If you've just bought a brand new stainless steel barbecue grill, making sure it's properly seasoned is vital to ensure the best results in outdoor cooking. While many barbecue enthusiasts stress the importance of seasoning their grill, not everyone knows how to do it. Here, we'll find out what seasonings to use on your grill, how they benefit you and your cooking, and how to prepare and season your own grill for ideal results.

Do you have to season a new grill?
Every stainless steel bbq grill, should be seasoned before it is used for the first time. At first glance, a new grill may look neat and clean, with its sleek appearance and shiny new grill grates perfect for grilling; however, they often also contain various chemicals from the manufacturing process that bake into your food and give it a chemical taste. Seasoning your grill will burn off all impurities and sanitize your stainless steel grill grates.

In addition, it makes cleaning and cooking easier because when you season your grill it helps to create a smooth surface, which helps to prevent cooked food, oils, marinades and fats from sticking to the grill. Seasoning can extend the life of a new grill by preventing it from rusting and corroding. Because it involves the use of oil on the grill, the grates are covered with a protective layer of oil after seasoning. As a result, moisture will not be able to easily reach the metal from which it is made and therefore the grate should not rust or corrode. It is therefore highly recommended that you always season your new grill before using it for better results.

How do you season it?
Seasoning the grill is a quick and easy process. Before using the grill for the first time, follow these steps to season the grates on the stainless steel grill.

Clean the grill
Before seasoning your new stainless steel bbq grill, you will first need to clean the grill grate with water to remove any metal shavings and dust that may have accumulated during transport. Once the grill has been thoroughly cleaned, allow it to dry completely. If you are preparing to season an old grill, clean the outside and inside of the grill, including the inside of the lid, using a brush and warm, soapy water to remove any build-up of layers of black smoke. If your current grill has any burnt or stuck on food on the grates, scrape off the residue using a soft bristle brush or a piece of crumbled, heavy-duty aluminum foil. Next, heat the grill to a high temperature with the grill lid closed, this will help to burn off any residue. Gently brush the grill parts to remove light colored ashes.

Season the grill
To season the stainless steel bbq grill, use a paper towel or soft brush to coat the grill grates and the inside of the grill (including the inside of the lid) with a coating of cooking oil that will remain safe at high temperatures. Do not coat the inside of the water tray, but you can lightly coat its exterior to help protect it. Apply the oil evenly to the surface and then wipe off any excess oil with a pastry brush, soft dry cloth or paper towel. High-temperature cooking oils include peanut, rapeseed and grapeseed oils, but olive oil should not be used. You will want to use a smoke point of at least 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the oil to soak for 5 to 10 minutes before starting the heating process. Using this oil will leave a nice, hard protective surface when heated in the grill, a process known as polymerization.

Heat the grill
Brush the grates with oil and light the grill. If you have a gas stainless steel bbq shelf, heat the grill directly to high temperature. If you have a charcoal stainless steel shelf, fill the main fuel chamber with charcoal, light it and wait for it to heat up. For added flavor, you can place a small pile of wood chunks next to the charcoal for smoking. The smoking chunks will release flavorful smoke that binds to the oil-covered cooking grate. Popular types of smoking chunks for seasoning grills include white oak, cherry, hickory and pecan. By using them in combination with charcoal, you will create an even more delicious cooking grate. Heat the grill to a high temperature. Allow the oil to cook in the grill for about 30 to 40 minutes, this will allow the smoke to mix with the oil to give it flavor. Stainless steel charcoal bbq grill should start to darken; this is a clear sign that it is turning flavorful.

It's safe to say that having a well-seasoned stainless steel bbq grill will not only make your food taste better, but will also ensure that your grill stays healthy throughout the life of your grill. Apply a fresh seasoning every couple of months, and clean the whole grill regularly to ensure your brand new grill always looks as good as new.