Have you just bought a new BBQ? “Yes, sir!” Congratulations! 😎
Before you use your beautiful machine, it is important that you season it. Seriously, it is worth taking the time to do this; you will not regret it!
What is "seasoning a BBQ"? After you have lit your BBQ for the first time to make sure that there are no manufacturing residues (such as cutting oil, dust, etc.) left inside it (I'll talk about that later), seasoning it is giving it a "standard" flavor for the rest of its life. By cooking meat in it, in fact, you give a taste and an odor to future cooking that will be done in your device since the fat from your meat soaks into the walls of the BBQ.
Why do this? Well, besides what I just mentioned, it helps prevent rust and extends the life of your appliance. It also helps to retain and better control the heat inside the BBQ.
What I mean by this is that there are 2 types of BBQs: those with a porous finish and those with a reflective finish (I'm talking about those made of stainless steel, aluminum or steel).
The problem with the "porous" ones is that it is easy to lose heat inside these appliances and sometimes there are "unwanted" flavors that soak into these BBQs.
In the case of "reflective" BBQs, the problem is that since the material they are made of reflects heat, it is more difficult to control the heat and the cooking does not always result in what you want.
So seasoning your BBQ is a great way to counteract all of this.
But there… when we talk about seasoning a BBQ, we are generally talking about a charcoal BBQ. But… it is just as important for a gas BBQ! Oh yes!
I'll explain how to do it! 👇
The steps to take
No matter what type of BBQ you have, the first step in seasoning it is to remove all the plastic wrap that is on your unit. Once that is done, you want to burn off any unwanted material. So you heat your BBQ to about 400°F, with the lid closed, for approximately 15-20 minutes at a minimum, or until you no longer smell any product odors (like oil) and there is no residue left inside your machine.
Once that's done, you can add the flavor. And here, you might be wondering what food would leave a "wow" smell on your BBQ? Personally, bacon has never disappointed me. 😉 Whether you want to smoke a pork shoulder, cook a chicken, a steak, a salmon or make burgers, it's always a "winner".
You then create a direct and indirect cooking zone, then cook your bacon slices in the indirect cooking zone. (If you have a Kamado, Weber Summit or other type of smoker, also place the heat diffuser plate over your charcoal pieces before adding the bacon.) Cooking for 1 to 4 hours at a temperature of 225-250 °F should be enough to season your BBQ. Due to the heat, the bacon fat will drip to the bottom of the BBQ and vaporize, which will ultimately season the entire interior of your appliance and infuse it with the sweet bacon flavor. ( Mmmm! )
Once your bacon has done its job, remove it from the BBQ (I don't recommend eating it... think of it as an offering you've made to your BBQ 😜) and... TADA! You'll be "in business" for your next grilling session! 🤘
Happy BBQ!