What am i doing wrong with seasoning this pan?!?

[bill1]

one last comment...I find pans season better with the cooking surface upside down. The oil (or Crisco) that's needed will stick, the excess falls away. Of course if you're doing this in the kitchen oven you'll want a drip pan underneath that can handle the heat.
As others have said, a new pan may need several seasonings before it's ready to go, time after time. And it's not a problem using it with something like bacon (avoid eggs and cornbread) in between those initial few seasonings.
And I suspect the "refinishing" you did may mean you definitely aren't going to get by with just 1 or a couple seasonings.

 

[whistlepig]

Years ago I tried to get back into cast iron pans. I got so aggravated with the seasoning and special cleaning it was more trouble than it was worth and I gave the skillet away. Bout five years ago I bought another Lodge skillet and a Lodge Dutch oven. The only seasoning they get is from what's cooked in them. I am more careful on how I clean these. I really like fried foods in the CI pan and like foods cooked in the Dutch oven better than slow cooked foods.

 

[Hijack73]

I was checking out some Lodge skillets in the Mart this weekend. I bought mine at Ollies a while back, and I think I know why Ollies was selling them cheap. Mine is at least 3X rougher than anything I checked out at Wal Mart. I think I'll sand mine a bit with some 400 just to knock the tops of the mountains off. I only paid (I think) 12 or 14 bucks for it. Like I said, it does ok for steaks and burgers and bacon and sausage, but it holds onto fried eggs too much for my liking - and one of the best things about cast iron for me had always been the way eggs fried in bacon grease get all fringe-y.

 

[JIMSMOKES]

I've been on a carbon steel kick lately and have found them a lot easier to season. My cast iron still has a place.

 

[TeeZee]

The only seasoning they get is from what's cooked in them.

They can be a struggle, but worth it, I think. There was a time when one of us (I'd have to change the name to protect the guilty) decided on a set of 'non-stick' cookware--I've never used a more misnamed thing in my life. And it PEELED all the time. Nope.

Grew up on cast iron--Mom still has all her wedding skillets and a covered chicken fryer to boot--love that stuff.

 

[Redicans]

I have been using CI for at least 15 years now. Except for some stainless stuff for boiling stuff all I cook on is CI. I went down the rabbit hole of the best way to season and maintain and had the usual frustration people talk about. My best advice is just use it a lot with what ever fat/oil you want. I use Olive oil and Tallow mostly. The more you use it the better it gets.

I have a couple pans that my kids use that I am not to worried about. They get used and abused but that is the great thing about CI. I just clean and wipe with oil and they are good to go. They are not perfect but with heat and fat nothing sticks to bad to them!

 

[nlife]

I've been on a carbon steel kick lately and have found them a lot easier to season. My cast iron still has a place.

I like my carbon steel and it takes some time to get used to since the heat transfer/loss is much quicker than on a cast iron pan. They are smooth, but they still stick a bunch if not properly seasoned and preheated.

Are you using it on a gas or electric?

 

[Redicans]

I was checking out some Lodge skillets in the Mart this weekend. I bought mine at Ollies a while back, and I think I know why Ollies was selling them cheap. Mine is at least 3X rougher than anything I checked out at Wal Mart. I think I'll sand mine a bit with some 400 just to knock the tops of the mountains off. I only paid (I think) 12 or 14 bucks for it. Like I said, it does ok for steaks and burgers and bacon and sausage, but it holds onto fried eggs too much for my liking - and one of the best things about cast iron for me had always been the way eggs fried in bacon grease get all fringe-y.

Yes I love a good fried egg in CI when it is nice and hot!! Fringe-y haha I like that!