Grill Experts Warn – Don’t Fire Up Your BBQ Until You Do This One Free Thing (Or Risk Rust)

Grills may seem relatively low maintenance – brush them down, fire them up, and start cooking. However, for those using quality cast-iron grates, there’s one essential step that shouldn’t be skipped at the start of every summer: Seasoning.

Just as you would maintain a cast-iron pan, the best grills benefit from a little treatment and preparation to reduce sticking and protect against rust throughout the busy hosting season.

Here’s why experts swear by seasoning grill grates, and how to do it properly for the best possible results.

As with seasoning a cast-iron pan, baking a layer of high-smoke-point, neutral oil onto your grill grates helps form a protective coating. This not only reduces food from sticking during cooking but also extends the life of the grates by helping to guard against erosion, pitting, and rust.

Plus, well-seasoned grates can improve flavour, creating a cleaner cooking surface that prevents unintended charring and flavors from the metal itself.

It’s vital for cookware that spends much of the year outdoors, where exposure to the elements can accelerate wear over time. The process of seasoning a grill, however, differs from that of your best non-toxic cookware.

Scott Thomas, grill chef and founder of GrillinFools, explains, 'Seasoning the grates just means cleaning off any food residue and then giving the grates a coating of fat, and then cooking that fat off.'

To clean a grill and remove the residue, Scott advises first heating it up to loosen grease and residue before scrubbing.

A long-handed chainmail scrubber from Walmart is ideal for removing tough debris without damaging the grates. Most importantly, remove any rust spots, he adds. 'Sand that spot down to bare metal before seasoning. If you season over the rust, the rust will just bubble through the seasoning again and again.'

Scott continues, 'Then drizzle some oil over paper towels and coat the grill grates. You can also use bacon fat or beef tallow if you prefer. Really work it into the grates, then turn the heat up high. Let the fat cook off, reduce the temperature, and once the grates drop below 300°F, give them another light wipe-down.'

This dual-sided grill brush with sponge from Walmart makes this easier without risking your fingers.

'After that, the grates will be far less likely to have meat or fish stick during cooking, and they’ll also be better protected against rust.'

What to Shop

To make preparing a grill after winter quicker and more efficient, I’ve rounded up six essential tools for properly applying a seasoning layer, removing any built-up rust, so you can head into summer cookouts with a setup that performs as well as it looks.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the Expert

Scott Thomas

Scott is the owner of GrillinFools and an expert in teaching others how to grill properly by showing them step-by-step, picture-by-picture instructions for amazing meals on the grill without unnecessary mistakes.

With your grill clean and seasoned, next, organize your barbecue equipment to keep your outdoor kitchen tidy.

Love the latest product news and helpful shopping advice? Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox.