After every use. It's to keep rain and dust and other detritus off the grill so it's ready to go when you are. If you only put it on at the end of the season you're likely to have a rusty grill covered in dirt way quicker
this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2026
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It has its own metal cover I lift up to use
The bbq lid is not a cover, it is part of the cooking apparatus.
It is both, but like anything else exposure to the elements means some kind of replaceable protection is a good idea. Similar to parking a car in a garage or those car covers people use to protect a car parked for a long period of time.
OP calling the BBQ lid a cover is like calling the roof of a car a cover.
It covers the grill itself, serving as both a way to keep the internal temp where you want it and to protect the inner parts from the elements like the retractable roof on a convertible.
If you left the lid off the grill and other internal parts would would get rusty a lot faster. A BBQ lid does both, although a real cover is better as it also protects the lid.
Just like many people keep their cars parked outside, but the outside is protected better if it is usually stored under cover. The trick is to get a cover that doesn’t trap moisture inside.
That lid is there to trap heat during cooking. Protecting it is important too.
In that case at the end of the season
What an absolute waste of bandwidth.
Hmm quite
Covers just trap moisture under them.
I've had as many rust out with a cover as without. They certainly don't help.
After every use, as quickly as possible after cleaning, to protect it from the elements.
NO. You need that grill to dry out inside first. Leave the lid off for an hour or two, let it cool off and dry off, then put the cover on.
...who's cleaning the grill before it's dried out?
Well the cook or someone the cook instructs. Do you follow a “you cook I clean” protocol?
It doesn't have anything to do with who is doing the cleaning, it has to cool down before you clean it.
It has to cool down some, sure, but don’t let it get cold, then it’ll just get caked on.
If your grill is wet while you’re cooking, it’s not a grill.
Of course it has to cool down, the lid is going to be 200° if not more and the plastic cover melts well below that.
Every use, unless you live in a desert.
Especially if you live in a desert, unless you like sand-flavoured steaks!
Then you're just creating a high humidity zone
You put it somewhere with a roof when your done. Those covers trap moisture.
I cover after every use, after cleaning it
Every use.
Depends on the climate, time of year, and where the grill is located.
If it is humid but the grill is stored under an overhang then leaving the cover off might be better for letting it stay as dry as possible unless you get a cover that has ventilation. If it is out in the sun/elements then cover on between uses is going to be better.
How rainy is your area? If it rarely rains, you don't need to cover it.
Even in a rainy area they don't help.
I've had (and my siblings and friends) as many rust out with a cover as without.
In a rainy area they just trap moisture after the rain stops (high humidity areas).
We don't bother anymore.
UV light makes exposed plastic brittle. Mine would also get that gross pine sap coating if I didn't cover it. Humidity isn't a concern in the northern prairies, so even a decade old it has no rust despite being covered after...almost every use.
The words BBQ and Grill are used interchangeably where I live but either way this would remain true.
UV light makes exposed plastic brittle.
Plastic on a Bbq???
Not arguing with your point though.
this is highly location and circumstance dependent. Like we just had storms with possible hail yesterday. If you had started using it you might want to throw on the cover at least depending. If its completely out in the open with no cover at all then you should throw the cover on I would say. If its in a place with a kinda roof above it then you can be lazy and just throw it on if the weather looks bad or whatver.
I actually never completely close it, unless I'm cooking. Once done cooking, I leave it open to cool, clean it, and the leave the lid propped partially open.
It's still protected from precipitation, but if I close it all the way wasps inevitably build a nest in there. I don't like my hamburgers that spicy.
But yes, I do this after every use. How much effort is it to just cover it? Why wouldn't you?
It’s still protected from precipitation, but if I close it all the way wasps inevitably build a nest in there.
This sounds like a problem that has a solution already baked into it.
Sounds like popcorn.
if I close it all the way wasps inevitably build a nest in there.
I don't want to live where you live.