Outdoor cooking is fun and intriguing, but it has some prerequisites to get the real taste of your desirable meal. Have you got a brand-new smoker? If yes, you are just a step away from enjoying your favorite smoked dish. To get the ideal result, you must season your smoker before testing your newly bought smoker.
How to cure a smoker? Seasoning or curing is a way to make it ready for the job by coating it from the inside using oil at a high temperature for a specific time. From my years of grilling experience, I can say that pre-seasoning a new smoker helps lay the groundwork for great grilling results. In this post, I will explain how to season a smoker.
Why Do You Season A Smoker?
Seasoning is necessary before you use a smoker for the first time for corrosion/rust prevention and post-manufacture cleaning. Some debris is typically left behind in the smoker during its manufacturing and shipping. It can be of the following forms:
- Cardboard
- Wood splinters
- Metal Shavings
- Grease
- Oils
- Dust
Nothing to worry about because debris comes with any other product you buy. But nobody wants their food to be contaminated with these forms of dirt. To prevent smokers from corrosion, manufacturers apply some oils inside the grill before it goes to the customer’s home.
Smoking removes dirt and cures the paint of a smoker’s interior, stopping the corrosion from building up. It helps you get a suitable interior condition for smoking on heat and prevents any contaminant from fouling the taste of your food. With seasoning, you can eliminate debris, get rid of the smell, cure the paint, and seal the inside of a newly purchased smoker.
How To Season The Smoker For The First Time?
The seasoning of a smoker is slightly different from one type to another, but most of the process is the same. Read the product manual to look for the manufacturer’s recommendations. The following steps will help you in how to season a new smoker:
Thoroughly Clean The Interior Of Smoker
Clean the inside of the smoker or grill properly before you apply oil. You should try to remove any debris that can change your food’s flavor or contaminate it. I suggest you clean the smoker from the inside as follows:
- Detach all pans, racks, and grates from your smoker.
- After removing the grates, pans, and racks, wash them using standard dish soap and water.
- Wash the smoker’s interior thoroughly using soap, including the firebox.
- Let it dry in the open air.
Apply Oil Coating
Once the smoker is dried, you have to get the high smoke-point oil such as:
- Grapeseed Oil
- Canola Oil
- Avocado Oil
You can use any oil with 400° Fahrenheit stock oil. By using these oils, you will get a fine, hard, and protective surface after it has been heated inside the smoker. And this process is called polymerization.
If you want to use something different, then consider lard, raw beef fat, bacon fat, flaxseed oil, and red palm sunflower oil, as people have used these oils in seasoning for smokers. These steps will help you oil your smoker:
- As all the grates, racks, and pans are out of the smoker, apply the coat of oil on the walls and door of the smoker from inside. You use either a can of spray oil or a clean and soft piece of cloth.
- Apply a tiny coat of oil on racks and grates. Never put a layer of oil on the inside of pans, but you can slightly coat the exterior to ensure it remains heat-free.
- Wait for at least 5 to 10 minutes so that oil gets soaked in before you commence the heating process.
Heat The Oil At A High Temperature
How Long To Season A Smoker? For seasoning, heat it at a high temperature of 270 to 300° Fahrenheit and keep it going for the next 1 to 4 hours. Ensure the temperature is higher than a routine seasoning cooking session to get the proper seasoning. But nothing inside the smoker except for the oil applied and wood chips or chunks.
Many professional grillers recommend different temperature ranges for seasoning a smoker, but ideally, it should be the maximum of the smoker temperature rating and leave it for a few hours. Never forget to check the product instruction manual to know the specific seasoning suggestions of the manufacturer.
Video Guide
How To Season Charcoal Smokers?
I suggest you utilize a chimney starter to set coals at that optimal temperature. After that, put these burning coals in the pan and add some wood chips or chunks as well. Water pans that have been oiled should be left unattended, but those that have not been oiled should be removed. Open all the vents for proper airflow to yield high heat inside. Allow the charcoal to burn hot until it turns into ash.
Also Learn: how to use a charcoal smoker
How To Season Pellet Smokers?
Add your wood pellets to the hopper and set the temperature range at the highest. Let it run at that range for at least an hour, but I will recommend 2 to 3 hours. Go for light hardwood smoke flavor.
How To Season Electric Smokers?
Adjust the temperature adjustment knob to the maximum and leave it for 2 to 3 hours. When only 45 minutes are left, you can add wood chips to the smoker box inside your electric smoker. You can also add delightful wood smoke flavor.
How To Season Gas Smokers?
Set the temperature of your propane gas smoker to the highest range for a minimum of an hour. Add wood chunks or chips in the pan during the last 30 to 45 minutes to get the wood flavoring. After seasoning, cool down the smoker in the air as it will ensure the smoker will last for a long.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Final Words
Seasoning is important because it will make your smoker last longer. As you can see, it is pretty simple to carry out with materials easily available at your home. You can set up a smoker for its first BBQ by seasoning a smoker grill. It provides a foundation for delightful grilling and protects it from dust and debris. Hopefully, you have enjoyed reading this post about how to season a smoker.
If you are a beginner in smoking and grilling must read out these guides to become master of this art.
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