Wire Brushes Vs Pumice Stones: A BBQ Pro Offers Advice For Choosing What To Use When Cleaning The Grill

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Under the sweltering summer sun, grilling reigns supreme. For amateur grill masters and barbecue connoisseurs alike, there's an age-old debate that starts the second the final hamburger is devoured: What's the best way to clean the grill — a wire brush or a pumice stone? To help break things down, we spoke with Robbie Shoults, celebrity chef and third-generation owner of Bear Creek Smokehouse, Marshall Mercantile, and High Horse 1898.

For Shoults, when it comes to sheer scraping power, wire brushes are a tried-and-true favorite. "The pros to using a wire brush when it comes to grilling is how clean your grill will be afterwards," Shoults says. "Wire brushes are great for removing burnt-on food and grease from grill grates." With stiff bristles that remove gunk from all of your grill's nooks and crannies, they're a backyard powerhouse that's perfect for when your baby back ribs leave behind an unwanted gift of burnt-on barbecue sauce.

On the other hand, pumice stones offer a easy, natural alternative. "When using [a] pumice stone [to] clean grills, they're typically used wet, which makes cleaning the grill easier to handle," Shoults says. "Pumice stones are preferred over wired brushes because they are more natural than wire brushes and don't have harmful chemicals, or bristles, like some wire brushes. Pumice is great for not just cleaning grills, but also for cleaning cast iron, stainless steel, and porcelain products." Not to mention, pumice stones are inexpensive, and they can even be used to remove baked-on oven residue.

Of course, every tool has its pitfalls, and there's one scary reason you might want to stop using wire brushes. "The downside of using a wire brush when grilling/cleaning is to be aware of the bristles," Shoults says. "The bristles can loosen and eventually fall into the grill grates, which can cook onto your food." As those bristles separate, they could end up lodged inside your next meal, potentially causing choking, or other injuries to the mouth and throat.

As for pumice stones, while there's no risk of bristles gone rogue on the grill, they tend not to last as long as a trusty wire brush. That's because the pumice naturally degrades as it's used, and for avid grillers, you might need to stock up on some extra stones for frequent cleaning. Speaking of, since pumice breaks down during cleaning, it can sometimes crumble into a powder, which can make an additional mess on your grill.

So which tool takes the crown? Well, that's up to personal preference. But for Shoults, the power and efficiency that wire brushes provide helps them reign supreme. "The best tool to use is a GrillArt Brush and Scraper," he says. "The brush is designed to have three rows — vertical, thick, and compact bristles quickly do the job by removing everything that was stuck or left behind on the grill."