First fire

The first, gentle fire

The 2025 manual: "Pre-seasoning is not required", but it recommends this first heating.

1. Check all the hardware is tight, bands and hinge included.
2. Wash the cooking grates in mild washing-up liquid and dry them.
3. Light a small to medium fire, at most 2.7 kg (6 lb) of charcoal, on the fire grate.
4. Keep the grill under 204 °C (400 °F) for 1 hour.
5. Shut it down.

Before any cook, the manual says keep the charcoal red hot for at least 30 minutes and wait until it has a coat of ash.