A high quality cast-iron cooking grill provides you with a superior grilling experience. It holds heat for searing and creates delicious looking sear marks (remember – you eat with your eyes first).
However, cast-iron does require a bit of maintenance. The grills should be seasoned on a regular basis. The easiest way to do that is to use the grills, clean them before you use them not after. Now, you don’t have to oil it all the time, but it’s a good idea to give it a little coat after cleaning it or before cooking on it.
If you’re cooking something that’s already got a coat of oil on it (or has a lot of fat), don’t worry about it. But if you’re not, just pour a little bit of oil on to a piece of paper towel, hold the towel with a pair of tongs, and rub it along the grill.
This will help season the grill and keep it protected from overly sticky food and the dreaded – gasp! – rust. Just don’t go crazy with the paper towel. You’re not looking to start a bon fire, are you?
One of our Broil King reps told us she uses a frozen stick of butter to oil her grills. We haven't tried it to see how effective it is, but just throwing it out there.
Before you go oiling up your grill, keep in mind that not all oils are ideal for high heat (which, ultimately, a grill pretty much always is). Naturally, it’ll burn a little, but if you use an oil with a high smoking point, you can prevent some nasty changes in both the taste of the oil and the nutrition of it.
After a certain temperature (that dreaded smoking point), the oil produces free fatty acids and glycerol – both of which are probably not ingredients listed in your grilling recipes.
Refined avocado oil is your best bet, with a smoking point of 520 degrees Fahrenheit; but safflower oil (510 degrees Fahrenheit) and extra light olive oil (468 degrees Fahrenheit) are also good options. If you really want to use your regular oil, however, just be a little lighter with it to lower your chances of it changing the flavour and throwing away any nutrition.