Toss the Grill Brush—Juniper BBQ Scrapers Whittle Away Worry

mei 2021

Stop what you’re doing and put down that wire grill brush. There’s a new and improved way to remove burnt-on food from your grill, and it’s the Juniper BBQ Scraper.

Cleaning brushes with metal bristles are a thing of the past. The Juniper BBQ Scraper gets your grill clean without you having to worry about metal barbs and bristles breaking off into your grill, contaminating your food.

The Juniper BBQ Scraper is a must-have for all grill enthusiasts, and is a favorite among our Kick Ash community. It’s the safety-conscious option for your family, as well as a more responsible choice for the environment. As a zero-plastic, zero-metal, and eco-friendly option, we’ve only just touched on what makes this grilling accessory so great.

In this article, you’ll learn about:

The History of the Juniper BBQ Scraper
The Juniper BBQ Scraper: Better Than a Grill Brush
How to Use the Juniper BBQ Scraper
Where You Can Buy This Cutting-Edge Grill Accessory

The Humble History of the Juniper BBQ Scraper

Jason Janes, the founder of Juniper BBQ Scrapers, was raised in Deer Lake, Newfoundland. Pulp and paper mills were the heartbeat of this small town, a true logging settlement nestled deep in the heart of Canada.

He worked in the tech industry before returning home to the logging community for some much-deserved rest. Jason spent the summer doing what he loves most, golfing and barbecuing.

It was during this hiatus that Jason noticed a hole in the BBQ market. He heard stories about people finding wire bristles from BBQ brushes in their food. In some cases, the bristles found their way into consumers’ gums and were even, on occasion, swallowed.

In an effort to avoid any unnecessary accidents, Jason began searching for an alternative to wire BBQ brushes that were natural, locally made, and safe. When he couldn’t find a grill brush alternative, he decided to develop one himself. Finally, he asked his dad if he had any Tamarack Larch he could use, which is a local wood known as Juniper in its native region and where Jason grew up, and so the Juniper Scraper was born.

The Juniper BBQ Scraper: Better Than a Grill Brush

Safer for Your Family

As mentioned, traditional metal grill brushes and scrapers can be extremely harmful to your family if they begin to decay and bristles break off into your grill. They can end up in your food, and can even be ingested, causing untold damage to a person’s insides.

There is also the issue of sanitation when it comes to your grill brush. Even when you clean with bristle-free brushes, leftover food residue and grease gunk up the brush head and begin to rot and mold. As you continue to use the metal brush, more food and grease build-up, and eventually, you’re spreading more grime than you are actually cleaning up, severely reducing the health benefits of grilling.

Juniper BBQ Scrapers, on the other hand, keep your grill surface clean and your family safe. With no bristles or other pieces breaking off into your food, they are effective and safe to use.

Additionally, these juniper scrapers are better all-around cleaning tools. The wood they are made from is antimicrobial, neutralizing bacteria by virtue of nature. As you continue to use your Juniper BBQ Scraper, it will conform to the grill surface of every type of grill, eventually providing you a custom fit for even closer and more precise cleaning over time.

Better for the Environment

Most grill brush companies recommend changing the brush regularly to prevent bristles from getting into your food, which only leads to much more waste; the plastic heads and stainless steel bristles cannot be recycled, and instead, they end up in landfills.

On the other hand, Juniper Scrapers are made entirely without plastic. They are made with sustainably and locally sourced hardwood, so they have FSC certification. Buying one of these scrapers gives you the satisfaction of knowing that the wood they’re crafted out of comes from responsibly managed forests and provides environmental, social, and economic benefits to the surrounding, native area.

