Summer evenings can be great fun when you fire up the grill for a rollicking barbecue party with family and friends. Cooking seems to far more enjoyable when done outside and a backyard party is a great excuse to spend time outdoors away from the distraction of normal life. If you love barbecues and want to have a great time, you would have no doubt chosen the best outdoor grill that you can afford. However, in the heat of things, it is quite natural to forget to buy a very important accessory; a cover for the grill to keep it protected when it is not in use.
Important Benefits of a Grill Cover
A grill cover may seem innocuous; however, it has a vital role to play in keeping your expensive outdoor grill safe so that your investment does not lose value rapidly. The most important benefits of a good grill cover are:
Weather protection: The foremost benefit of a grill cover is that it keeps the outdoor grill protected from the damaging effects of wind, rain, sleet, snow, as well as dust and debris that can damage your grill. Even though a grill may look sturdy, left open to the elements, it will corrode and become weak. You will also have to clean it thoroughly every time you want to use it because dust, dirt, and debris would have accumulated inside.
Protection from pests: Outdoor grills are especially attractive for a large variety of rodents and animals like squirrels, raccoons, rats, possums, seeking to snack on the dripping and leftover grease. Birds, spiders, wasps, bees, and a variety of other insects find the grill to be a perfect place to build a cozy nest. A smoker grill cover can easily be the best thing you can buy to prevent your grill from becoming infested with unwanted guests.
Rust prevention: Apart from weakening the grill and causing its premature failure, constant exposure to rain and wind causes the grill surfaces to rust rapidly. The cooking of food on rusty surfaces is very unhygienic but it is very difficult to remove completely the rust spots that can quickly make your grill unusable and an eyesore.
No formation of ash paste: When rainwater mixes with ash left at the bottom of the grill, it becomes a very hard cement-line substance that is almost impossible to remove. Apart from being unsightly, it reduces the operating efficiency of the grill. A report in https://www.huffpost.com, recommends cleaning the grill after cooking with a long handle brush after ensuring that there is a safe place to keep the hot ash.
Safe storage of fuel: Like most people, if you store the fuel the grill uses like wood and charcoal, an outdoor grill cover will keep it safe from becoming soaked and becoming unfit for use. Even if your grill has a propane tank, the cover will prevent it from rusting and developing leaks.
Conclusion
Given the many benefits of outdoor grill covers, you should attempt to buy the best possible cover even if it is somewhat expensive. You should keep in mind that it should be made from a very strong and weatherproof material that is good enough to keep your expensive grill adequately protected between uses and especially during the harsh winter, when it may not be used for very long.