As you get older peer pressure does not go away, however the subject matter becomes way cooler and much more enticing than it was in our younger days. Such was the case when we started looking into outdoor griddles after listening to a couple of the 'byes go on and on about how awesome they are.

Sandra surprised me in June when she showed up home with this beautiful 36" Blackstone from Costco in the back of her rig!

The first step with an un-treated rolled iron cook top is to wash it, burn off the impurities, then start the seasoning process. After a lot of research we chose grape seed oil as it is long lasting and durable.

It was applied to the hot surface, smoked for 12-15 minutes and subsequent coats added at the same interval for a total of 6 coats which was a solid initial seasoning.

The coating will continue to darken and even out as we use the griddle on a regular basis.

Our back deck is filling up nicely!

Our first cook was a dandy breakfast feed of eggs, sausages and bacon. It's a learning curve, but first putting on the items that take longest to cook through to the fastest will ensure it's all finished at the same time. This timing gets easier and easier as you cook more and more.

Another key point is to not run the unit too hot as it can not only burn food but can also lift the seasoning you worked so hard to lay down. 375-400ºF is a great temp for most cooks, when pre-heating set the temperature dials to the midpoint and turn up temp if necessary. It's faster to heat up than it is to cool down.