How to Put Out Charcoal Grill After Cooking

Learn how to put out a charcoal grill after cooking in this easy to follow guide.

This guide covers 3 steps that will ensure that your coals are extinguished safely and properly, so your grill will be ready for the next time.

Before we continue, it's important to note that after you are done grilling, the charcoals are extremely hot and should not be handled in any way shape or form. This can result in severe injury and PLEASE keep kids away from the grill at all times.

Also, be mindful of your surroundings, making sure your grill is away from dry bushes, trees, or other things that could cause a fire hazard.

After you're done grilling and have removed all your food from the grill grates, proceed with the steps below on how to put out a charcoal grill.

Jump to:

• Step 1: Burning Out Coals
• Step 2: Clean Grill Grates
• Step 3: Dispose of Charcoals
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Step 1: Burning Out Coals

Keep in mind that your charcoals are extremely hot and should not be touched or handled in any way after grilling.

• Close the lid on your grill and the vents to allow the coals to burnout completely on their own. The goal is to cut off the oxygen supply to the coals and smother the flame.
• Due to the coals being extremely hot at this point, it could take overnight for them to cool completely. This also depends on how much charcoal you used.

Step 2: Clean Grill Grates

Now that the coals have cooled completely, let's get into cleaning the grill grates since you will be disposing of the burned coals and ash anyway. Additionally, this is one less thing you need to do the next time.

• When you are done cooking, use a safe grill brush, a ball of aluminum foil or whichever method you use to scrub away any stuck on food or char from the grill grates.
• If using a grill brush, make sure the bristles are not loose, worn, broken, or appear weak as this could potentially end up in the food that you are cooking.

• Mist cooking oil over the cast iron grill grates to prevent rust from forming and your food from sticking the next time.
• Remove the grill grates for a moment.

Step 3: Dispose of Charcoals

After the charcoals have cooled down completely, you can now dispose of them in a nonflammable bin.

• If by chance, you placed foil in the grill barrel before adding the coals, you could fold the foil over the coals and ash and carefully lift it out and toss it in the bin. This makes for easy clean-up.

• Add new foil onto the barrel of the grill and place clean grill grates back on.

• Close the lid and cover your grill with a durable cover that's designed for your type of grill. This will protect it from the weather and keep it looking nice..

We hope you have found this guide helpful on how to put out a charcoal grill.

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