scott6666 0 Posted March 30, 2012 So I'm a real newbie to all this. First time moving from the gas grill types. Last gas grill I had rusted out like a summabitch. Probably as much lack of good habits by me. Want to avoid that with the Akorn. Question is: what's the proper ways to season? I hear that you spray vegetable oil on the grates and heat it up real high. Is that the way to avoid rust? Should I spray everything on the inside (inner coating, fire bucket, etc) or only the grates? My temptation is to spray EVERYTHING and crank it as high as it will go. Stop me now if I'm wrong. Built yesterday (super easy). Want to season today. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Setzler 14,147 Posted March 30, 2012 The only thing that needs seasoning in the Char-Griller Akorn Kamado is the cast iron cooking grate. Spray it down with cooking oil or rub it with crisco and then bring the grill up to NO HIGHER than 350-400 degrees for an hour or so. Spray the grill again and then close off all the air vents and let it cool. This will form a good initial seasoning. After that, I just spray the grill with cooking oil before and after each use. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spenzalii 2 Posted March 31, 2012 Just got my Akorn today. Brushed the grates down with a good coat of Crisco, and playing with the vents to get it to set in at 400. I was going to lay a few pieces of fatback on the grates, but I never went back out to the grocery store, so there's that... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Setzler 14,147 Posted March 31, 2012 Just got my Akorn today. Brushed the grates down with a good coat of Crisco, and playing with the vents to get it to set in at 400. I was going to lay a few pieces of fatback on the grates, but I never went back out to the grocery store, so there's that... Congrats! Looking forward to some cooking photos soon! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Geraldine Ince 0 Posted May 24, 2019 When you guys mention 350-400 degrees could you please confirm if the is Centigrade or Fahrenheit ??? Clearly I’ve got a way to go on this !!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keeperovdeflame 9,650 Posted May 24, 2019 19 minutes ago, Geraldine Ince said: When you guys mention 350-400 degrees could you please confirm if the is Centigrade or Fahrenheit ??? Clearly I’ve got a way to go on this !!! Well, Geraldine, that is a good question. I would say that if the author of the post is from the US or any other country that uses the Fahrenheit measuring system the answer is going to be Fahrenheit. However if the post is by an Aussie or an author who lives in a country that uses the Centigrade measure it could be in Centigrade. . Another clue would be how the temp fits with what is being cooked. The optimum temp for cooking a chicken is, IMO, between 375 and 420 F and that comes out to around 190. 6 C, while 375 C comes out to 700 something F. Neither one of those conversion temps seem to be a reasonable temp to cook chicken at. By the way since this is your first post, please stop by the introduction section of the forum and let our folks know who you are, what you cook on, etc. Welcome, and Happy Cooking. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ogopogo 55 Posted May 24, 2019 2 hours ago, Geraldine Ince said: When you guys mention 350-400 degrees could you please confirm if the is Centigrade or Fahrenheit ??? Clearly I’ve got a way to go on this !!! Fahrenheit, since at 400 Celsius (about 750F) the fats cook right out of the cast iron and you have to reseason. Personally on my Akorn I first did a pretty hard burn at around 550-600F to burn out resudial oils (especially that gross stuff they put on the Weber grate I used on the lower tabs), then cooled it down to around 350 and seasoned with canola oil all over and some tallow on the iron. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fbov 288 Posted May 26, 2019 On 3/30/2012 at 12:39 PM, scott6666 said: ... Last gas grill I had rusted out like a summabitch. ... Want to avoid that with the Akorn.... ... Want to season today. With cast iron, there are two common levels of maintenance. - rust prevention - seasoned (non-stick) cooking surface I think you're looking for the first, and that's good, because the second it hard to maintain if you do any direct cooking. Under direct heat, any seasoning will eventually burn off if not replenished. I just inspected my Akorn's grate, and hit it with spray cooking oil when it got dry or rusty. Cook the right food and this is not an issue. HAve fun, Frank 1 lnarngr reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AntinOz 504 Posted June 17, 2019 On 5/25/2019 at 2:05 AM, Geraldine Ince said: When you guys mention 350-400 degrees could you please confirm if the is Centigrade or Fahrenheit ??? Clearly I’ve got a way to go on this !!! Just about every BBQ forum seems to use F predominantly. I have tried to develop the habit of using 'C' or 'F' in my posts as I find I flip between the two, but only with the BBQ. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
