How to Season a Griddle: First-Time and After-Cook Steps

How to season a griddle comes down to thin coats of cooking oil baked onto hot steel: spread a very thin layer over the whole cooktop, heat it until it stops smoking, and repeat until the surface turns dark and smooth. Blackstone calls for three to four coats on its unseasoned steel tops, and Traeger’s Flatrock manual calls for four. Not every outdoor griddle starts from bare metal, though. Camp Chef, Pit Boss and Weber ship pre-seasoned steel tops, and Pit Boss says its ceramic-coated tops do not need seasoning at all, so check which surface you have before you pour any oil.

Propane and charcoal grills are for outdoor use only (NFPA), and no grill should be used inside a home, garage or camper because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning (CDC); for pellet and wood-fired models, follow your manual.

This guide covers outdoor propane griddles only, not electric or indoor griddles. It is based on owner’s manuals, care sheets, FAQs and product pages from Blackstone, Camp Chef, Pit Boss, Traeger and Weber. It is general product information; if your manual gives different steps or heat settings, follow your manual.

What Seasoning Does

Seasoning is a layer of oil that has been heated past the point of smoking until it bonds to the steel. Blackstone’s seasoning guide describes the process as burning off the organic compounds in the oil and leaving a polymer that bonds to the griddle plate. The Traeger Flatrock owner’s manual gives the two practical results: seasoning makes the cooktop naturally nonstick and keeps out the excess moisture that causes rust. Pit Boss’s gas griddle manual adds that seasoning is a continuous process repeated over the life of the griddle.

Start Here: What Your Griddle Needs Out of the Box

How to Season a Griddle for the First Time

These steps follow the first-seasoning instructions in the Traeger Flatrock manual and on Blackstone’s site, the two makers in this guide that ship tops needing a full first seasoning. Use them for a new unseasoned griddle or one you have stripped back to bare metal after rust removal.

1. Clean the top if your maker says to. Blackstone’s page on how often a griddle needs seasoning starts with a sponge bath of mildly soapy warm water to remove oils and manufacturing debris, then a rinse with clean water.
2. Dry it with heat. Blackstone runs the burners for 10 to 15 minutes to burn off the water, and says the top will likely start to brown. Traeger preheats the Flatrock on high for 10 minutes before the first coat.
3. Add a small amount of oil. Traeger says about 2 to 3 tablespoons squeezed over the cooktop in a zigzag. Blackstone’s page has you add the oil once the griddle has cooled.
4. Spread it thin, including the sides. Hold a clean towel or paper towels in tongs and spread the oil over the whole surface and up the sides. Traeger says to then wipe off the excess with a clean side of the towel to leave a very thin layer. Blackstone says to use the towel as if you were trying to wipe all the oil off, with no puddles or dry spots.
5. Heat until the smoking stops. Traeger says the oil will start smoking right away and to keep heating until the smoking ends, about 10 minutes. Blackstone’s page gives 10 to 15 minutes or until the smoke stops.
6. Repeat. The Flatrock manual repeats the oil and smoke cycle for four rounds in total, with the heat left on high, and says the surface becomes darker and smoother. Blackstone says three to four coats make the surface dark black and smooth.
7. Let it cool before cooking. Traeger’s tip is to let the cooktop cool for at least 30 minutes before you cook on it. Blackstone finishes with one more light wipe of conditioner or its griddle spray to protect against oxidation.

Blackstone’s own pages give different timings for how long each coat takes to smoke, and its full guide has its own step order; the Blackstone-specific method has its own guide. The common points are thin coats, heat until the smoke stops, and several rounds.

Pre-Seasoned and Ceramic Tops: What Changes

Camp Chef

Camp Chef’s FAQ says its flat top griddles are cold-rolled steel with an all-natural seasoning baked on, ready to use out of the box, with a surface similar to its cast iron. Its griddle answers say to re-season after every use: warm the griddle slowly, apply a thin coat of its conditioner or olive oil to every corner, wipe off the excess, turn off the burner and store it dry once cool. Camp Chef names olive and coconut oil as the best choices for its griddles and says cooking sprays leave a sticky residue.

