Annual barbecue maintenance is pretty straightforward and inexpensive (unless you are trying to "sterilize" your barbecue, which I will come back to).
Simply remove the grills and burner(s) from the housing, vacuum out (with a shopvac) the debris from the bottom of the housing, clean the burner holes with a wire brush/dremel tool/small grinder, reinstall the burner/igniter, check to see that all is working well, and then reinstall your heat dispersal grate (after replacing any broken ceramic bricks) and your grills (after cleaning). Cast iron grills usually have to be cleaned with a combination of de-greaser, rust remover and/or wire brush/wire wheel/grinder. Assuming you have the supplies and tools at hand, we're talking about 1 hour of work, tops. After you're done, most people would be fully comfortable to cook on that grill for the season.
Repaint the exterior of your grill will high heat paint as your aesthetic sensibilities demand.
However, if what you are chasing is to sanitize the grill, even to the less demanding standards of your kitchen cooktop, you are chasing a fantasy. Your barbecue is exposed to substances and environmental conditions that mean that germs CAN and WILL accumulate, no matter what you do. If you can't get your mind around the fact that 700 degrees Fahrenheit addresses that issue, then barbecuing is not for you.
Simply remove the grills and burner(s) from the housing, vacuum out (with a shopvac) the debris from the bottom of the housing, clean the burner holes with a wire brush/dremel tool/small grinder, reinstall the burner/igniter, check to see that all is working well, and then reinstall your heat dispersal grate (after replacing any broken ceramic bricks) and your grills (after cleaning). Cast iron grills usually have to be cleaned with a combination of de-greaser, rust remover and/or wire brush/wire wheel/grinder. Assuming you have the supplies and tools at hand, we're talking about 1 hour of work, tops. After you're done, most people would be fully comfortable to cook on that grill for the season.
Repaint the exterior of your grill will high heat paint as your aesthetic sensibilities demand.
However, if what you are chasing is to sanitize the grill, even to the less demanding standards of your kitchen cooktop, you are chasing a fantasy. Your barbecue is exposed to substances and environmental conditions that mean that germs CAN and WILL accumulate, no matter what you do. If you can't get your mind around the fact that 700 degrees Fahrenheit addresses that issue, then barbecuing is not for you.
