How to Season a charcoal grill
If you have a new grill, then you know that you need to make sure that you can use it with ease for the first time.
To do that, you need to know how to season a charcoal grill.
I like charcoal grills because they can get up to higher temperatures than gas grills.
Using a charcoal grill for the first time can sometimes be challenging if you got used to gas grills.
Once you get the hang of it, you can easily ensure that your food cooks the right way.
You can even switch your grill to a vertical charcoal smoker grill to cook more varieties of food.
When you break in a new charcoal grill, you need to ensure that you have the right tools.
Seasoning a charcoal grill can make the grill grates develop a non-stick surface for cooking.
Many things need to be removed from the new grill before you can cook on it.
That is why seasoning is necessary to make the grill work like it is supposed to.
So get your charcoal briquettes, chimney starter, paper towels, and other tools that you need, and let’s get started with how you break in your new charcoal grill before you cook your recipes.
Why Do I Need To Season A Charcoal Grill
There are many reasons why you should season your new charcoal grill.
This goes with other cooking items like vertical charcoal smoker grills and even pellet grills.
The biggest companies like Masterbuilt charcoal smokers and Weber charcoal grills suggest that you season your grill before using it for the first time. So here are the reasons why you should do it.
To Keep Your New Grill Safe
Like most grills, your Weber charcoal grill, Masterbuilt charcoal smokers, Traeger grill, and other types of grill can have residual paint from the manufacturing factory.
You need to properly remove the residual paint and the dust and bacteria that might have entered the grill during manufacturing or when it was transported to your house.
Seasoning the charcoal grill will burn off all its impurities inside.
This will make it safe when the time comes that you are using the charcoal grill for the first time
Cooking And Cleaning Made Easier
When you season a charcoal grill before using it, the grill grates, along with some other parts, will develop a non-stick coating.
This will make the cooking process a lot easier, especially with meat.
Meat like hot dogs, whole chicken, pork chops, and other thicker cuts of meat tend to stick to the grill grates, that is why by putting not too much oil on the grates, it will develop a thin layer of coating.
Regular seasoning will develop this coating or even when you cook regularly, it will inevitably develop the non-stick surface.
This makes it easy to clean and cook on the grill.
Develop A Better Flavor
One reason why grilled foods are really good is that the re-seasoning process gets repeated.
The fats and drippings from the food you cook go onto the grill grates and get vaporized..
The high heat or high temperature vaporizes the fats and residues which then instills into the grates.
You can observe this in most stainless steel and cast-iron grill grates like Masterbuilt charcoal smoker grills and Weber charcoal grills.
You can use olive oil for cooking later but not for seasoning, for seasoning it is best to use other types of oil like canola oil can develop these flavors.
The great thing is that it has a higher smoke point and it will make the food taste better in the long run.
Extend The Life Of Your Charcoal Grill
Seasoning your charcoal grill can also make it last a long time.
The cooking grates stay protected from rust and other corrosive threats, that might get into the grill.
If there is too much charcoal on the grill, it can also attract other bacteria or dirt.
The lump charcoal can be a hiding place for bacteria, making the grill unhealthy to cook in.
The bottom of the grill can be prone to other damages.
Seasoning the entire grill will give you a clean grill that will help cook better and improve the taste of your food when you cook in it.
The seasoning process can extend the life of your charcoal grill and pellet grills and other kinds of grills.
You can also cook better with indirect heat and two-zone cooking with a well-seasoned grill.
How To Season Your New Charcoal Grill
Get some traditional briquettes and chimney starter to season your grill.
Make sure to keep it natural and avoid using lighter fluid to light up your grill for a safer charcoal grilling later on.
Seasoning your grill before first use is easy if you follow these simple steps.
Prepare the oil you will be using, vegetable oil, or canola oil. You cannot use olive oil and I recommend avoiding it as much as you can!
Clean The Grill First
The first step is to get a bucket of water and rinse the grill grates.
Wear gloves if you are dealing with an old grill, with new ones, it is much safer but it is also better to make sure.
A simple rinse of warm water will start to get rid of the hardened oil, if any, from the grill.
There are grill grates that you can remove to do that so you can clean the grates easier.
There is no need for you to use soapy water and other abrasive cleaners if your grill is new.
The chemicals can stick to the grill grates and develop a foul taste on your food.
After rinsing, allow the grill to dry on its own. You should not use the fire inside the grill to dry it even if you set it to low heat as it can make the chemicals stick even deeper into the grill.
1. Oil The Grill Grates
Once the grates are dried, look for the best oil to season a grill or you can use any oil except olive oil for this. I recommend peanut oil, cooking oil, etc.
When you break in a new grill, you will need an oil type with a high smoke point.
When you oil the grates, there should only be a light coating of oil, and make sure to remove any excess oil with paper towels.
User any type of application that is convenient for you.
You can dip a paper towel in a cup of oil and then hold it with a pair of tongs.
You can then brush the oil on the grill grates before getting into the charcoal you need to light up.
Figuring out what is the best oil to season a grill is easy.
You just need to make sure that the vegetable oil that you are using has a high smoking point.
2. Preheat And Season The Grill
Next is to light up some lump charcoal in a charcoal chimney starter.
You can use any type of charcoal but make sure there is less charcoal than you would use for cooking.
You need to preheat a charcoal grill before you can season it.
This is the slight difference between seasoning a charcoal grill and seasoning a gas grill.
Once the charcoal heats up, place them in the firebox of the charcoal grill.
You need to properly heat the charcoal to stay red and hot for as long as you need.
Once there are hot coals and are glowing red, you can put more charcoal in the firebox.
Close the grill lid and then let it season for at least an hour and a half.
After 1 hour, the grill will be ready and seasoned so you can start using your new charcoal grill for the first time and cook your favorite recipes on it and be the best grill master you can be!
Maintenance
It is a good idea to maintain your grill with regular cleaning.
However, there are times when you will need to re-season your grill to get the best results, this goes with BBQ grills.
Even your small grill or new smoker needs to be maintained as this is the best way to get the results you want.
A hot grill can make your food hit the sweet spot you cannot get from other grills.
You may not appreciate the seasoning process during your initial use, but as you cook regularly, the surface will become easier to deal with.
However, there can be food residuals that are on the grill.
Make sure to clean the grill with a sturdy grill brush to remove the larger food particles.
Make sure to clean the grill every after cooking even the excess charcoal from your previous use.
You can throw them away or keep them on the base of your grill so you can use them later on.
Once the grill has dried, store it and keep it in a dry place so it does not easily develop rust. Make sure to keep your grill safe so you can use it for a long time!
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