The Juniper BBQ Scraper Special Features

Juniper BBQ Scrapers are compatible with the densest to the most delicate grill grates, such as those made of porcelain and ceramic. Some wire brushes can be too direct or harsh on these grates and scratch them, causing damage to your equipment and potentially contaminating the food you intend to cook on it. You’ll never have to worry about the Juniper BBQ Scraper damaging your grill grate because it is gentle, yet effective. On top of these qualities, there are a number of other benefits to tossing your old grill brush away:

Handcrafted from 100% Canadian wood
All-natural alternative to wire or metal scrapers
Customizable to any grill as grooves naturally form to match the pattern of your grate
Treated with high-grade, food-safe, cutting board oil
Resists heat, rot, and bacteria
With a 16-inch handle length, it’s long enough for a safe cleanup on a hot grill
Logo is burned into the top of the scraper, ensuring you hold it in the proper position

How to Use the Juniper BBQ Scraper and Never Buy Another Grill Brush

The Juniper BBQ Scraper works best after grooves have formed in the wood. The easiest way to get these grooves started is to clean your grill directly after cooking so that the grate is still hot. Then, hold your scraper so that the logo side is facing up, place the scraper on the grill, and firmly push it from the front to the back of the grill. Continue this process while ensuring that you are applying pressure to the same spots on the scraper each time, effectively cleaning your grill in the process!

As you continue to use your Juniper BBQ Scraper, the grooves will get deep enough that they wrap themselves around the BBQ grate, but as this wood is heat-resistant, the grooves will become reinforced by the applied heat and remain perfectly fitted to your grill without the worry of damaging it within the first months of its use.

Until the grooves are deeply formed, you can still get edges of your grate clean by turning the scraper at an angle. For a more detailed explanation, you can watch Jason put the Juniper BBQ Scraper to work in this video.

Why You Need to Keep Your Grill Clean

Don’t assume that the food residue on your grill will eventually burn off. It’s crucial that you keep the grates clean for a number of reasons, but here are some of the more important ones:

Eliminate built-up carcinogens—When you don’t clean your grill, carcinogens (those nasty things that cause cancer) can build up on your grates and be transferred to your food. The best way to eliminate these harmful chemicals is to clean your grill thoroughly after each use.
Increase the lifetime of your grill—Cleaning your grill guarantees that it will last longer than if food residue, rust, and sugary or acidic sauces sit on the surface.
Prevent bacteria from getting on your food—How often do you use a dirty pan for cooking in your kitchen? Hopefully never. In the same way, a dirty grill can attract bacteria and make you sick if it gets into your food.
Enjoy tastier meat—Don’t let the remnants of last week’s dinner get onto your freshly grilled burger. Cleaning your grill after each use prevents funky tastes and smells that can transfer over from previous meals. You’ll also get more defined grill marks.
Discourage pests from entering your grill—Smelly leftovers on your grill are a great way to attract mice, raccoons, and opossums to your grill for a tasty snack and a dark warm place to set up camp.
Heat your grill faster—Food particles, sauces, and debris slow down the heating process. They also make cooking food evenly more difficult to achieve.
Ensure grill safety through every step of the process—Excessive grease build-up on the grill increases the possibility of a flare-up that could result in a serious fire.
Spot grill damage sooner—When your grill is clean, it is easier to keep an eye on things that might need maintenance, such as flaking on the grill plate or a cracked gas line.
Reduce cross-contamination—Cross-contamination is the easiest way to get food poisoning. Cleaning your grill is the best way to ensure that you keep your family safe from harmful bacteria caused by cross-contamination.

Where You Can Buy This Cutting-Edge Grill Accessory

Kick Ash Basket is a proud provider of Juniper BBQ Scrapers. We partnered with Juniper BBQ Scrapers because they are a safe, natural, and clean alternative to metal grill brushes. Their products are hand-crafted and quality controlled for their entire production process and arrive at your doorstep ready-to-use, just like ours do!

If you’ve tried the Juniper BBQ Scraper, you’ll love their other handmade, natural wood products (as well as their handy BBQ first aid kit). You can find the scraper, as well as other outdoor kitchen must-haves, on their website.