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Seasoning my cast iron grill grates

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nicsflyingcircus
nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,409 Member
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Bought a new grill Sunday, a tru-infrared with cast iron grill grates. In the end, it didn't quite fit in the back of my minivan, so it's being delivered tomorrow, but I came home with the grates and troughs. Since I didn't work tonight figured I'd get a head start and season the grates in my oven. So much conflicting info on the interwebz, but right now I'm coating the grills in lard and baking them for an hour at 325. Hopefully this will do it since I'd like to hit the ground running when the grill gets here.

Any cast iron pros are welcome to chime in with advice/tips.

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  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
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    I used flaxseed oil (yes it cost an arm and a leg) based on this blog post by Sheryl Canter. Worked like a charm on my cast iron pan... http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,409 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Phrick wrote: »
    I used flaxseed oil (yes it cost an arm and a leg) based on this blog post by Sheryl Canter. Worked like a charm on my cast iron pan... http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

    Yeah, I read that. That being said, I already had lard. My grates are cooling now, hope it worked.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,409 Member
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    Victory. My grates are cool and out of the oven, have a lovely dark sheen to them and are in no way sticky or greasy feeling. 325 was not hot enough, 1 hr at that left them very tacky so I let them cool, wiped them down, cranked the heat to 500 and let them go another hour, then cracked the oven door and let them sit in there until completely cooled. They are quite glorious and I can't wait for the rest of the grill to show up.
  • KenSmith108
    KenSmith108 Posts: 1,966 Member
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    The main thing to remember is you have to raise the temp past the smoke point.
    We use coconut oil, oven set to 450 deg timer 65 minutes & don't open the oven till cool.

    >:) or o:)
  • ettaterrell
    ettaterrell Posts: 887 Member
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    nicsflyingcircus wrote: »
    Victory. My grates are cool and out of the oven, have a lovely dark sheen to them and are in no way sticky or greasy feeling. 325 was not hot enough, 1 hr at that left them very tacky so I let them cool, wiped them down, cranked the heat to 500 and let them go another hour, then cracked the oven door and let them sit in there until completely cooled. They are quite glorious and I can't wait for the rest of the grill to show up.

    Agree... I do all my cast iron skillets this way.. High heat then cool down I usually do this 2 times for my skillits
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,409 Member
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    ettaterrell wrote: »
    nicsflyingcircus wrote: »
    Victory. My grates are cool and out of the oven, have a lovely dark sheen to them and are in no way sticky or greasy feeling. 325 was not hot enough, 1 hr at that left them very tacky so I let them cool, wiped them down, cranked the heat to 500 and let them go another hour, then cracked the oven door and let them sit in there until completely cooled. They are quite glorious and I can't wait for the rest of the grill to show up.

    Agree... I do all my cast iron skillets this way.. High heat then cool down I usually do this 2 times for my skillits

    I may do one more coat today. They can cook and cool whilst I sleep away the morning.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,409 Member
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  • LowCarbInScotland
    LowCarbInScotland Posts: 1,027 Member
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    Nice! Please share photos of sizzling meat :smiley:

    I miss doing a barbecue. It rains way too much here to even bother buying one. When we lived in Las Vegas years ago that's how we cooked every night. It was too hot to turn the oven on in the house.

    Have fun with your new toy!
  • jonthemusse
    jonthemusse Posts: 106 Member
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    I'm a bit anal when it comes to cast iron. Lard, coconut, even butter (clarified first) do well. It's a grill, right? Just blast the kitten out of it in the beginning well basted in fat. If you don't see smoke, you're only fancifying it.

    Flaxseed just turns into oil paint at low heat, albeit get the grill to black heat and dip it in, and you've just become an old school blacksmith. Some of the restoration work I'm involved in deals with rustproofing forged and cast iron exactly so.

    Obviously don't use BLO.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,409 Member
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    jonthemusse wrote: »
    I'm a bit anal when it comes to cast iron. Lard, coconut, even butter (clarified first) do well. It's a grill, right? Just blast the kitten out of it in the beginning well basted in fat. If you don't see smoke, you're only fancifying it.

    Flaxseed just turns into oil paint at low heat, albeit get the grill to black heat and dip it in, and you've just become an old school blacksmith. Some of the restoration work I'm involved in deals with rustproofing forged and cast iron exactly so.

    Obviously don't use BLO.

    I used lard. Did two seasonings at 500 in my oven, then when the grill arrived today, a third with the burners blasting full bore for over 30 min. With the lid shut, the thermometer maxed out, past 650 degrees. I let it run until it stopped smoking. They're looking sweet!

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