We clean charcoal & ceramic BBQs, that’s what we do
Professional deep cleaning for Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Weber kettles and every other ceramic and charcoal BBQ, at your home, across Ontario.
Professional charcoal & ceramic BBQ cleaning
Toronto, the GTA, Ottawa, Barrie and 11 locations across Ontario
A ceramic BBQ isn’t a gas BBQ, and it shouldn’t be cleaned like one. The ceramic is porous and soaks up whatever touches it, the felt gasket is easy to ruin, and ash-choked air holes are what stop it getting hot. Our technicians clean Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe and other ceramic BBQs with that in mind, bring charcoal kettles and carts back to an almost new condition, and send you before and after photos within 24 hours.
- 4.9 stars across 2,000+ online reviews
- Cleaning and repairing BBQs in Ontario since 2004
- Before and after photos within 24 hours
- You don’t need to be home
What it costs
Find the unit that looks like yours, then check open dates at your nearest location.
Charcoal Kettles & Carts
Kettle & cart models Weber Kettle, Weber Performer, Napoleon charcoal and similar products
$254.99
Check availabilityRegular Ceramic BBQ
Up to 18" Big Green Egg Small to Large, Kamado Joe Classic, Primo and similar products
$329.99
Check availabilityXL Ceramic BBQ
24" and larger Big Green Egg XL & 2XL, Kamado Joe Big Joe, table and built-in models
$384.99
Check availabilityNot sure which one you have? Send us a photo and we’ll point you to the right one.
What we clean, part by part
A ceramic BBQ is a simple machine: air comes in at the bottom, passes through the fire and leaves through the top. Every part along that path affects how hot it gets and how steadily it holds.
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Top vent
Grease and smoke gum up the cap on top until it sticks or won’t close properly, and that vent is half of your temperature control. We degrease and mechanically clean it so it moves freely again.
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Dome
Black, flaky build-up collects on the inside of the dome and eventually drops onto your food. Bare ceramic is porous and soaks up whatever touches it, so we take this off dry: scraped and brushed, with no degreaser and no water.
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Gasket
The felt seal between the lid and the base is what makes a ceramic BBQ hold temperature, and it’s the easiest part to ruin. We clean around it gently, keep cleaners away from it, and tell you if it’s worn enough to need replacing.
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Cooking grate
Thoroughly degreased and mechanically cleaned on both sides, bringing it back to an almost new condition.
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Heat deflector
The plate that turns your BBQ into an oven or smoker catches every drip. Baked-on grease is scraped and brushed off. Ceramic deflectors are cleaned dry, like the dome.
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Firebox and fire ring
When ash and small bits of charcoal block the air holes, the fire can’t breathe and the BBQ struggles to get hot. We empty it, clear every air hole, vacuum it out, and check the ceramic for cracks.
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Ash chamber and draft door
Old ash holds moisture against the ceramic and chokes the bottom vent. We vacuum the chamber and clean the draft door and its screen so the door slides properly.
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Bands, hinge, stand and shelves
The metal bands and hinge that carry the weight of the lid, the stand or table, and the shelves are degreased, cleaned and polished. The glazed outside is washed by hand, with nothing abrasive.
Charcoal kettles and carts
Steel kettles like the Weber Kettle and Performer are a different job. The bowl and lid are porcelain enamel fired onto steel, so the black flakes inside the lid aren’t paint. They’re layers of carbonized grease and smoke, and they come off. The bowl, lid, cooking grate and charcoal grate are degreased and mechanically cleaned back to an almost new condition. The ash sweep, vents and ash catcher are cleared so they move freely, and the cart, table and wheels are washed and polished.
What to expect on the day
The same communication you get with every Barbeque Pro visit, with a cleaning process built for ceramic and charcoal BBQs.
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A heads-up before we arrive
You’ll get a message through our app when your technician is on the way. You don’t need to be home. We just need to reach the BBQ, a water tap and an outdoor outlet.
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Inspect and photograph
We check the ceramic for cracks, the gasket for wear, the bands and hinge for play, and both vents for movement. If something needs attention, the technician sends the details to our office so we can tell you about the repair or part. Then we take detailed “before” photos.
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Empty and strip down
We protect the work area, then old charcoal and ash come out. The grate, heat deflector, fire ring and firebox are lifted out so every surface can be reached.