Camp Chef is also the maker most cautious about heat. Its FAQ says not to heat its griddles on high, to raise the heat slowly and keep all burners at the same setting to avoid warping, and to preheat on medium or medium-low for about 5 minutes. On a Camp Chef, follow those limits rather than the high-heat steps other makers use.

Pit Boss steel tops

The Pit Boss 4-burner gas griddle owner’s manual says the griddle comes preseasoned from the factory. Before the first cook with food, it calls for a burn-off: run the griddle on high for at least 15 minutes to heat-clean the internal components and burn off odors and foreign matter, then add oil to the cooking surface before you start cooking. After every cook, it says to scrape off all food and debris, apply an even coat of cooking oil, then turn the griddle off and let it cool in a cool, dry place. It lists vegetable, olive, peanut, coconut and sesame oils as suitable.

Pit Boss ceramic-coated tops

Ceramic-coated plates are where seasoning advice can do harm. Pit Boss’s ceramic griddle top care sheet says the hot plate does not need to be seasoned and that burning grease into the surface will damage the non-stick cooking surface. Its routine is a warm soapy wash and rinse before first use, then after each cook a scrape, a little water for stubborn spots, and a very small amount of oil rubbed to the edges and wiped off once the plate is completely cool.

Pit Boss’s documents are not fully consistent here. The owner’s manual for the PB2BGD2 through PB5BGD2 griddles describes a ceramic-coated hot plate but still says to clean and season it after each use with an even coat of oil. Both documents agree on cleaning after every cook, using wood, silicone or nylon utensils, and applying oil; the care sheet is more specific about keeping that oil to a thin, cool wipe rather than baking it on. If your top is ceramic, the cautious reading is the care sheet’s.

Weber Slate

Weber’s Slate 30 product page describes a pre-seasoned, rust-resistant carbon-steel cooktop with no coatings, ready to cook out of the box. Weber’s griddle seasoning wax is made of grapeseed oil, canola oil and beeswax. The full Weber seasoning routine is in the Slate owner’s manual and gets its own guide.

Which Oil to Use

The makers do not agree on one oil, and none of the documents in this guide publishes smoke point numbers, so the safest choice is an oil your own manual names. Here is what each one lists:

• Pit Boss: vegetable, olive, peanut, coconut and sesame oils.
• Camp Chef: olive or coconut oil, or its conditioner; avoid cooking sprays, which it says leave a sticky residue.
• Traeger Flatrock: its seasoning conditioner or canola oil for the first seasoning; canola or another high-smoke-point oil such as flax or grapeseed after cooking.
• Blackstone: its seasoning conditioner, or regular cooking oils, which it says will also work.
• Weber: a seasoning wax of grapeseed oil, canola oil and beeswax.

How much oil matters as much as which bottle. Blackstone, Traeger and Camp Chef all call for a thin layer with the excess wiped off; Pit Boss’s manual asks for an even coat.

Keeping the Seasoning After Every Cook

The first seasoning is a base; the after-cook routine maintains it. The makers’ versions differ in heat:

• Traeger Flatrock: scrape the hot cooktop, spread a thin layer of oil over the whole top including the side walls, and heat until the smoking ends, about 10 minutes.
• Pit Boss steel tops: scrape, apply an even coat of oil, then turn the griddle off and let it cool.
• Camp Chef: warm the griddle slowly, apply a thin coat, wipe off the excess and let it cool.
• Blackstone: cooking itself adds to the seasoning, and a coat of conditioner or its griddle spray between uses protects the surface.
• Pit Boss ceramic: a very small amount of oil on a completely cool plate, wiped thin.

