Cast Iron Grid -- good to go out of the box or needs to be seasoned???

Unknown

I just got the new cast iron grid for my large BGE. it seems a little rough textered, like all new cast iron. it's not as "gray" as a brand new piece of cast iron, but it's not pitch black like a well-seasoned one either.[p]my question is...should i "season" it in the oven like you would a regular cast iron pan, or should i just start using it right out of the box? i plan on cooking chicken legs/thighs tonight direct at around 350 degrees till done, then jack up the temps to 750 for a few nice rib eyes, TRex style. but, i don't want to ruin any the chix or the steak if the cast iron is gonna make everything stick.[p]any comments would be greatly appreciated!!

Chef Arnoldi

i would wash off any industrial oil that is left on it, then dry real well with papertowel.
place in warm oven to dry real good.
then apply vegetable oil (sunflour... high temp oil)
and bake in oven 300F for several hours to get non-sticky.

Souldaddy

George,[p]No seasoning necessary. Once you get up to those high temps for your steak, it'd nuke the seasoning anyways.[p]It's fine right out of the box.

SirKeats

Souldaddy,[p]I don't know if i needed to, but I lathered mine up with some oil and cooked it (in the egg) at like 250 for an hour or so. Thought maybe that would help protect it a bit anyway. Of course I wasn't really basing that assumption on anything... so I could have just been wasting lump.

Sandbagger

George, I use a cast iron pan to blacken steaks. The set-up is trex temps and pan directly (1 inch) above the lump. The end result is, like Souldaddy mentioned, the protective seasoning burns off with each cook. And it is a drag, keeping that pan from rusting between cooks.

Unknown

Sandbagger,[p]does the cast iron grid get rusty between cooks, even if you're just leaving it in the egg itself. i was just gonna leave it in the egg, but if it's gonna rust inside there, should i take it out each time, clean it, and put it away somewhere dry???

Sandbagger

George, it will rust if you leave it in the egg. After each use, you need to clean and oil it down. I suppose you could reseason it again, but then that to me is way to much effort. Again, this only if you nuke it during a trex cook. [p]Others need to chime in, but if you cook normally, 350 or so degrees, I would think the pan would continue to season nicely from each cook.[p]Tom

Unknown

Sandbagger,[p]darn...i was hoping i could just leave it in the egg, and scrub it clean with a grill brush before i put the food on the next time i cook on it. [p]

Elder Ward

George,
You da Man George. Just let us know which floor they handle food poison cases at you local hospital so we can send flowers. :)0
Elder Ward

Unknown

Elder Ward ,[p]lol...i guess it does sound a little crazy, what with the rust and all. [p]i'm trying to be as lazy as possible over here though. and the egg allows me to do that, for the most part. [p]i cooked on the cast iron grid last night and loved it. but damn, did it get messy. by the time it cooled down enough to clean it, i was in bed (hey, i'm gettin old). next time, i think i'll just lift it out with the "wonder pry bar" (which works perfectly for lifting this heavy grid), and give it a spritz with some Pam cooking spray...and yes, leave it in the egg!!! hopefully, the Pam will set in from the residual heat and provide enough of a barrier against rust...[p]i'll keep y'all posted. if ya don't hear back from me in a couple of weeks, just call Pennsylvania hospital, and ask for the "lazy idiot egg-dude."

Elder Ward

George,
I thought you were talking a pot. Heck wipe or spray that grill down and forget it. As long as you bring it up to heat before you add anything and it cooks off the old oil you will be fine.
Slow and befuddled,
Elder Ward Old did I mention Old, )