Not much can compare to cooking outside on a griddle, especially when it’s a Blackstone griddle. These well-built flat top grills are perfect for cooking all kinds of foods, and they’re even water-resistant and built to fight wear and tear, but that doesn’t mean rust is entirely avoidable.
If you want to know how to clean Blackstone griddle rust, keep reading. This article will tell you how to prevent and remove Blackstone griddle rust.
What is Rust and What Causes Rust to Accumulate?
To understand how to clean rust on the griddle, you need to know what rust is and its causes. Rust is oxidized iron. When moisture or water is present and iron and oxygen, corrosion begins to happen, and this corrosion is known as rust.
Blackstone griddles are made of rolled steel, which is why they’re susceptible to rusting even though they do an excellent job of resisting it. What does that mean if you go to use your griddle after some inactivity, and you find it covered in rust? Is it ruined? No way!
Before you give up, know that your Blackstone Griddle can easily be saved from rust, even when it’s covered in it. On top of that, you can keep your griddle safe from rusting in the future by taking a few simple steps.
How to Prevent Rust From Occurring
Iron and oxygen join together quickly, and when there is iron, oxygen, and moisture coming together in one place, you can always expect rust. That means that the best step to prevent rust is to separate these elements as best as you can.
How can you do that when your Blackstone griddle is outside, though? The most important thing you can do to prevent griddle rust is by seasoning your griddle. If you’re not familiar with this term, it’s the act of creating a protective coating on the griddle’s cooktop by burning off thin coats of cooking oil.
Having an adequately seasoned Blackstone Griddle will help protect it from water and oxygen by creating a barrier that it can’t penetrate. Seasoning your outdoor gas griddle is pretty simple, and the more you cook on the griddle, the better the seasoning will get.
You also want to make sure your griddle is not exposed to rain and other elements. The best way to accomplish this is to store the griddle indoors when not in use or by keeping it covered with a Blackstone griddle cover. These waterproof griddle covers will really help keep moisture away from the cooking surface where rust can form.
If you are storing the griddle outside, a soft cover is necessary, but I recommend a hard cover as well. Using a hard and softcover together offers the best protection possible. If you are only going to use one or the other, definitely opt for the softcover.
Last but not least, another great way to help prevent rust is using parchment or wax paper. After you finish cleaning your griddle and applying a thin layer of oil, allow the cooktop to cool completely. Once it is no longer hot, lay parchment or wax paper across the cooktop. This will helps keep moisture out and will help protect the cooktop further.
Seasoning Your Griddle
If you’ve never seasoned your griddle or it’s been a while, then your Blackstone griddle will be at a higher risk of rusting. Get these materials and follow these simple steps to season yours and prevent corrosion.
What you’ll need:
- Water
- Dish soap
- Cooking oil
- Heat-resistant gloves or tongs
- Paper Towels
Step 1:
The first step to seasoning your griddle and preventing rust is cleaning it. If it’s not rusted, which we’ll cover below, you will wash it with a combination of soap and water. This step removes any possible debris or dust.
Step 2:
Now that your griddle top is clean, it’s time to preheat it at its highest heat until it starts getting dark. You’ll wait for about 10 to 15 minutes before you notice the burner turning brown, at which point you’ll turn it off.
Step 3:
Once the surface has cooled down, add a thin layer of your oil and wipe it down with paper towels, helping spread the oil. You can use any cooking oil, but flax, grapeseed, and extra virgin olive oil work, mainly because they bond easier. Repeat this step multiple times.
Step 4:
Now it’s time to heat your griddle again. Get it hot again and let it burn for about 30 minutes. Don’t worry if you see smoke, that’s a good thing and when you’ll want to turn it off. This will strengthen the bond between the surface and oil.
Step 5:
Repeat the same actions as step 3 multiple times to continue building up the non-stick surface you’ve created. It’s also good to season your griddle regularly to maintain this.
These tips will help you avoid rust from forming but if your griddle already has rust on it then you need to know how to get it removed. A griddle with rust is not a lost cause. Follow these instructions to get your griddle back in the action.
How to Remove Griddle Rust
Removing rust on a Blackstone griddle is a lot easier than you think, but there are a few things you’ll need. Here are the tools and materials to get when to remove rust from your griddle.
- Metal scraper
- Heat resistant gloves
- Paper towels
- Cooking oil
- Grill stones
Step 1:
Please put on your heat-resistant gloves and turn your griddle on to high heat and let it sit at this temperature for 20 minutes. This step will help loosen up the rust.
Step 2:
Turn off the heat and allow your griddle to cool down. Once it has cooled a little, get your metal scraper and scrape away the built-up corrosion on the entire flat top until you don’t see any more rust.
Step 3:
Take 3 to 4 tablespoons of your cooking oil, drip it across your griddle top, and scrub it with your grill stone. Other options that work if you can’t find a grill stone include steel wool or medium grit wet or dry sandpaper.
Step 4:
Once you’ve scrubbed it clean, wipe it down thoroughly with paper towels.
Step 5:
Add another 3 to 4 tablespoons of cooking oil to the griddle and wipe down again with paper towels. Repeat this step until you no longer see any rust residue on the flat top.
Step 6:
After you clean rust off the griddle, it’s essential to season it properly. A thin layer of oil will keep water and oxygen away from the rust griddle top.
Step 7:
After you’ve seasoned your griddle, there’s just one final step. Drop another 3 to 4 tablespoons on the top and wipe it down one last time. This will act as an extra layer of protection against air and moisture.
Final Thoughts
Too many Blackstone griddle owners are quick to toss their products aside at the first sign of rust. Now that you know you can easily remove it yourself, you can look forward to years of cooking on the griddle. Check out this video from Blackstone to see how to complete the rust removal process.