Seasoning cast iron gas grills

[speedog]

Am looking for some ideas/advice as there seems to be no one right answer out there when it comes to how one goes about seasoning cast iron grills for a propane grill.

Should one season them like a cast iron pan in the oven and then maintain them over the grilling season? Should they be oiled up when hot before using or after each use or both? Am asking because we finally upgraded to a new propane grill and the new one has cast iron grills as opposed to the porcelain coated steel grills on our old unit and it certainly is proving to be a bit different to grill stuff on.

[nonlinear]

hey man,

we have cast iron and i think we just had to heat it for awhile to burn the lube off, and then we just started cooking. you build up so much grease inside a grill that rust is the last thing you have to worry about.

[Shogged]

im taking most of this from BBQ's Galore and the guide they gave me for my cast iron grills, with a bit of my own experience thrown in. This has worked flawlessly for me for the past 3 years, my grill looks brand new and i've never had a single slab of meat stick.

-you need canola oil or vegetable oil, do not, i repeat do not use olive oil it burns off at too low of a temperature. so many guides say olive oil and I don't understand why, its as if you don't season your grill at all.

- don't do it in your oven, it won't get hot enough. It seems like a major waste of propane but if you season them on your grill it'll last all year and you wont have to season them again until next year. Heat is your friend.

- last tip before the instructions, never ever scrape your grill with the metal scraper, you'll pull off all the coating the first time you do it and you'll significantly shorten the lifespan of your grills. you should use the bristle brush only, and you should get a soft metal brush like brass. They're 3 bucks, it's worth it.

step 1, coat your entire grills with oil. be generous, get both sides, and use a paper towl if you don't want to get your fingers oily, but there is nothing wrong with using your hands to get it into every little nook and cranny, that is very important.

step 2, when they're completely coated, turn your bbq onto low and let it heat up to about 300 Fahrenheit. This will burn off the drips and set you at a good starting temperature. It's very important that your grill is on its lowest setting because you want this to be a gradual process.

step 3, once your grill is at 300, turn your burners to between medium and high, use your own judgement its not a big deal. Then let your grill go for 20 minutes. It should reach a pretty good temperature by this time, but be careful not to go too far past 20 minutes because you'll hit higher temperatures and you'll burn off too much.

step 4, after 20 minutes you can turn your grill off and let it cool down. let it cool off completely before you cook on it to finish off the process.

its as simple as that! some people do it twice, I don't because i do it right the first time!

couple other tips for the rest of the year...

don't use pam or anything, i think thats a given.

clean your grill before you cook and after your grill heats up (with the soft metal brush don't forget!) Alot of people scrape right after they cook or before they heat up their grill next time. If you do that, you're scraping off the goodness! The bbq will burn off most of it and the light brushing you do after the grill is hot leaves the good stuff and gets rid of the charred leftovers only. doing this means you'll only have to season once a year.

[ExtraSlow]

The way I season my cast iron grill is to never ever clean it. Don't even brush it some times. The grease from salmon/burgers/smokies and steaks works like a charm.

[The_Rural_Juror]

I forgot to season my new grill and clean it religiously. A tiny bit of rust has developed. Damnit.

[Amysicle]

I use the Alton Brown method:
-Make sure it's clean to start with. Scrub it with hot water and a teeny tiny bit of dish soap, but only if required! Otherwise skip to the next step.
-Pre-heat oven to 350°F and put your cast iron in to dry off the water.
-Take it out after 5 minutes and rub a thin layer of vegetable shortening on it. Never use olive oil (as someone above me said, the smoke point is too low and it'll start burning). The vegetable shorting is refined so it has a high smoke point.
-Place cast iron back into the oven and bake for 1 hour.
-After one hour, turn off the oven and leave it in there until cool.
-Remove excess fat/oil with a paper towel and ta-da!

I know some people on here don't agree with the oven method, but take what you will from it. It's pretty similar as Shogged's method.

I do it about once or twice a year when I clean the entire grill. Once in the fall and again in the spring. We have someone who uses our grill though and they sometimes leave the cover off and lid open in the rain/snow so there is a bit of rust developing in the centre. I'm sure the same person uses the metal scrape as well. :cry: But the rest of the grill space is doing fine, nice coating and no rust even though it has been exposed to the same elements just the centre.