Grilled Pineapple and Sweet Potato Stack

I have been longing to use my grill. It has been raining and raining and raining here. I think it was a “want what you can’t have situation” but, I fired up the grill the second I saw that first bit of sun peak out of the clouds that had been covering our little bit of Virginia for more than 5 days. Even though grill season is pretty much over, I wanted to get one last bit of grilling goodness in before we closed it up for the winter. My husband and I decided to give this Whole30 thing a shot and being on day 15 we were over meat. So I decided to try something a little different. I love grilled pineapple, one of the best foods on the planet. I also recently discovered the deliciousness of grilled sweet potato when I made the Pork Kebobs. So I put it together and created this simple, whole30 Grilled Pineapple and Sweet Potato stack. Literally 3 ingredients, a grill and you’re done. I kind of felt like I was cheating on whole30, the pineapple and sweet potato were so sweet.

As I consider the end of grilling season, I know it’s sadly time to get the grill cleaned up, and put away for winter. So I wanted to share some tips for winterizing your grill. I love the grill. It’s perhaps my favorite way to cook. I just love the way things taste cooked on an open flame. The bits of charring and grill marks make my so happy. But a dirty grill is gross and definitely not the best way to make delicious food. We are always looking for a better way to clean our grill plates. In all honesty, I think its time to replace our gas grill plates, but Rizzi at Mr. Grill reached out to us here at My Clean Kitchen and asked us to try out their grill brush, so we decided to give it a go. The Brass Grill Brush itself is pretty clever. It’s different than traditional big, bulky grill brushes, its fits down into the slats on the grates and gets the stuck on bits off. Also, its pretty light weight, I had no trouble clean the grates. The grill brush was even able to remove some of the rust from the old grill plate.

 Steps for Winterizing Your Grill

1.  Use a grill brush, such as the Mr. Grill Brass Grill Brush , just AFTER your last grill, but be sure to turn the burners off first. For a charcoal grill, be sure the embers are cool enough to do this safely. Cleaning the grill while its still hot is the best way to get all the bits and such off.
2. Turn off the and safely disconnect the gas. Or safely dispose of the remaining charcoal once its cooled.
3. Once the grill has cooled, remove the grates, the burner covers, etc until you are down to the burners themselves. Be sure nothing is clogging the holes in the burners. If there are, use a toothpick to clean it out. (Remember, only do this once the gas has been disconnected)
4. Make a natural degreaser with either white vinegar (2 parts white vinegar to 1 part water) or baking soda paste (5 parts water to 1 part baking soda.) If your grill isn’t very greasy, a simple solution of warm soapy water would work fine.
5. Inspect each part to determine if they need to be replaced. (We will be ordering new grill plates and covers for next year)
6. Wipe down all the parts you removed with the degreaser. Be sure to rinse it clean with fresh water and wipe it dry.
7. Wipe down the inside of the grill itself, including the lid. Use the degreaser ,if necessary, using the same method, ensuring it’s rinsed with fresh water and wiped dry.
8. Put each of the parts back into the grill and close the lid.
9. Wipe down the outside of the grill with a degreaser, if necessary, or simply warm soapy water. Rinse with fresh water and wipe dry. If you have a stainless steel grill be sure to use a soft cloth when wiping so you don’t scratch the stainless.
10. Cover the grill with a high quality grill cover to protect from the yucky winter weather.