When to Re-Season From Scratch

A full re-season, several thin coats like the first time, makes sense in a few situations the makers describe:

• After removing rust. The Traeger Flatrock manual says to remove rust with a non-abrasive scouring pad and water, or 220 grit sandpaper if needed, wipe away the residue, dry the top completely with a towel rather than by heating it, and then re-season. Blackstone’s rust method also ends with a fresh seasoning.
• When food tastes metallic. Camp Chef says a rusty or metallic taste is a sign of improper or inadequate seasoning and calls for a thorough wash and re-seasoning.
• After stripping a sticky layer. Camp Chef’s fix for a tacky coat left by cooking spray ends with re-seasoning in olive or coconut oil.

Common Seasoning Problems

Sticky or tacky surface

Usually too much oil or the wrong product. Blackstone says each coat should be very thin, and Camp Chef blames cooking sprays for sticky residue. Camp Chef’s fix is to pour cola over the surface, rub with a ball of foil, rinse, dry with paper towels and re-season with olive or coconut oil.

Flaking

Blackstone says a thick coat of oil during seasoning leads to chipping later. Camp Chef says black flakes coming off its griddles are baked-on seasoning, which can happen with use. Scrape off loose flakes and build the area back up with thin coats, using the first-seasoning steps above.

Uneven color or a warped top

Blackstone says the griddle will discolor as the oil bonds, and Traeger says the surface gets darker and smoother with each round, so an uneven look after a single coat is not the finished result. Warping is different: Camp Chef says it comes from uneven heat, such as heating too quickly or running only some burners, and recommends medium or lower heat with all burners at the same setting.

Safety While You Season

Seasoning produces a lot of smoke, so do it where you normally cook, outdoors and away from the house. The NFPA grilling safety tip sheet says to place a grill well away from the home, deck railings, eaves and overhanging branches, to keep children and pets at least three feet away, and never to leave a grill unattended. The Pit Boss manual says never to use the griddle without the grease cup installed. Use tongs and a towel rather than bare hands to spread oil on a hot top, as both Traeger and Blackstone describe.

FAQ

How do you season a griddle for the first time?

Clean and dry the top if your maker says to, preheat it, spread a very thin layer of oil over the whole surface and sides, wipe off the excess, and heat until the smoking stops. Repeat for three to four coats (Blackstone) or four rounds (Traeger Flatrock), then let it cool before cooking.

How many coats does a griddle need?

For an unseasoned steel top, Blackstone says three to four coats and the Traeger Flatrock manual says four. Pre-seasoned tops from Camp Chef, Pit Boss and Weber are ready to cook, and the makers focus on oiling after each use.

Do you need to season a pre-seasoned griddle?

Not before the first cook, by the makers’ accounts, though Pit Boss calls for a burn-off of at least 15 minutes on high and oil on the surface before cooking. All of them expect you to keep oiling the surface after each use.

Can you season a griddle with olive oil?

Camp Chef names olive oil as one of the best choices for its griddles, and Pit Boss lists it among suitable oils. Traeger’s Flatrock instructions use canola and other high-smoke-point oils instead. Use an oil your manual names.

Should you season a ceramic griddle top?

Pit Boss’s ceramic top care sheet says no: the plate does not need seasoning, and burning grease into it damages the non-stick surface. Clean it, then wipe on a very small amount of oil once it is completely cool.

How do you season a griddle grill or flat top grill?

The same way. A flat top grill such as the Traeger Flatrock is a griddle cooktop, and its manual uses the same oil, heat and repeat method: about 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil, spread thin, heated until the smoke ends, four times over.

The Bottom Line

Knowing how to season a griddle starts with reading what your cooktop already has. Bare steel needs several thin coats heated until the smoke stops; pre-seasoned steel needs oil after every cook; a ceramic coating needs cleaning and a light wipe of oil, not baked-on layers. Keep every coat thin, follow your maker’s heat limits, and re-season fully after rust or a sticky buildup.

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