Seasoning new Grill Grates?

[drallan81]

So I finally caved and got a set of Grill Grates for the ol' Genesis. Was running out of BBQ gadgets to try and figured I'd give em a shot. I was planning on breaking them in with a standard scrub in soapy water (to clean off manufac gunk) and then the usual high-heat and oil cycles before giving something greasy like 80/20 burgers a go.

On their website I see the recommend rubbing the grates with a raw onion to season. Anyone do this? i'm not sure what the onion adds. Not opposed to it, just don't have onions at home and not feeling like making a run to the store before dinner just to rub em on the grill.

On a side note, has anyone got the new Grill Grate Griddle? I was tempted, if these work out, I might add that to the list. I have a few large cast iron pans I use. Tried one of the Griddle-Q things, but was unimpressed. Eventually I'll probably breakdown and get a blackstone (or equivalent). I keep my eye out in FB and Craigslist, but nothing good enough to pull the trigger yet.

Thoughts?

 

[cclinard1]

All I did to mine was clean with warm soapy water first, dry them and then to the grill. I used duck fat spray on them and just let the grill run hot for maybe 30mins. This was on my Weber kettle.

 

[tom b]

I followed the directions and did the onion thing

 

[1MoreFord]

I tried the onion but not sure it did anything. Not sure I did a good job of it either.:redface: After the onion I used oil on a paper towel on them.

Whichever one of the things I did wound up working. My are pretty non-stick and easy to clean with a fiber scrubber.

I didn't do anything to the bottom of the grates and they're easy to cook on too but I didn't try the bottom until I had cooked on the top several times.

I also bought one of the griddle plates and am happy with it. I don't remember what I did to season it but it's nice for toasting buns, smash burgers, and small stuff. https://www.grillgrate.com/the-griddle/

I made a pot roast the other day and first I seared the chuck roast on the bottom of the grill grates. Best seared roast I've ever had.

 

[sudsandswine]

I just cooked some fatty burgers on it and called it good.

 

[Curt.P]

I just cooked some fatty burgers on it and called it good.

That's all I did too.

 

[gcs]

I just use the flat side, quick spray of Pam, and done...

Does anyone think these things live up to the hype? I'm on the fence about it, don't think the" improvement" is significant....prove me wrong...

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

I just use the flat side, quick spray of Pam, and done...

Does anyone think these things live up to the hype? I'm on the fence about it, don't think the" improvement" is significant....prove me wrong...

Very interested to hear opinions on this.

 

[Curt.P]

Does anyone think these things live up to the hype?

As grates, no. I use mine almost exclusively upside down as a griddle. I still prefer my cast iron griddle, but I like the size and no sides of the grill grates.

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

I just use the flat side, quick spray of Pam, and done...

Does anyone think these things live up to the hype? I'm on the fence about it, don't think the" improvement" is significant....prove me wrong...

They can make the prettiest lines on your steaks. If you have their spatula tool they can make flipping fish or burgers much easier. They do prevent flare ups. The griddle side is also cool.

To me they kinda block some of the old school charcoal flavor. They can be a booger to clean if you are OCD about having spotless equipment. I somehow warped mine on my PK.

Overall I would say that they serve a purpose and I don't regret buying them. However, I wouldn't say that they are a necessity.

 

[Gimmethecash]

Like the other recent posts above, I hit mine with some Pam & let what comes out of my meats take over from there. I almost always use the flat side. I’ll have my 5th set in a couple days, for my gasser, M1, M16, C4, and the Weber Performer Deluxe that arrives Saturday.

Their main benefits from my perspective are the fairly complete eradication of flare-ups and the flat surface for searing. Non-stickiness too, as well as great heat distribution and conduction.

 

[drallan81]

Used mine for the 1st time last night. Was just a bunch of chicken tenders, so not much of a sample size. For what I cooked was hard to tell a difference. I used them regular side up and did get nice grill marks. Non-stick was nice as I had marinated the tenders and they didn't' really stick. Will report back when I have a few more cooks under the belt.

 

[Skidkid]

Once you get the oil to a temperature that it polymerizes the onion causes a chemical change in the polymer and it gets harder. THAT is why they suggest onion. It is an old trick for seasoning a wok. Given some time, the seasoning will be sufficient that the onion doesn't made a difference. If you scrub your grates after use, you can still scratch off the hardened surface. SO, for the most part it probably doesn't matter unless you are cooking very lean meats. NOTE: this is all true for steel and not so much for stainless.

 

[4ever3]

There’s no gunk on them as they are hard anodized, put’em on the grill crank it up and fry bacon, then patties and have a bacon cheese burger, done!

 

[sudsandswine]

Used mine for the 1st time last night. Was just a bunch of chicken tenders, so not much of a sample size. For what I cooked was hard to tell a difference. I used them regular side up and did get nice grill marks. Non-stick was nice as I had marinated the tenders and they didn't' really stick. Will report back when I have a few more cooks under the belt.

I prefer to cook on the flat side vs the ridged side in most cases, for a steak or a burger I much prefer a full Maillard reaction over the whole surface of the meat instead of some pretty char lines. The amplification of heat and flare up mitigation works on both sides. I do like the ridged side for fish, mainly because of how the slotted spatula makes it easy to flip, but also because it seems to maintain delicate textures better. I’ll occasionally do filet steaks on the ridged side because they’re usually so soft and tender I like to maintain that mouth feel.

 

[Pedro7]

Overall I would say that they serve a purpose and I don't regret buying them. However, I wouldn't say that they are a necessity.

Exactly how I feel. I don't think they will ever replace a cast iron for steaks for me. But, I still use them from time to time for other things.