Let’s Prep:

You just got a new Flat Top Griddle! Congrats! You’re about to embark on a backyard cooking journey that you’ve never experienced before. Unless, of course you’ve had a flat top griddle before. These are among the most fun ways to cook, and one of the most versatile cookers that you can have in your arsenal.

Seasoning the flat top griddle is a really simple process. It only a few items, and only requires an hour or two to make sure you’ve got your griddle up and running that’ll provide you with years of cooking fun in the yard.

Why Season a flat top griddle?

When you first get your flat top griddle, you might be anxious to grab your spatula and start perfecting your skills that you’ve seen at the Japanese steakhouse for years, however this is an important step that is completely necessary to give you a great cooking experience for years to come!

Seasoning your griddle with give you a nonstick surface, and will extend the cooking life of your griddle. Simply put, you’re adding a layer of protection on top of your griddle. Think of your flat top griddle the exact same way as you think about a cast iron pan. It needs to be seasoned, then maintained and you’ll have a long, long time using it.

When you perform the seasoning process, sometimes called “burn in” you’re accomplishing a couple things. First and foremost, you’re burning off any of the oils that are left from the manufacturing and shipping process. When they leave the factory, they are left with a protective oil coating that ensures that no matter what environment the flat top griddle is in along the way, it gets to you in pristine condition. While those are great for making sure there’s no rust. You don’t want it on your food – so you burn it off.

Next, you’re creating a non-stick barrier on top of your flat top griddle by “cooking in” multiple thin layers of oil that are forming a polymer bond on the surface that will last for years to come with proper maintenance.

Let’s Season:

The process for this is pretty straightforward and simple. Heat. Oil. Wipe. Repeat.

When you’ve gotten your items ready, turn your flat top griddle on to the highest setting possible. On mine it has a Sear setting which is past 500F on the dial. Let that run for about 15 minutes at the highest temperature setting possible.

Remember when I said you were going to be burning off oils? You’ll smell it. It’s ok – this is all part of the process. Make sure you’re in a well ventilated area (even if it’s not where your normal cooking spot is going to be.) It may be a strong smell that comes off. That’s good and what we want. It’ll go away after 15-20 minutes.

Once the first 15 minutes passes, make sure your temperature of your flat top griddle is over 450F. Yes, I know I said that I set it over 500F – once it hits 450F you’re ready to go. The temperature will continue to increase, that’s ok.

Now that the temp is up, and the initial burn in process has happened, it’s time to add a thin layer of oil to your flat top griddle, I prefer vegetable oil. It’s easy to come by, and inexpensive. Most importantly though it’s got a high smoke point of around 450F. This is important because you want the oil to be able to withstand the heat to a high level to allow the bonds to form and not burn off.

Now that you’ve gotten your layer of oil on the flat top griddle, using tongs, wipe the griddle down with a paper towel. This is important because you want a thin, even layer of oil without any pooling or heavy spots of oil. Be sure to not only wipe down the cooking surface, but also the edges, and outside of the lip as well. Rust forms there too – and we want to make sure that the entire surface is protected.

You should have a bunch of smoke that’s being produced at this point – that’s perfect! We want to leave it on the high temperature, and let it burn until it stops smoking. When it’s done smoking, it’s time to repeat the process. Oil, wipe, smoke, repeat. Repeat this process between 3-5 times until your flat top griddle is a nice dark black surface.

You’ll notice this start happening first over the burners, then it’ll start to spread further out. It’ll start with a brownish color as shown below then will continue darkening. This is normal, and perfect.

Let’s Cook:

Once you’ve repeated your process for a few times, and your surface has turned dark black over the majority of it, you’re ready to go. As shown below – don’t worry if your ENTIRE surface doesn’t turn black right away. Specifically around the outside. This will darken over time as grease is cooked on the surface.

Now that you’ve gotten a perfectly seasoned flat top griddle, grab your bacon and eggs, it’s time to cook!

Be sure to check out my SHOP!

If you like this recipe – please press the “Subscribe button” on the video below (you won’t leave this page)