How To Reseason A Blackstone Griddle in 8 Simple Steps

If you’ve been cooking up tasty meals on your Blackstone griddle for a while, chances are the cooking surface needs some rejuvenation.

Seasoning is essential for keeping carbon steel griddles in tip-top shape.

Over time, the protective layer can wear down from repeated cooking and cleaning. Food bits, grease, and other debris take their toll.

Don’t worry – reseasoning your Blackstone grill is straightforward. This process essentially re-layers the cooking surface to restore non-stick properties and prevent flavor transfer.

With proper seasoning maintenance, your griddle will keep providing fantastic results for years of backyard cooking.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about reseasoning your prized Blackstone griddle:

• Why Reseason a Griddle?
• How Often to Reseason
• What You Need to Reseason
• Step-by-Step Reseasoning Guide
• Common Questions and Concerns

Let’s get into the nitty gritty and discuss why seasoning is so important for outdoor flat top griddles like the Blackstone.

Why Properly Season a Blackstone Griddle?

Seasoning provides several key benefits that keep your griddle performing its best:

Non-Stick Cooking Surface

Filling the pores of the metal with oil polymers creates a smooth, non-stick layer. This prevents food from sticking and makes cooking – especially delicate foods like eggs – much easier.

Rust Protection

Seasoning creates a barrier between moisture in the air and the porous cast iron or carbon steel. This protection prevents oxidation (rust) from developing on the griddle over time.

Enhanced Flavor

The oil used to season the griddle gets baked in, adding a subtle background flavor to everything you cook.

Easy Cleaning

A well-seasoned cooking surface prevents stubborn residue buildup and makes cleanup simpler.

Prevents Metal Leaching

Seasoning seals the porous metal, preventing iron or other compounds from leaching into acidic foods during cooking.

Obviously, you want all these perks in full effect on your Blackstone griddle. But seasoning slowly wears down over time from grilling, cleaning, weather exposure and other factors. That’s why periodic reseasoning is required.

How Often or When Should You Re-season a Blackstone Griddle?

For best performance, plan to reseason your Blackstone griddle 2-4 times per year depending on frequency of use.

The more often you use your griddle, the more you’ll need to restore the seasoning.

Here are some signs it’s time to rejuvenate the seasoning on your flat top grill:

Food Sticking

Seasoning wearing thin causes food to adhere during cooking. This makes cooking more difficult and can lead to lost food that tears or sticks.

Visible Rust Spots

Patches of rust becoming visible on the surface indicates your seasoning layer needs repair.

Cooking Surface Darkening

As seasoning breaks down, the cooking surface loses sheen and becomes darker and duller looking.

Flavor Transfer

The cooked food absorbs a metallic flavor from the griddle surface. Ummm, no thanks!

Harder to Clean: More elbow grease required to remove grease and debris means weaker seasoning.

As soon as you notice any of the above warning signs, it’s time to reseason your Blackstone.

Don’t wait until the griddle becomes totally unusable. Fortunately the reseasoning process is quick and easy.

What You’ll Need to Reseason a Blackstone Griddle

Reseasoning your flat top grill requires a bit of prep work but very few specialty tools. Here’s what you’ll need on hand:

• Cooking Oil – For seasoning, use a high smoke point neutral oil like avocado, grapeseed, refined coconut, etc. Avoid olive oil. You’ll need ~1/2 cup oil.
• Paper Towels – For wiping down the griddle surface. Avoid scrubbing pads.
• Griddle Scraper – To remove debris without damaging the metal.
• Clean Cloth or Paper Towels – For buffing off excess oil. An old t-shirt works well.
• Grill Brush – To scrub off loose particles if needed. Use a brush with non-abrasive bristles.
• Water & Dish Soap – For initial cleaning of the cold griddle if needed. Avoid harsh chemicals.
• Oven Mitts or BBQ Gloves – To safely handle the hot griddle during seasoning.

That covers all the essential tools. Before seasoning, make sure your griddle is cool, then remove any knobs/handles and grease trays. Now let’s get into the step-by-step reseasoning process!

How to Re-season a Blackstone Griddle in 8 Simple Steps

Follow these steps to renew your flat top grill’s seasoning layer:

Clean Cooking Surface

If needed, wash the cold griddle with warm water, mild dish soap and a plastic scraper to remove any chunks of debris. Avoid abrasive scrubbers. Rinse and dry thoroughly.

Warm the Griddle

Heat your Blackstone to 200-250°F to open the grill’s pores in preparation for seasoning. Use a lower temperature for electric griddles. This only takes 5-10 minutes.

Wipe with Thin Oil Layer

Dip a few paper towels in your oil and lightly wipe a thin layer all over the cooking surface. Too much oil can lead to sticky residue.

Spread the Oil Evenly

Use additional dry paper towels to spread the oil evenly across the entire griddle surface. Remove any excess puddling.

Let Oil Smoke

Increase heat to 400-450°F. When oil begins smoking, let it continue a few more minutes. This carbonizes the oil onto the metal.

Add Additional Layers

Repeat steps 3-5 up to 3-5 times until the griddle develops an evenly darkened patina. Allow griddle to cool completely between oil coats.

Buff and Wipe Down

Once cooled, take a dry cloth and give the surface a good buffing to remove any oil residue. Wipe off debris with paper towels.

It’s Time To Cook!

Your griddle is ready for cooking again! Break in the fresh seasoning with bacon, burgers or a veggie stir fry.

It’s normal for the reseasoned cooking surface to smoke a bit the first few times you use it. This stabilizes the new seasoning. With light use, your griddle should be back to prime non-stick condition.

FAQs About Reseasoning a Blackstone Griddle

Still have some questions about refreshing your flat top grill? Here are answers to the most common queries:

What’s the Best Oil for Reseasoning a Griddle?

For the seasoning process, you want high smoke point neutral oils like refined avocado, grapeseed, vegetable, canola or peanut oil. Avoid olive oil or butter which can burn.

Can I Use Flavored Oils to Season the Griddle?

Stick to neutral oils without additives. Flavored oils can burn and leave residues altering food taste.

How Hot Should I Get the Griddle for Reseasoning?

Heat between 400-450°F. Higher temperatures can damage the coating. Let it smoke a bit but don’t let oil burn.

Should I Season Under the Hood?

Yes! Season the underside of the hood to prevent rusting. Remove hood to season.

How Long Does Seasoning Last?

With proper care between seasoning, it can last many months depending on use frequency. Hard-wearing smooth tops may need seasoning a bit more often.

Should I Season a Brand New Griddle Before Using?

Yes, follow the instructions to season 2-3 times prior to cooking the first meal. This prevents food from sticking.

Can I Cook on a Partially Reseasoned Griddle?

It’s best to complete the full reseasoning process before cooking again. The surface needs time to cure.

Why Does Seasoning Smoke So Much?

This is normal when the griddle is freshly seasoned. It should stabilize after a few cooking sessions. If its smoking even after a few cooks or its sticky, check out this tutorial.

Once you get the reseasoning process down, maintaining your Blackstone grill’s cooking surface will become second nature. With proper care and upkeep, your griddle will keep delivering mouthwatering backyard meals for years on end. Now get out there and start cooking up a storm!