your best method to clean the sticky gunge off barbecue?

[nongnangning]

The barbecue at the sports club where I am a member is clean-ish, but sticky with post-cooking gunge. I have said my volunteer job will be to de-stick-ify it. But what can I use? It's more than a hot soapy water job - I think it needs something, maybe a chemical?, to kind of dissolve the gunge. Your tried and tested anti-gunge methods gratefully requested

Yes - as above. You will get sprayed with black bits

I usually use a barbecue scraper/brush combo and clean it thoroughly while it's still hot after cooking, then when I next use it, run half a raw onion all over the grilles and scrape/brush it again.i don't use soap and water.

Another vote for firing it up to max heat with the lid down for 10 mins or so and scrubbing it with a long handled wire brush. Spot of antibac spray to polish up any outside bits. When it's cold obviously.

Though the ants and Labrador suggestion I shall bear in mind.

Please please don't use one of those metal brushes, there have been horror stories about the bristles coming off and being ingested and the damage they can do. Really not safe!

When you've finished cooking, drop the grill so it's sitting in the charcoal. Let all the gunk burn off, give it a brush / wipe down to get rid of any ash. Job done.

Soak overnight in a solution of bio washing powder.

If, as you clean it, anything is rusty, give it a drizzle of food grade oil for storage over your winter.

Use a scrunched up ball of tinfoil to scrub it, that is an excellent scourer.