Cleaning The Weber Lumin Electric Grill

[@JoeyDoingThings]

Hello Kevin. I own 5 Weber cookers. I own a Weber s-670 (their flagship gas grill), a Performer Deluxe (their flagship kettle), an 18” Smokey Mountain, a Weber Q 1200, and a Jumbo Joe. I have justified the use cases for all these grills, and I do use them all when it is appropriate. Of course, the Summit s-670 and the Performer Deluxe get the most use. I have the opportunity to buy a new Lumin Compact at a discounted price. I don’t need it, obviously, but I do want it because of its novelty. I think it would just be fun to play with. You seem to have the most videos of the Lumin, and I just wanted to say thank you for posting them. I have watched all of your Weber Lumin videos. Sorry, you don’t seem like an advanced griller, but I actually appreciated that. I watched what you did, and instantly knew what I would do differently, but that comes from hundreds of hours of grilling and smoking with the Weber cookers I already have. You certainly have inspired me to get the cooker, and play with it. Thank you.

[@KevinKnauss]

I am not an advanced griller, the exact opposite. I hated using a gas grill. It never worked. The food was always undercooked or burnt. I cannot place all the blame on the BBQ, open flame cooking is different. However, most of my grilling problems came from not understanding the gas grill or not investing in a good gas grill. If you buy cheap junk, don’t expect to create a masterpiece with it. I sincerely enjoy cooking with the Lumin electric grill. It may not be the experience you are looking for. But, I bet you will find something that is cooked better on the Lumin than on a gas grill. You collect gas grills, I collect mechanical clocks. They all perform the same task of keeping time. You understand that it is not always about the end result, it is watching the process work.

[@JoeyDoingThings]

@@KevinKnauss I collect Weber grills, not just gas grills. Three of the five cookers I mentioned are charcoal cookers. I agree with your last statement! For me, if I buy this Lumin, it’s because I want to enjoy the process. I don’t want a new grill for the food it can produce, I could cook anything with what I already have. I want the grill for the new experience! Thanks for sharing all the videos!

[@theodorosarmatas9139]

I agree with the old cloths and underwire... My mother does it all the time.... Nice video keep up the good job!!!

[@ChrisBFerguson]

I managed to discolor most of the inside part of the lid using brillo pads.

[@KevinKnauss]

Good to know!

[@freddifish6272]

No big deal. A couple cooks and it will be grease/carbon covered again.

[@billwilson3665]

I pulled the old meco electric rotisserie out of the attic last night and did a chicken. It got me curious about electric grill in general.

[@KevinKnauss]

Slow roasted rotisserie, is a wonderful way to cook. Gas, electric, charcoal grills are great for quick cooking. With quick cooking comes potentially problems: undercook, overcooked, burned, etc.

[@schalkeglatze]

I use to put the cooled down dirty parts over night into newspaper soaked with water with a little splash of dishwashing liquid. This way cleaning is a lot easier and I do not have to use chemicals.

[@KevinKnauss]

I like that idea. Using the brush or scrapper on the grill makes the greasy black carbonized food get launched all over the deck and me. I’ll try your method next time.

[@schalkeglatze]

@@KevinKnauss Please tell me about your experience. ☺️👍🏼

[@KevinKnauss]

Most of our grilling has a fairly low fat content. Consequently, the grill doesn’t get overly clogged with burned meat or drippings. Usually, I just use a wire britstle brush to clean the grill. After a couple of cooks, I’ll scrape the the scraps and any grease into the foil collection pan and discard it if it is full. If I cook something really greasy, like hamburgers, I try to do a fairly complete clean up when the grill cools. I do a big thorough cleaning before winter storage.@@schalkeglatze

[@nightstalker824]

Whats the point of cleaning it? It's just going to get dirty again. Ive never cleaned my charcoal grills, other than wiping down grates, and clearing out old ash. **btw** I forgot to say I enjoy your videos. I recently separated and moved into an apartment. No gas/charcoal on patio allowed. I'm a hardcore griller, and only used charcoal. I brushed the grates of my grill before every session, but all those other oils and grease is what brings more flavor. I haven't tried an electric grill yet, but I'm sure it needs all the help it can get lol.

[@KevinKnauss]

After each grill, I use a wire brush to scrape off the leftover burnt bits and push them down into the catch pan. I do an end of grilling season cleaning before I store it for the winter. I want to make sure no mold grows and keep the insect and animals out of the grill since it is outside.

[@nightstalker824]

@@KevinKnauss oh ok. I didn't know grilling season ended, but I'm also is south central Texas lol.

[@KevinKnauss]

@@nightstalker824 I can grill in the winter, if it is not raining. But I find the cool weather really affects the electric grill and keeping the temperatures up.

