The Reasoning For Seasoning: How To Season A Grill

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Let’s say you’ve just bought a new grill and you’re eager to get cooking. Perhaps you’re a total beginner to the world of grilling and you’re not even sure what it means to season your grill. Or, maybe you’re a pro in the kitchen looking for some new tips. No matter your skill level, we’re here to help.

If you’re a proud grill owner, you already know that there’s nothing more important than keeping your grill performing its best. Here are some simple tips and tricks that make the process a lot easier and more convenient.

 

First: What does it mean to season a grill?

For those of you venturing into the world of grilling for the very first time, let me break it down for you. Seasoning a grill is essentially warming and oiling the cooking surface to make sure it’s as clean and useful as possible.

If you don’t oil your grill, there’s a serious risk of rusting. The more the grill rusts, the more ineffective and prone to breakdown or collapse it becomes. Oiling your grill makes it a lot easier to clean and maintain in the long run. If you take care of your grill properly, its lifespan will be maximized — it could last you for many, many years.

 

How does grill seasoning affect your food?

If you fail to season your grill before ever cooking anything on it, you run the risk of allowing factory chemicals into your food. There may still be some paint, metal, dust, or other miscellaneous materials stuck to the surface from the manufacturing and shipping process. Oiling your grill helps to sterilize it right off the bat.

Continuously seasoning your grill is also highly recommended because the grates become sticky over time from absorbing fats and oils. This makes the process of removing your food from the grill a little harder.

 

Steps to Seasoning Your Grill

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All new grills could benefit from a hearty seasoning. Here is a solid breakdown of the steps for a perfect grill seasoning.

1. If you’re unpackaging a new grill for the first time, it might be a good idea to rinse and air dries all of the grates. Soap is unnecessary here, just a good rinse gets the job done. Make sure the grates are thoroughly dry before placing them back on the grill and moving on to the next step. Note that grills do not have to be hand-washed and dried after every use. Doing it before attempting to cook something or oiling your grill for the first time is enough.

2. The next step is to coat your grill with cooking oil of your choice while the grill is off. You can do this with a paintbrush, basting brush, rag, towel, or spray bottle — the latter is probably the most efficient method. We recommend canola oil and/or peanut oil as they tend to work really well but other cooking oils are also sufficient.

3. After coating your grill with cooking oil, wipe off the excess oil with a paper towel. A thin layer of oil should remain on the grill. This layer should coat all of the grates evenly. You might be asking yourself: Why exactly do we do this? What we’re trying to achieve here is to give your grill a non-stick coating. When you burn the oil, you’re actually sealing it into your grill as it seeps deeper into the iron.

4. Now, turn on the grill! Light the charcoal, crank the gas — whatever works. Put it to a high setting for approximately twenty to thirty minutes or until the oil starts to smoke, burn, or both.

5. At this point, you should notice that your grate is changing color, perhaps becoming a tad darker. Don’t worry - the color change is totally natural. You might notice your grill appears dark brown or has a bronze-like tone to it. It could even be almost black. As we said, this just means that the process is working. This is a good thing!

6. After 20-30 minutes of grilling, burning, and smoking, reduce the heat and let it cool. Congratulations, you have succeeded in seasoning your grill for the very first time!

7. Note that after every use of your grill, you should apply a light coat of oil to ensure that it does not rust.

Here’s a question you might have: Do I season my grill after each and every use?

Answer: it depends on the type of grill that you have.

If you have a grill with a cast-iron or stainless steel grate, it’s smart to season your grill before and after use. The same goes for grills with emitter plates. They have to be taken care of properly or you risk excessive rusting. It’s crucial to extend the life and health of your grill to continue to produce high-quality food.

Note: if you have a grill with a porcelain grate, you don’t have to worry about seasoning them ar all. It’s not required.

There you have it — all of the most helpful tips and tricks to assist you in dealing with your grill. Now get cookin’!