I have a gas bbq which I haven’t used in 3 years and today I turned it on to see if it works and to my surprise it does. Now it has been filled with webs and other stuff to I turned it on.
What should I do to make it germs and bacteria free?
Generally we make something hot to make germs go away. Is that same for bbq as well?
Germs/bacteria are not a concern and are killed by the heat. Always pre-heat your grill/bbq to smoke/burn off old food and oils, allow easy cleaning with a steel grill brush, and allowing new vegetable oils to be applied to the grates before each use.
Even without the heat, most germs and bacteria do very poorly in dry conditions for more than a few days to a few weeks.
It would also be a good idea to spray soapy water on the gas hose connections and regulator to verify no leaks.
Dismantle and clean it to the best of your ability using water, detergent and grease remover.
Use a steel brush to remove rust, especially from the grates.
If there's a flexible gas pipe replace it, then CHECK THE GAS LINES for leakage, breakage, for example using soapy water, or blockage (spider webs can do that).
Use cooking oil to oil the grates, then light the grill on high temperature for around 30 minutes or until it stops smoking.
You should be ready to go now.
What should I do to make it germs and bacteria free?
Generally we make something hot to make germs go away. Is that same for bbq as well?
Considering that water boils at 212°F and would be considered drinking-safe in regard to pathogens then I would say you've killed everything and degraded pathogen-produced toxins by the time you hit 500°F.
To note, grills aren't usually designed to run at 500°F for too long. It could cause a fire if you leave it at that temp. Read your manual to be certain.
Practically speaking you need to ensure your grill is in good working condition:
Also check the mechanical - make sure the stand/frame is still sound and that the whole thing is on a secure footing.
You wouldn't want a bolt or caster or leg to fail while you're cooking potentially dropping the cooker or making it fall over. Rust is insidious, specially if it was stored outside for 3 years.
One thing to be extremely cautious of when cleaning a grill is wires coming off a wire brush -- use a nylon brush or a ball of aluminium foil.
