I have also always subscribed to the "Al Bundy" school of grill-cleaning. The loose carbon also makes it easier to make the "grill marks" that prove "this item

I have also always subscribed to the "Al Bundy" school of grill-cleaning. The loose carbon also makes it easier to make the "grill marks" that prove "this item was cooked on a hot grill" without actually burning them in too far. This is important if you actually cooked the food by some other means and only used the grill for Maillard, caramelization, drying, and the cosmetic grill lines. If I'm in there to actually cook something, there's usually a foil packet involved, because otherwise one needs a humidity reservoir, or some other means of retaining moisture in the food, and the tasty fats still drip out.