How to seasoning cast iron

Wow those look amazing! What kind of wood did you use for smoking, and what temp? That will definitely satisfy the iron intake in your diet!!

JK - thanks for the tutorial

Good Job!! Your iron is off to a good start!!!

Same thing here, I just use the oven. It smokes a bit but I put an Air mover in the kitchen and let it go.

Mike

Hey thanks I use cast iron on the grill all the time. Was never real sure how to reseason again. I just clean and than use olive oil to rub down.

Thanks Treegje

I like to use hog lard instead of veg oil. The veg oil will go rancid and leave a glue like coating.
Something I learned from my grand mother.
The hog lard in time will harden and you will have the equivalent to a teflon surface.

I use lard also. after once or twice w/ the lard the surface is glass slick.
On my good iron you can fry an egg w/ no butter.
When properly seasoned the surface will be smooth and shiny black.

You can not properly season cast iron if you can not burn the oil or fat you are using. You MUST heat your iron to a minimum of 450 and I do suggest 500 degrees for best results. You can see my post here from another seasoning thread.

Cast Iron Basics
(Some of the most important things you need to know!) "Cast Iron "Covered Wagon" Cookin'" by David Herzog

Seasoning: Cast iron may be heavy, but with a proper seasoning, it is the greatest type of metal to cook in. But, you need to keep your cast iron free from rust and well seasoned to make it “stick free”.
When someone buys cast iron from the store, the foundry (manufacturer) coats the pot or pan with a coating of some sort to keep the item from rusting. This is done by spraying with a type of varnish or dipping it into hot paraffin wax. This protective coating must be cleaned off before seasoning your cast iron.
If your Dutch oven is made by LODGE, the protective coating is a sprayed varnish coating, which must be scrubbed off. Heat the Dutch oven inside your home oven to 225oF. then with a hot pad, lower the oven into hot soapy water, and scrub the Dutch oven with a S.O.S. pad. Scrub the inside and outside of the Dutch oven very well, rinse well, and towel dry. Then place the Dutch oven back into your oven at 225° to dry for about 10 to 15 minutes. The only way to dry cast iron is to dry it completely. I do mine in the oven because; the heat is not concentrated in one spot, as it is on the stove top, which can cause minute cracks.
If your Dutch oven is made by any of the other companies that make outdoor Dutch ovens, the protective coating is dipped paraffin wax, which can be burned off. Do this outdoors in your gas B.B.Q. or, a kettle type charcoal B.B.Q. like a Webber. In a charcoal B.B.Q., use Mesquite charcoal for fuel because it burns much hotter than briquettes. Start the charcoal or light the gas B.B.Q., set on high and pre-heat the B.B.Q. When the charcoal is white, spread it out a little so that is not to close to the cooking grate. Place the oven onto the cooking grate, upside down, and close the lid on the B.B.Q.
Heat the oven to 500° to 550° for 15 minutes. Close the B.B.Q. and cook the Dutch oven for about 1 hour at 500° to 550°, or until the oven stops smoking. Cool the scrub the oven and dry as directed above.
New and recent developments include “pre-seasoned” cast iron. If this is the case for you and your new Dutch oven or cast iron implement then you should still season the implement before you use it to cook and prepare food. Having pre-seasoned cast iron is much easier to prepare for your first initial seasoning in that, all you need to do is remove the cast iron from the box and wash it with very hot soap and water and rinse it well. Then, you can follow the directions below and season your cast iron, then use it to make delicious food for you, your family and friends.
To season the Dutch oven, place the oven upside down on the cooking grate and warm the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 500° to 550°. With hot pads, remove the D.O. and rub a light coat of lard, bacon grease, white Crisco, or vegetable oil, using a paper towel.
Coat the inside and outside of the D.O. and lid. You only need a light coat of oil; you don’t want the grease to be dripping off the oven. Only apply enough fat to make the iron look wet. Place the Dutch oven back onto the cooking grate and cook the Dutch oven for about 1 hour at 500° to 550°, or until the oven stops smoking. Remove the oven from the B.B.Q. with hot pads to cool. If the D.O. is a glossy brown color, not black, return to B.B.Q. to cook about thirty more minutes. By doing this outside in the B.B.Q., you don’t have to fill the house with smoke and set off the smoke detectors.

Very Nice ....Dave.

Thanks Joe

That is the only time i would ever use soap to clean any of my cast iron. Just the initial time, after that just wipe it out with a damp rag - no soap. I use bacon fat to season all of mine. I mess around with antiques, so i have a collection of old Griswold pans. They are the greatest, its all i use.

Another vote for lard.  To clean, (after the original seasoning, that is) I run mine under hot water (no soap!) and hit it with a brush. Heat dry.   Best way to re season is to fry frequently. I never store anything in cast iron. Excellent non stick surface, but slow temperature response times.  Not for every kind of cooking.

Anyone know if they make an aluminum DO?

 I love my black iron but when cooking  crawfish or shrimp dishes the iron discolors my seafood. doesn't change the taste at all but i hate serving gray crawfish

Very nice tutorial thanks for sharing!

Very nice  but I also use Lard /Bacon grease ....... Tried the oil but it left a sticky film..

I have a porcelain coated cast iron dutch oven. It is awesome. Has the heat properties that you want and you can clean it with soapy water if you need to no seasoning needed!!  It is pretty good in the nonstick department also, as long as you preheat well.

Jeff

Hey eman, is this what you're talking about?





Gene

Could anyone tell me how to season a 20 gallon cast iron pot.  Thanks, Jim