How To Season A Blackstone Griddle (Or Any Outdoor Griddle)

The name Blackstone is almost synonymous with outdoor griddles. They aren’t the only company that makes them (Camp Chef, Weber, and Traeger are all other notable companies that produce outdoor griddles) but it’s what they are known for. However, if you’re unfamiliar with these pieces of outdoor cooking equipment and recently got one, you’ve probably asked “How do you season a Blackstone griddle?”

Seasoning any outdoor griddle’s surface, Blackstone or not, is the single biggest part of maintaining your griddle. That layer of seasoning serves two major purposes: It creates a non-stick layer so food doesn’t stick as much to your griddle, and it protects the surface of the griddle from moisture damage. 

As an owner of the Camp Chef Flat Top 600 grill (yes, outdoor griddles also go by the name flat top grill,) I’ve seen first-hand how important a good layer of seasoning is for these grills. It makes cooking and clean-up much easier if you’re seasoning your griddle properly.

So let’s go over the step-by-step process for how to season a Blackstone griddle (or any outdoor griddle surface,) shall we?

How To Season a Blackstone Griddle or any Outdoor Flat Top Griddle

You’ll need a few tools for seasoning a griddle whether you’re doing it for the very first time or the hundredth time. Thankfully, you likely have these at home.

Tools: 

• Paper towels

• Cooking oil with a neutral flavor (I use vegetable oil)

• Grill gloves/tongs

• Dish Soap (optional)

• Water (only if using soap)

• Scrubby/Washcloth (If using soap)

Griddle Seasoning Process

1. If you are seasoning your new Blackstone griddle for the very first time after assembly or your griddle has been sitting and is dirty, you’ll want to wash the cooking surface. A scrubby or washcloth with warm water and dish soap will do the trick. Simply wipe down the entire cooking surface and then rinse with water. Then turn on your gas, crank your burners to the highest setting, and wait around 10-15 minutes for the cooking surface to turn brown. Then shut the burners off and proceed to Step 2.

2. Apply a thin coating of your preferred oil. Spread it out with a paper towel to ensure the entire cooking surface and edges are coated. Then wipe the surface down again with fresh paper towels to ensure there is no excess oil pooled anywhere. All you want is a thin layer of oil.

   

3. Crank the burners back up to the highest setting and let the oil burn off. Yes, you want to see the surface of your griddle smoking. That’s the oil burning off and creating that non-stick layer through polymerization. Once the smoke has completely stopped, turn your burners off again.

4. If you are doing this for the first time or after a deep clean of your griddle, repeat steps 2 and 3 until the entire cooking surface is dark brown, almost fully black. This can take two to three full rounds of seasoning. Once that’s complete, your griddle is ready for cooking.

What Does Seasoning Your Griddle Do?

Regardless of whether you’ve got a pre-seasoned outdoor griddle like my Camp Chef Flat Top or an unseasoned griddle, going through the seasoning process is incredibly important. As I said earlier, it’s responsible for ensuring a non-stick cooking surface and for protecting the metal from water or tool damage. 

Any food that gets left behind during your cooking process is food you’re not eating. It can lead to more food getting stuck over time. The food debris could potentially burn, affecting the quality of whatever you’re cooking.

Also, quality outdoor griddles aren’t cheap. You want to keep these griddles around for a long time so you can keep cooking and get your money’s worth. Properly seasoning them will help extend the life of the cooking surface so you can enjoy your griddle for years to come.

How Often Do You Need To Reseason An Outdoor Griddle?

You shouldn’t have to go through the process even close to every time you use your griddle if you’re cooking on it regularly. And you should be cooking on it regularly because it’s so darn versatile. You can cook eggs, pancakes, and bacon for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and smash burgers or fajitas for dinner.

The reason? Each time you cook on the griddle, you should be putting down some fat or oil. That in turn will add another layer to your seasoning. As long as you’re properly cleaning your griddle after every use and covering it when you’re done, you should be good for a while.

