With Memorial Day right around the corner grills will be fired up and working overtime. Your food needs to be the star of the cookout. On today’s Tuesday’s tip I’m sharing with you some tips on making sure your grill is seasoned well and ready to go!
Burgers, hotdogs, chicken, chops, veggies, pizzas and even desserts will be aplenty this Memorial day weekend. You have a perfect burger or that prime steak, you slap that puppy on the grill and what happens.. it sticks and ends up looking like it got run over with a mulcher. It’s mangled, deformed and looks like something not edible. Just like being in the kitchen with cast iron pans you need to ensure that your grill is seasoned. Now one thing we need to clear up here is the whole ‘what does it mean to season’ something. When it comes to a grill or say cast iron pan you’re not adding flavor to your dishes but rather you’re ensuring that continually coating the surface with a thin coat of oil to aid in the prevention of rusting and or foods sticking.
Most grills have grates that are not non-stick. By seasoning, cleaning them and then re-seasoning them you’re prolonging the life of the grates, aiding in the prevention of rust forming and building up a surface that mimics a non-stick aspect.
So how do you do this? Easy!
Okay, you either purchased a new grill or uncovered you grill for the season, now what?
If your grill is brand spanking new (color me jealous) most grates are coated with a porcelain coating to help prevent rust. Now whether or not you should season your grates vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. While you should always follow their instructions, if it were me I’d season it. It can’t hurt, right? If your grill is older then most definitely season them. For those that are older start by cleaning off the grates (even the rust spots). Clean with soapy water, rinse with clean water and then dry.
At this point, whether it’s new or old, brush a coating of canola or vegetable oil (only use a high smoke point oil) on the grates, turn the heat on medium and cook for about 15 minutes or until the oil burns off (typically it’ll start to smoke). The more you do this, the more well-seasoned your grill grates will become. The darker and shinier your grates get, the hotter and more evenly they will cook (plus less food will stick). Once you’re done with the cooking, clean the grill then, once cooled, brush with another thin layer of oil. This whole process is very similar to how you take care of a cast iron pan – heat to remove any crud, clean, dry, brush with oil and heat to season. Wipe it down and add another thin layer of oil. Easy, huh?
Leave a Reply