Published May 1, 2008.
An unusual design conquers the sugary, burned-on mess sticky ribs leave behind.
Anyone who has ever grilled a rack of sticky barbecued ribs has had to deal with the task of removing the sugary, burned-on mess that gets left behind. The ideal time to do this is soon after your food comes off the grill, but, if you're like most of us, you close the lid, walk away, and save the mess for the next time grill duty calls. We set out to find a grill brush that could make the tedious task of cleaning a gunked-up grill grate more efficient. And we did not want to exert superhuman strength to get the job done.
First off, we concocted a "paint"—a mixture of honey, molasses, mustard, and barbecue sauce—that we could burn onto our brand new grates. We coated the grates four times, baking them for one hour in the test kitchen ovens between coats. The result was a charred mess that would be sure to challenge even the hardiest of brushes. The brushes we tested were chosen based on construction and design of both the handle and the scrubbing head.
The handle of the stainless steel model was decidedly the heaviest and looked to be the most durable, but it absorbed heat at an alarming rate. Many of the plastic handles only performed adequately if you didn't spend too much time in one place on the grill (then melting would occur) and if the handle was long enough. One plastic-handled brush had a handle that was so short we couldn't get the brush to the far side of the grill without getting burned. A combination plastic-aluminum brush handle was so flexible it caused burnt knuckles when pressed with any strength. Wood, and some other plastic handles, however, were relatively comfortable and durable.
In terms of the scrubbing heads, several had brass bristles. Among them, those with stiffer bristles fared better than their softer counterparts, but none of them worked all that well. The bristles on most bent after a few strokes and trapped large quantities of gunk, thereby decreasing their efficiency.
In the end, only one brush was able to successfully clean our molten mess down to the grill grate in a reasonable number of strokes. This unusual brush has no brass bristles to bend, break, or clog with unwanted grease and grime. Instead, this brush comes equipped with one large woven mesh stainless steel "scrubbie" pads. The pad is able to conform to any grill grate's spacing, size, and material, including porcelain. Best of all, the scrubbie pad is detachable, washable, and replaceable (a spare is included).
