There is one aspect of grilling that is often overlooked: the importance of cleaning your grill.

This year keep your barbecue in optimal shape with these 5 grill cleaning tips from Jim Ginocchi, president and founder of Coyote Outdoor Living.1. Turn the grill to "high" and let it warm up for 10-15 minutes.2. Once the grill is hot, turn it off and scrub your stainless steel grates with a stainless steel brush. Knocking all debris down toward the drip tray.3. After the cooking grates are cleaned, remove them from the grill (using tools and/or high temperature gloves) and then clean off your stainless steel flavorizers with the same brush. Knocking the debris down to the drip tray as well.4. Next, you can remove the flavorizers (using tools and/or high temperature gloves) to expose the burners. Once you can see the burners, scrub them with your brush and take the time to use a small nail (or hanger) to poke through each of the gas port holes on the side burner. This will ensure that your burner continues to emit the correct flame from all parts of the burner.Once the burners are cleaned, you can then clean up the remaining pieces at the bottom of the grill (underneath the burners) and clean out the drip tray.5. To remove the tough grease and stains, you can use Dawn (or another grease cutting detergent) or use a steam cleaner to really get the grill looking like new.