Learn to Grill

Seasoning Cast Iron Grates

My Grill Buddy trying out the Freshly Seasoned CI Grates

Beginning the moment we got the new grill, the weather has been terrible. We even had a snow event which we hardly ever see here in coastal North Carolina. Today was dry and the temperature made it to the fifties. Wanting to start grilling on the new Char-Griller badly, we took the opportunity to fire her up for the first time. For starters we coated the entire inside of the master cooking chamber, charcoal grate and firebox with Crisco and used a spray vegetable oil to get at the hard to reach places. We then lined the bottom of the master chamber with heavy duty aluminum foil to make ash clean up easier. Using a new Weber Rapidfire Charcoal Chimney Starter, we fired up and loaded the charcoal grate with coals. We ran the grill for an hour at about 200 degrees to burn off the wax on the cast iron grates. Then a good wire brush cleaning left the grates looking like they just left the foundry. We coated them real good with vegetable oil, loaded another chimney of coals and keep cooking the grates for another two hours adding charcoal as needed to keep the temperature up around 300 to 350 degrees F. After two hours, we pulled the grates and gave them and the master cooking chamber another coating of vegetable oil and continued to cook them at 200 degrees for another hour or so.

The grates now have the black color and surface texture you see on cast iron frying pan and the cooking chamber has acquired a brownish mahogany color. Once the seasoning was complete,  my grill buddy insisted that we not waste the remaining coals,  so we threw on a few burgers and dogs.  This baby is now ready for a serious Summer season of outdoor cooking.