Greetings and salutations Costa food lovers,

The sun is out and the weather is warming up and that can mean only one thing, other than golf. It is time to pull out that incredible beast we call the Barby. This is not refering to your childhood sweetheart in the doll form. This has nothing to do with Barbie, although she now drives a mini van and needs bi-focals

I am referring to the Barbecue, that wonderful cooking aparatus that still has remnants (hot dog, chicken and steak drippings) from last years final horrah. Why we neglect this fine piece of equipment all winter has me befuddled.  Nevertheless it is time to clean, lubricate and prepare for battle on the grill. The upcoming blogs will include some pre-season grilling tips and recipes. Here are some pre-season barbecue conditioning or rebuild tips.

1. Clean and grease the wheels, make sure the axle is not bent or broken.
2. If you are lucky enough to own a kick booty pressure washer, use it to remove all foreign matter that is clinging on for dear life. Make sure to dry off the barby after washing.
3. Make sure all gas connections are safety inspected and ready for use.
4. Clean all orifices (on the barbecue) these are those little holes that the flames shoots out of (again on the barbecue). Clean orifices help produce even heat distribution and eliminate hot spots.
5. Fill up the propane tank or start conditioning the wood chips if you do it naturally (no gas).
6. Stand back and fire it up. If the barbecue is still in one piece, get the grill surface hot to burn off any residual objects.
7. Season the grill surface with a grill towel seasoned with a small amount of oil (not Penzoil 10-40 weight but regular old vegetable oil).  Wipe the oil onto the cooking surface to season the grill. This will help reduce the sticking factor. The grill should be cleaned and seasoned after each and every use.