Why and How You Should Season Your BBQ
YOU JUST PURCHASED A NEW BBQ? RIGHT ON! CONGRATS! 😎
Before using your beautiful machine, it’s important that you season it. Seriously, it’s worth taking the time to do it—you won’t regret it!
What does “season a grill” mean ? After lighting your BBQ for the first time to make sure there’s no residue (like cutting oil, dust, etc.) left inside (I’ll talk about that later), seasoning it means giving it a “standard” flavor for the rest of its life. In fact, when you cook meat on it, you provide flavor and aroma to any future cooking that will take place on your grill, since the fat from the meat will soak into the BBQ.
Why do this? Well, in addition to what I just mentioned, it helps prevent rust and extends your unit’s lifespan. It also helps retain and better control the heat inside the BBQ.
What I mean by that is that there are 2 types of BBQs: those with a porous finish and those with a reflective finish (I’m talking about stainless steel, aluminum or steel ones).
The problem with the “porous” ones is that they can easily lose internal heat, and “unwanted” flavors can sometimes linger inside these BBQs.
When it comes to “reflective” BBQs, the problem is that, since their manufacturing material reflects heat, it’s harder to control the temperature, and it doesn’t always give you the cook you want.
Seasoning your grill is a great way to counteract all that.
Then again, when we talk about seasoning a grill, we’re usually referring to a charcoal grill. But it’s just as important for a gas grill.
I’ll explain how to do it! 👇
Steps to follow
No matter what type of grill you have, the first step to seasoning it is to remove all the plastic wrap covering your unit. Once that’s done, you want to burn off any unwanted stuff. So, you heat your BBQ to about 400°F, with the lid closed, for at least 15-20 minutes, until you can no longer smell any products (like oil) and there is no residue left inside the machine.
Once that’s done, you can add the flavor. And now you may be wondering what food would give your grill a “wow” factor? Personally, bacon has never disappointed. 😉 Whether you want to smoke a pork shoulder, cook chicken, steak, salmon or make burgers, it’s always a winner.
You then create a direct and indirect cooking zone and let your bacon slices cook in the indirect cooking zone. (If you have a Kamado, Weber Summit or other type of smoker, you should also set the heat diffusion plate over your charcoal before adding the bacon.) Cooking for 1 to 4 hours at 225-250°F should be enough to season your grill. The heat will cause the bacon fat to sink to the bottom of the BBQ and vaporize, eventually seasoning everything inside and infusing it with the sweet flavor of bacon. (Yummmm!)
Once your bacon has done its job, take it off the grill (I’m not suggesting you eat it…Think of it more as an offering you’ve made to your BBQ 😜) and…TA-DA! You’re all set for your next grilling session! 🤘
Happy grilling!
