here’s how to do it.
