Before you ever cook on your Flatrock Flat Top Grill, you will need to season the carbon steel cooktop. Seasoning, a process of repeatedly coating the hot cooktop with oil or a conditioner like our Flat Top Grill Seasoning and Cast Iron Conditioner and burning it off, not only creates a nonstick surface but also prevents moisture from getting trapped in the tiny pores of the metal and causing rust. By filling those pores and heating the griddle, you will be creating a nonstick surface of polymerized oil, which means the liquid oil has changed molecularly and transformed into a solid. The fats and oil that ooze into the surface as you cook will only continue to build this nonstick patina.
NOTE: The Traeger Flatrock’s cooktop comes with a preliminary coating from the factory that does not need to be washed off before you begin the seasoning process.
Though it may sound tricky, seasoning is actually easy to do. To start, here is what you’ll need:
No. Once you have established the initial seasoning, you likely won’t have to season the cooktop again. (The exception would be if the surface rusts, an uncommon but fiaxable situation. After removing the ruest, you will need to re-season the cooktop as directed above.)
However, to keep the surface nonstick and rust free, you should always clean the cooktop after each cook and do the oiling and burn off process, but just one time and not four. Look here for more informaton on how to clean your flat top.