Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Kristin Meredith]

I was reading a comment by Queball in another thread and it reminded me of something I read several months back.  The writer was saying a pit never had to be "seasoned" because there was no such thing -- i.e. pits just got dirty and whatever was inside the pit: (1) did not help with cooking and (2) did not help impart any flavors to cooks.

I have no scientific or engineering background, so I don't know if this is true or not.  Anyone with thoughts, knowledge, insight or experience on this issue?

[LowSlowJoe]

Never fully bought into 'seasoned' , at least not in the sense that it adds any flavor to foods cooked on a grill.   I do believe, it potentially helps protect against rust, if there is a kind of coating of oils and such on the inside of a grill.  In pellet grills in particular, I think it can serve as a ash magnet , and keep some of the ash that might fly around inside a grill off the food.

  My problem on my PG500, is that when I get up to my preferred pizza baking temperatures ( 650F or so ), all the seasoning burns off... I then have flaking burnt sort of seasoning that is all around the inside.  I have to periodically use a wire brush or something to dislodge some of the flaking burnt 'seasoning'.  Being the PG500 is stainless steel, rust isn't really a concern... but if you ever cook at these high temperatures, seasoning doesn't last long.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Once it starts to flake, I get the paint scraper out and scrape it off.  I then let it "re-season" itself.

[pmillen]

My opinion is anecdotal.

It's just smoke stain and maybe a little baked-on grease.  It's not useful seasoning in the same sense as the seasoning on a cast iron frying pan, except for preventing rust.  It's as firm and smooth as spray paint so it isn't going to capture any flying ash or pellet fines.  If left to accumulate too long it will flake off.

[riverrat49]

It's like everything else in the BBQ/Smoking World, there are a million opinions so it comes down to what you believe 

[Queball]

Speaking from ignorance, I thought the point of seasoning was that it helped the temperatures stay more even.. .... Dah.

[Jimsbarbecue]

Once it starts to flake, I get the paint scraper out and scrape it off.  I then let it "re-season" itself.

this is what we do. It is how the pit tells you it is time to clean

[Kristin Meredith]

Bump -- any other thoughts?

[Jcorwin818]

One persons seasoning is the next persons dirt.  All depends which camp your in!

[Mudflap]

How about Grill is seasoned until it starts to drip then it is dirty...

[Bentley]

I guess I never thought the purpose of seasoning was to enhance flavoring...but as others have stated, coating...Why do some season a cast iron skillet?

[dk117]

here's another thought somewhat based upon a previous poll.

A pit gets seasoned.  Not going over 275 to 300. 

A grill gets dirty.

DK

[pmillen]

I guess I never thought the purpose of seasoning was to enhance flavoring...but as others have stated, coating...Why do some season a cast iron skillet?

I did it when I owned CI because it prevented rust and made a fairly hard almost non-stick surface.  Today, there are so many better coating options that seasoning, which I believe is coked oil, is the least desirable.  Cook on an enameled cast iron pan if you insist on CI.

[InThePitBBQ]

Never fully bought into 'seasoned' , at least not in the sense that it adds any flavor to foods cooked on a grill.   I do believe, it potentially helps protect against rust, if there is a kind of coating of oils and such on the inside of a grill.  In pellet grills in particular, I think it can serve as a ash magnet , and keep some of the ash that might fly around inside a grill off the food.

  My problem on my PG500, is that when I get up to my preferred pizza baking temperatures ( 650F or so ), all the seasoning burns off... I then have flaking burnt sort of seasoning that is all around the inside.  I have to periodically use a wire brush or something to dislodge some of the flaking burnt 'seasoning'.  Being the PG500 is stainless steel, rust isn't really a concern... but if you ever cook at these high temperatures, seasoning doesn't last long.

I have the same issue with mine, in fact I turn a leaf blower on it to get all the loose stuff off so it can't fall down on the food during a subsequent cook.

A true wood burning pit absolutely gets seasoned and continues to do so year after year, there's way more steam released from burning wood splits in the firebox and all that smoke cools down as it flows into the pit and back out the exhaust.

A good pit several years old will have a thick coating on all the internal surfaces from it, sure seems to impart more flavor to food on the Horizon and Lang's I have owned. 

[Canadian John]

 My input: "seasoning" may not be the proper word..Coating may be more in line with what is happening to the inside off our pits. A brand new pit can generate some undesirable tastes and smells. That is why it is suggested to do a "burn-off". A light oil coating after tends to seal off any bare surfaces thus reducing any more of the nasties being released...Cooking above ~ 400º will tend to generate a clean burn effect resulting in an cleaner inside. By this time there shouldn't be any more off gassing from the metal components.

Other things to contemplate.
 A lot of the Traeger temperature fluctuations improved once the pits got broken in (seasoned).
 The Weber Water Smokers when new had uncontrollable high temperatures that Weber stated were caused by the shiny surfaces that reflected the heat back into the pit..After several uses the the temperatures became controllable.