How Do I Maintain My Saffire Grill?

Your Saffire Grill is a high performance machine, capable of cooking from 150-750 degrees Fahrenheit. Regular contraction and expansion across a wide temperature range could occasionally require maintenance. Periodically check your nuts for tightness and adjust. Check your temperature gauge and probe, and interior components. If you have any questions, contact Saffire Grills through our Contact page.

How Do I Clean My Saffire Grill and Ceramic Accessories?

– Remove your ash on a regular basis to maintain proper air flow.
– Use high heat, 500° to 550° F, for around 30 minutes to burn off the grease and smoke buildup (creosote) from the internal ceramic components and accessories. Note that cooking at 500° F or hotter from time to time will do to keep your grill clean.
– Ceramic components and accessories can be scraped with a plastic brush or scraper (not a wire brush). Regular cleaning is not necessary.
– It is a good practice to occasionally clean your chimney top. You can carefully wipe it down with a soft cloth before it fully cools to remove grease build-up on the outside. We recommend wearing gloves while doing so. Stainless steel chimney tops can be taken off and hand-washed with a non-chlorine dish detergent degreaser in hot water. This will prevent grease build-up, which can prevent it from opening or closing when it cools.
– You can wipe your Saffire grill down with a terry cloth or microfiber towel to spruce up the exterior. Lemon Pledge works nicely to shine up the exterior of your Saffire. Be sure to wipe all the pledge free of your grill before starting the grill.
– Periodically remove your internal components to clean out any pieces of lump or ash from around the firebox or fire ring.
– We suggest using a stainless steel or copper wire brush on your grids before you cook. Get the grill hot (500° F) for 5 to 10 minutes to burn off food leftovers. Brush the grids, close the lid and slow the grill down with the Air Controls. Finally, a good way to finish cleaning and prepare the grid for food is to wipe it with a cloth soaked with vegetable or olive oil. You can use your grill brush to aid in the application. A small piece of cloth will normally stick to the wire brush quite well. Do this just before putting food on the grill. This also helps to remove any bristles that may have been left on the cooking grid from the brush, which can be dangerous if swallowed.
– DO NOT USE HARSH CHEMICALS TO CLEAN YOUR GRILL.

My Gasket is Separating from My Ceramic Grill. How Do I Replace It?

Contact your local Authorized Saffire dealer for replacement gasket. If you do not have an Authorized dealer near you, you can order from us here.

I Came Out to My Ceramic Grill and Noticed a Chip in the Paint. What Do I Do?

Contact your local Authorized Saffire dealer for touch up paint. If you do not have an Authorized dealer near you, please use our contact page to get in touch with us.

Why are There Hundreds of Tiny Cracks in My Grill’s Paint?

What looks like tiny cracks in your Saffire’s paint is called crazing. Crazing happens on a vast majority of ceramic products. There can be less crazing when firing at lower temperatures and using lower gloss glaze coatings. But it is especially bound to occur at the high temperatures we fire the Saffire ceramics at. This is a subject of appearance, not a functional issue and not something that will in any way become worse over time. The glaze coating is permanently fused to the ceramics and will not crack unless it is damaged by external impact.

The coating is a kiln fired glaze that is fused to the ceramics and not just a painted or coated enamel finish. After firing, the glaze becomes so hard that it is similar to glass. So it is partly resistant to scratches (unlike steel or painted grills) and the glaze will not lose its color or luster like the paint on a car will. No one will ever have to polish and wax the ceramics on their Saffire to restore color. So the benefits of a glazed surface are very high. But the benefits will be accompanied by some minor blemishes. While we make durability our first priority, the Saffire glaze cosmetic appearance has also always been comparatively good.

How Can I Keep My Firegrate in Good Shape?

For grills with fire grates that hold the charcoal in the firebox, never let the ash build up enough to reach the fire grate. Cutting off some of the air from the bottom of the charcoal makes it burn insanely hot, which can permanently damage your fire grate.

You should check the ash level before each cook, and remove it if it’s building up.

I Have an Older-Model Saffire. How Do I Find Replacements for Old Parts?

If you have Saffire’s original SG22 or an 18″ grill, try looking under the 18″ store category. Otherwise. here is a quick reference list that might help you find parts for older grills.
Ceramic Firebox — Being replaced by the Crucible Firebox (Large and XL only so far)
Ceramic Fire Ring — Being replaced by the Crucible Firebox (Large and XL only so far)
Large-Only Heat Deflector — Replaced by the Large Two-Piece Heat Deflector
Old Primary Cooking Grid — Being replaced by the Multi-Grid (requires Multi-Rack; Large and XL only so far)
Cooking Grid Elevator — Being replaced by the Multi-Rack (Large and XL only so far)
XL-Only Multi-Level Adjustable Rack — Replaced by the Multi-Rack
Rectangular Smokin’ Chip Feeder Tool — Replaced by the round Smokin’ Chip Feeder tool, which fits in the newer round Smokin’ Chip Feeder port
Bamboo Handle Replacement Kit, Large — Replaced by either the Platinum Rod Handle, or the Bronze Rod Handle
XL Ultra Torsion Hinge Spring — Replaced by multiple Large hinge springs on the new XL model

My Chimney Top/Damper Is Stuck Shut. What Should I Do?

Grease build-up can cause your chimney top to stick. If you have a stainless steel chimney top, try to tap around the chimney top plate to see if you can pop it free from the grease. Heating up the chimney top will help liquefy the grease and free up the top plate.

You may want to clean the chimney top from time-to-time. The easiest method is to carefully wipe it down with a soft cloth before it fully cools after a cook, to remove any excess grease build-up on the outside. Stainless steel chimney tops can also be taken off and washed by hand in the sink using chlorine-free dish detergent, water and a non-abrasive cloth. If that doesn’t help, contact us using our contact form.

How Do I Upgrade My Side Shelves?

If you just want to replace your bamboo side shelves with 304 stainless side shelves, you can check out this guide.

I Have Another Question about Parts and Maintenance

Please check out this page, which highlights general grill use topics, including those found in your manual. If you can’t find your answer there, please contact us.