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Clean each part the right way
Metal parts are thoroughly degreased and mechanically cleaned, bringing them back to an almost new condition. Bare ceramic is scraped, brushed and vacuumed dry, because it soaks up anything wet. On a steel kettle, the whole bowl and lid get the full degrease and mechanical clean.
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Wash and polish the outside
The glazed shell, shelves, stand or table and all the hardware are washed and polished by hand. Water and cleaners stay away from the gasket and the inside of the ceramic.
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Rebuild, check and report
Everything goes back in the right order. We check that the lid sits square on its gasket and both vents move freely. Your “after” photos and completion notes follow through the app within 24 hours.
When to book a cleaning
A ceramic BBQ is forgiving, which is why most never get cleaned at all. But ash builds up under the fire, grease bakes onto the deflector and dome, and a BBQ that sits closed and damp through an Ontario winter often opens in spring with mould inside.
We recommend a professional deep clean once a year, ideally in spring before the season starts. If you cook on it every week, or you do a lot of long, low smokes, a second clean mid-season is worth it.
Signs yours is overdue
- It takes much longer than it used to to get up to temperature
- The temperature is hard to hold steady, or smoke leaks out around the lid
- The top vent sticks, or the bottom door is hard to slide
- Black flakes dropping from the dome or lid onto your food
- Mould inside after it has sat closed for a while
- Flare-ups, or a bitter, greasy smell as it heats up
Charcoal and ceramic BBQ cleaning questions
Which charcoal and ceramic BBQs do you clean?
All the major ones: Big Green Egg in every size, Kamado Joe, Primo and the Broil King Keg, plus Weber kettles, the Weber Performer and Summit Kamado, Napoleon charcoal models and similar. Units in tables, stands and built-in islands are all fine. If yours isn’t listed, send us a photo.
How is cleaning a ceramic BBQ different from cleaning a gas BBQ?
A gas BBQ is steel, burners and grease trays, and it can take degreaser and water. A ceramic BBQ is thick, porous ceramic with a felt gasket, and both are easy to damage. The metal parts are cleaned the same way as any BBQ, but the ceramic itself has to be cleaned dry and the gasket kept away from cleaners. It’s a different job, so we price and schedule it separately.
Do you use degreaser or water inside my ceramic BBQ?
Not on the bare ceramic. It’s porous, so it soaks up cleaners and gives them back as fumes and off flavours the next time it’s hot, and ceramic that has soaked up water can crack when it heats. The dome, firebox, fire ring and deflector are scraped, brushed and vacuumed dry. Metal parts like the grate and vents come out and are degreased and mechanically cleaned separately.
Is the black stuff flaking off the inside of my lid paint?
No. On a Weber kettle, the bowl and lid are porcelain enamel fired onto the steel, which can’t peel. On a ceramic BBQ, the inside of the dome is bare ceramic. What you’re seeing in both cases is layers of carbonized grease and smoke that have built up and started to let go. It isn’t harmful, but you don’t want it landing on your food, and it comes off as part of the clean.
There’s mould inside my ceramic BBQ. Can you deal with that?
Yes, and it’s common. A ceramic BBQ that sits closed and damp, especially over winter, grows mould on the old grease and food residue inside. The clean removes that residue along with the ash that holds the moisture. We’ll also tell you how to run a hot first fire afterwards, which is what the makers recommend to finish the job.
Can you replace my gasket or fix a cracked firebox?
We check both on every visit. If the gasket is worn or a ceramic part has cracked, the technician sends the details to our office and we’ll follow up about the replacement part or repair. Barbeque Pro handles BBQ repairs and parts as well as cleaning.
Do I need to empty the ash and old charcoal first?
No, leave everything as it is. Emptying it is part of the clean.
How long does it take, and do I need to be home?
Most visits take between one and two hours, depending on the size of the unit and how long it’s been. You don’t need to be home. As long as we can reach the BBQ, a water tap and an outdoor outlet, we’ll message you when we’re on the way, and your photos and notes follow within 24 hours.
Do you clean ceramic BBQs in Mississauga, Ottawa and across the GTA?
Yes. Barbeque Pro has 11 Ontario locations: Toronto, Vaughan, Mississauga, Pickering, Newmarket, Caledon, Hamilton, Barrie, Collingwood, Muskoka and Ottawa. Pick your unit, choose your location and you’ll see the open dates.
More than one grill on the patio?
Plenty of our customers run a ceramic BBQ beside a gas BBQ or a pellet grill. We clean those too, each with its own process and its own pricing.