Do you really have to season a new gas grill?

Yes, at least the burn-in part. New grills carry manufacturing residues — cutting and stamping oils, packing dust, and protective coatings on the grates — and a 20 to 30 minute empty burn on high drives those off before your food ever touches the metal. The second stage, oiling the cooking grates, is essential for cast iron and bare steel and optional for stainless or porcelain-coated grates, which do not build seasoning but still benefit from an oil wipe to prevent sticking.

What oil should you use to season grill grates?

Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point: canola, grapeseed, avocado, refined peanut, or a dedicated grill seasoning spray. Avoid olive oil and butter, which smoke and turn gummy at grill temperatures, and avoid anything with added flavorings or solids. Flaxseed oil produces a hard polymerized layer favored by cast-iron enthusiasts but tends to flake off grill grates that see high direct heat. Apply a very thin film — if it looks wet or pools, it is far too much.

How long do you burn in a new gas grill?

Twenty to thirty minutes with all burners on high and the lid closed, with nothing on the grill. Some manufacturers specify 15 minutes, others 30, so follow your manual if it gives a figure. You will likely see light smoke and smell a faint chemical odor for the first few minutes; that is the residue leaving and it should fade well before the burn-in ends. If heavy smoke is still pouring out at 20 minutes, shut down and check for packing material left inside.

Should you season cast iron grill grates in the oven?

You can, and it produces the most even coating. Wash the new grates in warm soapy water to remove the factory coating, dry them completely, wipe on a very thin film of high smoke point oil, wipe it back off so almost nothing remains, and bake at 400 to 450F for an hour, then let them cool in the oven. Most people find it easier to season on the grill itself, which works nearly as well and avoids carrying oily grates through the house.

How often should you re-season grill grates?

Wipe cast iron and bare steel grates with oil after every clean, which in practice means after most cooks. Do a full re-season — scrub back, oil, heat until it stops smoking — two or three times a season, and always after any deep clean with soap or after rust has been removed. Stainless and porcelain grates do not hold a seasoning layer; for those, a quick oil wipe on the hot grate before food goes on is all that is useful.

How to Season a New Gas Grill (Burn-In and Grate Seasoning)

Written & researched by Derek Holt Home & Appliances Editor

Updated October 2026

Overhead view of a person grilling vegetables, in soft early-morning light

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Season a new gas grill in two stages: leak-test the gas connection, then run all burners on high with the lid closed for 20 to 30 minutes with nothing inside to burn off factory residue; once it cools slightly, wipe the grates with a thin film of high smoke point oil and heat them until they stop smoking. The whole process takes about an hour, costs nothing but a little oil, and it is what stops your first cook tasting of manufacturing oil and sticking to the bars. Do the soapy-water leak check before you light anything.

What seasoning actually does

Two different things get confused under the same word.

Burn-in is a one-time job on a brand new grill. Grill parts are stamped and cut with machine oils, shipped with protective coatings, and packed with dust and cardboard fibers. Running the grill empty at full heat vaporizes and burns those off. This applies to every gas grill regardless of grate material.
Grate seasoning is ongoing. Oil applied thinly to hot cast iron or bare steel polymerizes into a hard, slick, dark layer that resists rust and keeps food from welding to the bars. This is a real chemical change, not a coating of grease, which is why the oil has to be thin and heated well past its smoke point.

Golden-hour view of a person grilling vegetables

Before you light it: the checks that matter

Finish the assembly properly. Confirm every fastener is tight, the grease tray and drip cup are installed, and no cardboard, foam, plastic wrap or zip ties are left anywhere inside the firebox or under the burner tents. This is the most common cause of alarming smoke on a first light.
Check the burner tubes are seated. Each tube slides over its valve orifice. If a tube is sitting off to one side, you will get yellow lazy flames and poor heat, and people blame the grill.
Look into the venturi openings. Even on a new grill, if it sat in a warehouse or a garage, insects can nest in the tubes. Manufacturers warn about this specifically because a blocked venturi causes flashback.
Connect the propane and leak-test. Attach the regulator hand-tight, open the tank valve slowly with all control knobs off, then brush or spray soapy water on the tank fitting, the regulator, and along the hose. Growing bubbles mean a leak — close the valve, re-seat the connection, and retest. Never test with a flame.
Position the grill. Outdoors, on a level non-combustible surface, well clear of siding, railings and overhangs. See how far a grill should be from the house for clearances.