[@jdb9388]

What about high pressure washer

[@KevinKnauss]

Well, that might an interesting video. I can see all the grease and charred meat bits flying all over the place. My real concern would be not getting water between the lid and internal fitted insert. But if they could be properly dried out, it might work.

[@ChrisBFerguson]

Is this the 12 inch or 21 inch three sided brush? Also I was taught that grease can not go down the drain.

[@KevinKnauss]

I use the small Weber triangular wire scrapper brush, 6” inch width. Before soaking the grates, there was no fluid grease or oil on the surface. It was pretty much just crusty burnt food. The drippings were all captured by the drip pan previously.

[@ChrisBFerguson]

​@@KevinKnauss I only see 12, 18, and 21 inch for the three sided brush you're using. Anyway I have concluded after several uses that the griddle works better for toasting hamburger buns (only toast the side of the buns that touch the meat) and for cooking bacon, and the grill plates work best for hamburgers and steaks. Always spray everything with official weber grill spray after preheating and before I put food on there.

[@KevinKnauss]

I think I pick up the cleaning brush at the local hardware store. The griddle for toasting hamburger buns makes perfect sense and I'm going to try that. Bread on the grill begins to burn within 1 minute or so. I'm using the griddle tonight to cook/saute' onions and bell peppers for portabella mushroom burgers. I'll use your suggestions.@@ChrisBFerguson

[@ChrisBFerguson]

​@@KevinKnaussI just took the burner off for the first time this morning to clean. Made it much easier. However big stain on back of bowl hard to get rid of probably due to me not doing it every time. I think it is necessary to remove burner every time. Easier to clean.

[@KevinKnauss]

You are more conscientious than I am regarding cleaning. I do need perform a thorough cleaning before I put the grill away for winter.@@ChrisBFerguson

[@marleyyates2995]

Would it be bad to use oven cleaner after soaking and scrubbing?

[@KevinKnauss]

I can't see a problem with the oven cleaner as long as the grates were thoroughly rinsed afterward.

[@billwilson3665]

What about an electric ceramic grill like a green egg?

[@KevinKnauss]

Those egg shaped outdoor grills are intriguing. I bet they work well. That might be an option in the future. They do look heavy. One of the things I did not like about the old gas grill was getting it off of my deck when I had to clean or paint the deck. I’m tending more for lightweight simplicity as I get older.

[@TheWeedonTour]

I clean the grill completely after every use.

[@KevinKnauss]

I think that is best: full cleaning after each use. However, last week it was asparagus and turkey burgers. Except for some burnt turkey burger meat on the grill, everything was pretty clean. Turkey burgers have almost zero fat, so there was little smoke or drippings.

[@whatever123651]

So not necessary to clean bottom each time?

[@KevinKnauss]

I agree, the bottom under the bowl was very clean. I think a complete cleaning would be in order before winter storage. The design of the bottom bowl directs the grease very well into the disposable catch pan. Scrapping the bottom bowl after every couple of grills seems sufficient.

[@vakula485]

Cleaning is big issue with Weber Lumin, I can't stand with this and looking for alternative. Weber should have thought on better design for dip tray (for example easy removable part without need to disassemble heating element and/or possibility to cover bottom with foil that can be thrown away after each use etc). Not happy with the product.

[@KevinKnauss]

It is an outdoor grill. The charcoal and gas fired grills are even worse to clean. I suppose they could design and construct the grill that was easier to clean, but I also think it would have increased the cost of the product.

[@SuperGrillguy]

Lots of work to clean a small grill.

[@KevinKnauss]

I suppose I need to compare it to our normal kitchen cleaning routing. When I think about all the pots and pans I clean every week. It is not too bad in terms of time.

[@billwilson3665]

@@KevinKnausscompared to a gas or charcoal grill where very little cleaning is necessary.

[@KevinKnauss]

@@billwilson3665 Charcoal? Disposing of the charcoal ash is messy. Gas grills probably burn hotter and carbonize the left over grease, plant, or meat stuck on the grill. There are tradeoffs. With my suburban back yard, both gas and charcoal are an option. They are not good options for higher density housing situations.

[@helygo]

Ma è sporco come prima ! 😱

[@jeroensbbq620]

I don’t understand that. I clean after a few sessions. My Lumin looks new a clean

[@KevinKnauss]

This clean-up was at the end of the season. I'm probably like you: scrape the grill really well after a cook, empty/discard the drip pan, wipe down the top occasionally. I don't have the time to do this sort of in-depth cleaning after every grilling.

[@batomatovic6286]

Not so good 😂😮