How to Season Cast Iron Grill Grates

June 26, 2020 Elaine

One way to enjoy your pastime and the beautiful weather is to get outside and prepare your BBQ. To do so you definitely need a cast iron grate and the same should be in great shape in order to get that wonderful taste.

Taking care of your cast iron grates doesn’t have to be all that hard. You need to properly season them when they are new and subsequently clean them after use. Seasoning cast iron grills can be done best using oil with a high smoke point. Just read on to find out the step by step process on how to season and take care of your cast iron grill grates.

Things you May need for seasoning

First Time Use

If you have newly purchased a new cast iron grill, here are a few steps on how to go about caring for the same. However, note to avoid using soap as it is not ideal for cleaning the grill.

Use warm water to rinse your new grates in order to remove dust and factory oils.
Use a natural bristle paintbrush or paper towel to coat your cast iron with your preferred cooking oil. It is recommended to use peanut oil due to its low viscosity and high smoke point.
Place the grill grate onto your unlit grill.
Lit the coals to about 135° to 175ºC and leave the iron cast grates for about 40 minutes.
Put out the coals to allow the cast iron to cool.

The above steps are for first time seasoning. However, your cast iron grates might get rusty during subsequent use. Therefore, this call for one to regularly season their cast iron grills if they have to continue having that yummy barbeque.

What to Do When Your Grill Grates Become Rusty

After the initial use, your iron cast grill grates will at some point become rusty. This will call for re-seasoning of the grill grates. Here is a step by step instructions on how to re-season the grill grates:

First, use a wire brush to rub off the rust from the grill grates. However, if you find this to be cumbersome, you can opt to use sandpaper to remove the rust.
If the above doesn’t work, then there are a number of rust removal products you can buy. If you use one of these rust removal products, make sure to wash the grates thoroughly with a towel to remove the entire rust residue.
Once you have removed the rust and the bare metal is visible, it is time to re-season your plates again.
Here is a more comprehensive cleaning guide if your grill isn’t clean after the above

Re-seasoning Your Cast Iron Grill Grates

Once you have finished with the removal of the rust, you will be required to re-season your grates again. Here is a step by step process on how to re-season your Cast iron grill grates:

Light your charcoal and spread them evenly.
Place the grates carefully on the cooker.
Use a natural bristle brush to coat the grates with cooking oil.
Wipe off any excess oil using a towel and leave a tiny coating.
Allow the grates to heat for about 30 minutes.
After the 30 minutes, repeat the coating process and wipe off the excess oil on the grates.
Repeat this process for about 3-4 times.
Your cast iron grates will be properly seasoned if they appear in shiny black color.

A good habit to keep your cast iron grill grates in good shape is to season them after every barbeque. To achieve this:

Leave the charcoal burning after the cook in a charcoal grill or let the gas fire burn for a while in a propane grill. This will carbonize any residue on the grates
Scrub the grates with a brush while hot, and then wipe them with a damp cloth to remove any leftover chunks.

Check this too: Best Cold Smoke Generator

Following the above steps will ensure that your cast iron grill grate is in good shape and your meat is well roasted.

Grills