You could even help that by applying another thin layer of oil to the freshly cleaned griddle after you’re done cooking. After shutting off the burners and while the surface is still hot, simply add a little oil, wipe it across the entirety of the cooking surface, and then wipe any excess away.

You will want to re-season your griddle if food is consistently sticking to it or if you’re seeing any damage to the seasoning layer like chips or cracks or any damage to metal like rust. Rust is NOT a deal-breaker when it comes to an outdoor griddle. So if you ever uncover your griddle to find there is rust on the cooking surface, try not to panic and follow these steps for cleaning a rusted griddle.

FAQs:

Question: Do You Need To Season A New Blackstone Griddle?

Answer: There are griddles that come pre-seasoned. Blackstones do not, so you do need to season your brand-new Blackstone griddle. However, even if you do purchase a griddle that says it is pre-seasoned, I would highly recommend you still go through the seasoning process at least once.

Question: What Is The Best Oil To Season A Griddle?

Answer: There are plenty of options out there. You don’t need to go out and buy a special oil just for seasoning your griddle. You can use any of these: Avocado oil, flaxseed oil, canola oil, peanut oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, or vegetable oil. If you do want to go out and get a specialty product, you can purchase Blackstone Griddle Seasoning. As a bonus, it will also work on any of your cast iron cookware.

Question: Do We Need To Use High Smoke Point Oil For Seasoning?

Answer: The goal of seasoning our griddles is to create that layer of polymerized oil. The vast majority of people will tell you that you should use a high smoke point oil. Heck, I use vegetable oil which has a smoke point of around 400°F. The smoke point is the temperature at which an oil breaks down, starts smoking, and begins the polymerization process which is key to seasoning. 

However, Camp Chef in their FAQ section on griddles says you can use olive oil for seasoning. So does Blackstone. The important part of seasoning is ensuring that you are only doing thin layers and letting it completely smoke off.

Question: How Do You Tell When You Have A Well-Seasoned Griddle Cooking Surface?

Answer: Visually, the griddle surface will be really dark brown, almost black. It will also appear quite smooth. When cooled, you should be able to slide your hand over it without feeling any stickiness.

Question: Can You Overseason Your Griddle?

Answer: It is possible to apply too much oil during the seasoning process, so if you consider that overseasoning, yes. Too much oil won’t burn off properly and create that layer. Instead, you’ll get spots that are sticky. Those spots can also flake off into your food over time. That’s why you should always apply a thin layer and then wipe it down before you burn it off. 

Question: Will Using Soap On My Griddle Damage The Seasoning?

Answer: If your griddle surface has been properly seasoned, soap will not damage the seasoning. We know that dish soap is specifically designed to cut through oil and grease, so it makes sense to be concerned. However, when you season your griddle properly, the oil burns off and creates that seasoning layer. It’s not a liquid anymore, so soap doesn’t affect it. Just be sure that if you do use soapy water to clean your griddle, you rinse it well. No one wants soap-flavored food.

Question: How Do You Remove Rust From The Griddle Surface?

Answer: Despite how depressing and panic-inducing a rusted griddle can be, it’s not the end of the world. First, you’ll want to heat your griddle up to help loosen the surface-level rust. Turn the griddle off and let it cool down, then use a scraper to scrape as much of the rust off. You may need to use a grill block like in Blackstone’s professional cleaning kit or steel wool if the rust is quite bad.

Blackstone Cleaning Kit Photos

Final Thoughts

Properly seasoning your Blackstone griddle surface (or any other outdoor griddle/flat top grill) is key to both cooking food well and protecting your griddle. Thankfully, it’s not hard. You just need good oil, some paper towels, and grill gloves or tongs to protect your hands from the heat.

Now, companies like Blackstone and Camp Chef make specific compounds for seasoning griddles. These work quite well and you absolutely can use them. Just don’t spend too much time stressing over your choice. Vegetable oil or olive oil will get the job done and chances are you have them in your kitchen already.

Do you have any tips or tricks when it comes to seasoning a griddle? Or do you have a go-to griddle recipe? Let us know in the comments! Don’t forget to share this article with anyone else who has questions about seasoning griddles.