Note: I have no idea if my suggestions may invalidate any Char-Broil warranties on the Big Easy baskets. I’ve had my Big Easy(s) for years and I have a lot of baskets that are very-well used. I’m way, way passed any warranty if there is one. Use my suggestions at your own risk!
I waited way, way too long to finally find a solution to getting my Char-Broil Big Easy baskets clean. Or ‘cleaner’, I should say. The technique I now use gets them nice and shiny. But not ‘brand new’ looking. I think if I’d used this approach from the get-go my baskets would still be looking like the day I bought them. I was happy the results.
Here’s where I started. An old full-sized Big Easy basket and a bunk bed basket. Any more, I only use the large basket by itself for whole turkeys or chickens, or ribs. Smaller cuts, like chicken breasts, split chicken, vegetables, etc, go into the bunk bed basket. It’s just so much easier to get things in and out of the cooker using a bunk bed basket.
Note that this process can be used on any of the Char-Broil Big Easy baskets or accessories, like the chicken roaster or rib hooks.
As you can see, they aren’t super-filthy but the original shine is mostly gone.
The Cleaner
I’ve tried Dawn dish detergent. Every bottled ‘miracle’ spray you can find. You name it. And no joy. Then I found Easy Off BBQ grill cleaner. “Ah ha”, I thought to myself. “My baskets are a lot like an oven rack. So why not give this a try?” And I did. I just knocked off any big chunks from my baskets, then sprayed them down with the cleaner. You don’t have to let it set long, but I did. I waited 40 minutes.
The Rest
After the 40 minutes were up I grabbed a damp sponge and got to scrubbing. Not real hard, either. Most of the ‘gunk’ came off pretty easily. The tough spots were where the metal formed edges or connections. It was difficult getting the sponge down in there. I think with more effort (and patience) I would’ve gotten them super-clean too. But as old as my baskets are, I was happy with them getting a little shine on them and the worse of the baked stuff was gone.
I also tried a few different-sized brushes. Some worked a little better than others on the nooks and crannies. Again, it’s really up to you how much time you spend getting them like-new. I got the food-touching surfaces nice and clean that was a win for me.
After everything was about as good as I was willing to spend time on them, I put the basket into the dishwasher and ran it on a regular cycle just to make sure I got all of the cleaner off.
The Don’ts
One of the things that made this process harder was that I had already tried too many (wrong) things to get my baskets clean. Some of the finish was worn off. This was thanks to using brill-o pads (don’t do that) and super-abrasive sponges (don’t do that either). Just use a regular ole soft sponge. Get it damp, not soaking wet.
Also, don’t do this process over grass. Trust me on this. The Easy Off BBQ grill cleaner will kill your grass. Do it on your patio and rinse if off well when done. Read the can first. Like I should have.
Going Forward
Now that I have my baskets in decent shape again, I’ll be able to use this same process to keep them that way. I used to just knock the worst off and move on. But, spending a few more minutes to do it right will help keep my baskets looking good for a longer time.
Love your Big Easy as much I love mine? Check out my Big Easy Add-Ons page and my free Big Easy eCookbook!
