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The Underside Of A Blackstone Griddle
Blackstone griddles are made from cold-rolled steel which needs to be properly maintained to both prevent rust and keep food from sticking.
This typically calls for lightly coating the griddle with oil and heating it in a special “Seasoning” process to create a protective non-stick layer of hydrocarbons. While this makes sense for the griddle top, you might also be wondering if the underside of a Blackstone griddle also needs to be seasoned?
Do You Need to Season The Bottom of a Blackstone Griddle?
No, you don’t need to technically season the bottom of a Blackstone griddle. Though it might be worth considering if you live near the ocean or a body of saltwater.
Especially if you store your griddle outside where moisture from humidity and condensation can gradually start to affect the cold-rolled steel.
Seasoning the Underside Of A Blackstone Griddle
Blackstone griddles come with a protective layer of cooking oil which needs to be removed before you can properly season the cold-rolled steel.
This calls for a gallon of warm soapy water and gently wiping it down with a sponge or clean shop rags. Once the oil has been scrubbed off, you can rinse with clean water, and wipe it dry.
You can then use the following steps to season the top and underside of the griddle.
Step One: Preheat the griddle with all the burners turned on high. After 15 to 20 minutes the cold-rolled steel will start to brown slightly. At that point turn the burners off.
Step Two: Apply a light layer of neutral cooking oil like flaxseed oil. Use a paper towel or clean cloth to thoroughly wipe the oil over every square inch of cold-rolled steel.
Step Three: Ignite all the burner elements and turn them up to high. The oil will start to smoke, and the cold-rolled steel of the griddle surface will start to blacken. This should take roughly half an hour. Then turn off the heat and allow the griddle surface to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step Four: Repeat steps two and three at least three to four more times.
The result is a robust seasoning layer that will protect every square inch of your Blackstone griddle. When properly maintained, your griddle top will be virtually non-stick, and the seasoning layer can even enhance the flavor of the food being cooked.
How Often Do I Need to Season the Top Of My Blackstone Griddle?
When cooking foods with a modest amount of natural fat, you should only need to thoroughly wipe the griddle top to maintain the seasoning layer. It’s when you cook with lean foods or you need to clean away stuck-on food debris, like caramelized marinade that you might want to consider updating your griddle’s seasoning layer.
Which Side of Blackstone Griddle Is Hotter?
Most Blackstone griddles have multiple vertical heating elements which let you create multiple heat zones. For example, a four-burner model like the Blackstone 1554, you could set the burner on the far right on high for doing things like searing off steaks and chops. Then you could set the two burners on the far-left side of the griddle to low heat for things like grilling bone-in cuts of chicken.
The cold-rolled steel will continue to absorb heat energy from the burners. After half an hour or so, you will have one relatively unified heat zone.
Why Is Food Sticking to My Blackstone Griddle?
If food is sticking to your griddle top it is either because the seasoning layer isn’t developed enough or there is too much old residual grease on the surface.
If the seasoning layer has started to release or it isn’t developed enough to maintain its non-stick properties, the food starts to adhere to the microscopic texture of the cold-rolled steel.
To fix this, you will need to give the griddle top a thorough cleaning and apply a new seasoning layer.
If there is too much residual grease, it can turn into a sticky carbon-polymer, rather than helping to maintain a smooth, non-stick hydrocarbon layer.
This usually shows up as slimy black debris that sticks to your food when you peel it off the griddle top. It is more likely to be an issue if the grease port is partially clogged, or your griddle is set up on an uneven surface that causes warm grease to pool.
If the problem is limited to one small part of the cooktop, you might be able to simply scrape it down and then refresh the seasoning layer. In a more severe case, you might need to completely strip the entire griddle surface and reapply a fresh seasoning layer.
Final Thoughts
The underside of a Blackstone griddle doesn’t technically need to be seasoned. Though taking the time to apply a protective layer of hydrocarbon might help prevent rusting issues if you live in a salt air environment, or you will keep the grill outside.
What really matters most is maintaining the seasoning layer on the cold-rolled steel griddle top to maintain its non-stick properties, protect the underlying metal, and enhance the flavor of the food you prepare.
If you do experience sticking problems from the seasoning layer breaking down or polymerized grease buildup, you might need to strip the griddle top and apply a new seasoning layer.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.