Stage 1: the burn-in

With the lid open, light the grill following the manual — usually turn on the primary burner, press the igniter, confirm ignition, then light the others.
Set all burners to high and close the lid.
Run it for 20 to 30 minutes. The dome thermometer should climb past 500F. Light smoke and a faint chemical smell in the first five minutes is normal.
Stay nearby. If smoke is still heavy at the 15 minute mark, shut off the burners, close the tank valve, let it cool, and look for packing material you missed.
Shut the burners off and let the grill drop to a warm but workable temperature before the next stage.

Do not cook on the grill during burn-in, and do not put a grill cover on afterward until it is fully cold.

Wide view of a person grilling vegetables, in warm evening lamplight

Stage 2: seasoning the cooking grates

What you do here depends on the grate material.

Grate material	Needs seasoning?	Method	Maintenance
Bare cast iron	Yes, essential	Thin oil, heat to smoke point, repeat 2–3 times	Oil after every clean
Porcelain-coated cast iron	No, but oil helps release	Wipe hot grate with oiled towel	Before each cook
Bare or carbon steel	Yes	Same as cast iron	Oil after every clean
Stainless steel	No	Wipe hot grate with oiled towel	Before each cook
Porcelain-coated steel	No	Wipe hot grate with oiled towel	Before each cook, do not scrape hard

Wash new cast iron or steel grates first. Warm soapy water and a scrubber to remove the factory protective coating, then rinse and dry completely. Skip this on porcelain and stainless.
Apply oil as thinly as you possibly can. Pour a little canola, grapeseed or avocado oil onto a folded paper towel or a lint-free cloth, and wipe the bars — top, sides and underneath. Then wipe again with a clean towel to remove the excess. The grate should look barely damp, not glossy. Excess oil is the single most common seasoning mistake: it does not polymerize, it turns into a sticky varnish that flakes into food.
Heat until it stops smoking. Put the grates back, close the lid, and run the burners on medium-high for 15 to 20 minutes. The oil will smoke, then stop. That stop is the signal the layer has polymerized.
Repeat two or three times for cast iron. Each thin layer builds. Three thin layers beat one thick one every time.
Let it cool. The grates should end up a uniform dark bronze to black, dry to the touch, and slick.

Use long tongs to hold the oiled towel — never your fingers over a hot grate. A dedicated pair of long grill tongs is worth having for exactly this.

Mistakes that spoil a new grill

Too much oil. Produces a gummy, sticky surface that carbonizes into flakes. Thin, then wipe it back.
Olive oil or butter. Low smoke points, gummy residue, off flavors. Use a neutral high smoke point oil.
Skipping the burn-in and cooking straight away. Factory oil ends up in the first meal, and it tastes exactly like it sounds.
Leaving packing material inside. Check under the heat tents, behind the burners and in the grease tray channel.
Seasoning porcelain grates aggressively. Porcelain does not absorb seasoning, and scraping to get oil to stick chips the coating and exposes steel that rusts.
Skipping the leak test. Every gas connection, every time it is made or remade.
Putting the cover on while warm. Vinyl covers melt onto a hot lid.

Keeping the seasoning once you have it

After every cook, run the grill hot for 10 to 15 minutes to carbonize residue, scrape the grates with a bristle-free scraper, then wipe them with an oiled towel while still hot. That routine is 90 percent of grate care. Avoid soaking cast iron grates, avoid oven cleaner on them entirely, and dry them immediately if they ever do get wet. Empty the grease tray regularly, since a full tray is the leading cause of grill fires. The full routine is in how to clean a gas grill, the deeper grate-specific version is in seasoning cast iron grill grates, and if you are still choosing a grill, our gas grill picks note grate material, which owners consistently identify as the difference between a grill that is a pleasure to maintain and one that is a chore.

Gas safety

Propane work has a hard line. Do the soapy-water leak test every time you connect a tank, never use a flame to check for leaks, and never operate a gas grill indoors, in a garage, on a screened porch or under a low overhang. If you smell gas at any point, shut the tank valve, step away, and do not light the grill until you have found and fixed the source. Do not repair or splice a gas hose, regulator or valve — replace the assembly with the manufacturer part. For a natural gas grill connected to a fixed house line, the connection to that line is licensed work in most places and fuel gas piping codes are set locally, so have a qualified professional do the hookup and check permit requirements with your building department.

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How to Season a New Gas Grill