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To season a new grill: run a 15 to 20 minute high-heat burn-off to clear factory residue, let the grates cool slightly, wipe them with a thin film of high-smoke-point oil (canola, grapeseed, or avocado), then heat until the oil smokes off and repeat two or three times. On cast iron or carbon steel this builds a nonstick, rust-resistant layer. On porcelain or stainless, one burn-off and a single light oiling is enough. The whole process takes under an hour and pays you back with food that does not stick.
We do not physically test or handle the grills we rank; our picks come from aggregated owner reviews and expert consensus, explained in how we rank. This guide is the same kind of consensus advice applied to a task rather than a product.
Why a new grill needs seasoning at all
Two things are happening the first time you fire up a new grill, and seasoning handles both. First, every new grill leaves the factory with a film of protective machine oil, metal dust, and sometimes bits of packing material on the grates and inside the firebox. That residue is not food-safe, and you want to burn it off before anything you plan to eat touches the surface.
Second, the cooking surface itself changes character with heat and oil. Bare cast iron and carbon steel are porous and reactive. Left untreated they rust within weeks and grab food aggressively. Baking a thin layer of oil onto them, a process called polymerization, converts the oil into a hard, slick, semi-permanent coating, the same patina that makes a well-used skillet nonstick. Porcelain-coated and stainless grates do not build that patina, but they still need the residue burned off and a light oiling so food releases cleanly on the first cook.
Know your grate type first
The right approach depends entirely on what your grates are made of. Check the manual or look at the grates themselves.
| Grate material | Builds a patina? | Seasoning approach |
|---|---|---|
| Bare cast iron | Yes | Burn-off, then 2 to 3 oil-and-cure cycles; re-oil after every cook |
| Porcelain-coated cast iron | No (coating is glass) | Burn-off, one light oiling; never scrape hard |
| Stainless steel | Minimal | Burn-off, one light oiling before the first cook |
| Carbon steel (flat-top style) | Yes | Burn-off, then 3 to 4 thin oil layers, like a griddle |
If you bought a flat-top or griddle, the process is closer to seasoning a carbon-steel pan and deserves more layers. For a standard gas or charcoal grill with cast iron or porcelain grates, the routine below covers it.
Step 1: the factory burn-off
This first step is the same for gas and charcoal and takes about 20 minutes.
- Wash the grates once in warm, soapy water to remove loose dust and packing film, then dry them completely. This is the only time you should ever use soap on cast iron grates.
- Fire the grill to its highest heat. On gas, set all burners to high and close the lid. On charcoal, build a full chimney of lit coals and spread them evenly.
- Let it run 15 to 20 minutes with the lid closed. You will likely see smoke and smell the protective oil burning off. That is exactly what should happen. Keep the area ventilated and stay nearby.
- Brush the hot grates with a grill brush or a wadded ball of foil held in tongs to knock off any loosened residue.
After the burn-off the metal is clean and hot, which is the ideal state for taking on oil. For the deeper clean grills need later in their life, see how to clean a grill.
Step 2: oil and cure the grates
With the grill still hot, this is where the nonstick layer is built. Work with the lid up and keep the burners or coals going.
- Turn the heat down to medium so the oil cures rather than instantly flashing off. On gas, medium is fine; on charcoal, let the coals settle to a moderate bed.
- Fold a paper towel into a thick pad, grip it with long tongs, and dip it in a high-smoke-point oil such as canola or avocado.
- Wipe a thin, even film across every grate bar, top and, if you can reach, the sides. Thin is the key word. A heavy coat turns gummy instead of curing smooth.
- Close the lid for 10 to 15 minutes and let the oil smoke and polymerize. The grates will darken.
- Repeat the oil-and-cure cycle two more times on bare cast iron or carbon steel, once is enough on porcelain or stainless. Each pass deepens the coating.
You will know it is working when the grates take on an even, dark, slightly glossy sheen rather than a dull gray. That sheen is the cured oil layer.
Choosing the right oil
The oil matters more than people expect, because you need one that polymerizes cleanly at grill temperatures.
- Best choices: canola, vegetable, grapeseed, and refined avocado oil. Their smoke points run roughly 400 to 520 degrees Fahrenheit, high enough to cure without burning away instantly.
- Avoid: extra-virgin olive oil and butter, which smoke and go sticky well below grilling heat.
- Skip for grates: flaxseed oil. It cures rock-hard but flakes off surfaces that expand and flex with heat, which is exactly what grill grates do.
- Cooking spray: a plain canola spray is fine for a quick film, but avoid nonstick baking sprays with lecithin, which varnishes into a stubborn gum over time.
Whatever you use, apply it in thin coats. Almost every seasoning failure traces back to too much oil at once.
Gas versus charcoal: the small differences
The seasoning steps are identical, but the fuel changes the details of managing heat.
Gas grills give you precise, instant control, which makes the oil-and-cure cycles easy: set to high for the burn-off, drop to medium for curing. New gas grills sometimes need a couple of cooks before the burners settle in and any remaining assembly oils finish clearing. If your new gas grill also needs the grates seasoned before its first real cook, our companion guide how to season a new gas grill goes deeper on the gas-specific quirks.
Charcoal grills run hotter and less evenly, so the burn-off is aggressive and quick, while curing takes a little patience as you wait for the coals to mellow to medium. Cast iron grates, common on charcoal kettles, reward the extra oil cycles. If your grates are the heavy cast iron type, the technique overlaps with how to season cast iron grill grates.
Keeping the seasoning once you have it
Seasoning is not a one-time event on cast iron; it is a habit that compounds. A grill that gets a quick re-oil after each cook develops a coating that rivals any nonstick surface.
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Before each cook | Preheat, brush, wipe a light oil film | Refreshes the layer and cleans off char |
| After each cook (cast iron) | Brush while warm, wipe a thin oil coat | Prevents rust, deepens the patina |
| If rust appears | Scrub the spot, re-season that area | Bare iron rusts fast once exposed |
| Off-season | Oil the grates, cover the grill, store dry | Moisture is the enemy of cast iron |
A grill cover and a dry storage spot do more to protect your seasoning than anything else; see the ranked field in best grill covers. A quality grill brush makes the before-and-after brushing quick enough that you will actually do it. And if you are still choosing the grill itself, start with best gas grills.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Too much oil. The single most common error. A heavy coat cures sticky and streaky. Wipe it until the grates look barely oiled.
- Skipping the burn-off. Cooking on factory residue puts machine oil and dust on your food and prevents oil from bonding to clean metal.
- Using soap after the first wash. Once cast iron is seasoned, soap strips the patina. Brush and re-oil instead.
- Low-smoke-point oil. Olive oil and butter gum up rather than cure. Reach for a neutral oil.
- Letting cast iron sit wet. Bare or freshly scrubbed iron rusts within a day if left damp. Always dry and oil before storing.
Season it right once, keep up the quick re-oil habit, and your grill's cooking surface only gets better with age. For everything else in this category, the outdoor living and grills hub collects the full set of guides and picks.