# How to seasoning cast iron



## treegje (May 12, 2010)

As you know, I have a cast iron cooking set purchased

http://smokingmeatforums.com/forums/...threadid=93755

This set was not seasoned,but put in the wax .
For protection against rust during storage and transport.

However we do not want that wax, we want a black seasoned cast iron
Now that is the way that I do it.

I preheat the grill on medium heat
Place the pots and pans upside down on the grill



You will see the wax starts to melt and smoke
You can help a little with wipe off the wax 



If all the wax is gone the smoke stops 



let cool until you can tackle them
Then you give them a solid was with hot water and soap



Dry well with paper towel



Back to the grill
put them right on the grill on low heat
For 10 minutes to be sure that all water has evaporated
And the pores of the cast iron are open



Next wipe a thin, coat or just vegetable oil inside and outside the cast iron

Place the pots and pans upside down on the grill Once more




Turn up the heat to 350 degrees



Bake for one hour

And repeat the thin layer of oil again
And once more bake an hour



After 2 time oil and 2 hours further they are ready

Here you see the results

The seasoned on the right side



Hopefully I told it a bit clearly

Thanks for looking

Geert


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## Dutch (May 12, 2010)

Yep, you did it right. That is how I do my cast iron.


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## polishmeat (May 12, 2010)

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


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## corn cob (May 12, 2010)

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


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## mavrick813 (May 12, 2010)

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


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## jamminjimi (May 12, 2010)

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


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## brud (May 12, 2010)

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.


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## caveman (May 12, 2010)

Well done Treegje!!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			










That should put to bed the question on "How to Season Cast Iron" for good.


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## eman (May 12, 2010)

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.


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## ncdodave (May 14, 2010)

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.


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## okie joe (May 14, 2010)

Very Nice ....Dave.


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## ncdodave (May 14, 2010)

Thanks Joe


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## john-z (Sep 11, 2010)

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.


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## venture (Sep 13, 2010)

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.


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## eman (Sep 13, 2010)

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


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## chainsaw (Sep 13, 2010)

Very nice tutorial thanks for sharing!


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## otter (Sep 13, 2010)

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


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## captsly (Sep 13, 2010)

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


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## justpassingthru (Sep 14, 2010)

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











Gene


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## jim56 (Sep 19, 2010)

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


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## otter (Sep 19, 2010)

I Built a hoop with 3 legs . The pot I have sits about 3 in. above my turkey fryer , To season heat and lard then again Heat and Lard untill you get the desired outcome


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## ncdodave (Jan 22, 2011)

eman,

GSI makes aluminum Dutch ovens and so does MACA in Utah. The Maca ovens are nice and deep too!

As for seasoning a BIG Dutch oven ya I do it this way from my book!

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*Building a Seasoning Oven for BIG Dutch Ovens *

*David Herzog: “Cast Iron “Covered Wagon” Cookin’ in BIG ovens”*

*  *

To any person who owns and uses BIG Dutch ovens seasoning such large and heavy pots and pans can be a problem since these massive pieces of iron will not fit into home ovens and most do not have access to a large commercial oven to season BIG cast iron in. With help from “Biscuit T. Sims” Here are instructions on building such an oven, using a 55 gallon steel drum and a single burner stove for the heat source.

            The first thing you need to do is find a 55 gallon steel drum with both ends attached. Next, draw a line around the center of the drum between the 2 “ribs” or draw the line 6” toward the center from one of the ribs and carefully cut the barrel in half using a sawzall. Be sure to fill the barrel with water to keep the vapors from igniting and causing an explosion*. *NOTE: I am not responsible for accidents or explosions in construction or use. I am only providing this as information only and how I built my seasoning oven.* After the barrel is cut in two, file or grind the cut edges smooth to avoid sharp edges from cutting yourself.   Take the deeper of 2 halves and set it aside. With the shorter half, drill 20 to 30, ½” diameter holes evenly spaced into the end (top or bottom).

Next, cut a 1 ½“ notch, 3” deep into the side and file smooth. This notch is for the propane hose and valve to fit through the barrel. My barrel sets on a small cement slab, topped with fire brick and 4 stacks of fire brick, 2 bricks tall to set the bottom barrel on, my bricks are 1” thick, raising the bottom barrel 2” for air space for the propane stove to stay lit. Drill 3 or 4 holes ¼” in diameter, evenly around the circumference of the barrel right at the “top” end and place a 1 ½” long bolt with a nut into the hole with the head inside the barrel and the stem of the bolt facing out and tighten the nut to hold the bolt into place.   These help hold the top half of the barrel on the bottom half in case it is not put on evenly.

            For the top half, Drill some handle holes on 2 sides of the top, two thirds of the way to the top for handles to lift the barrel lid safely.   Either on the top of the lid or in the sides away from each handle, drill 3 or 4 holes ¾“ diameter, about 1” from one another and cover with sheet aluminum or steel and mark the holes, then drill the holes through the aluminum or steel to create a vent for temperature control. Fasten the sheet steel or aluminum with one or two small bolts to open and close the vent easily.

            Now that your oven is built, you need to fire it up and heat it to about 550° F. one or two times to “season” the oven. Now your oven is ready to use once you place the stove into the bottom half. Keep a good BBQ thermometer inside the lid and attach half way up with a short sensor so you can easily read the internal temperature. If the stove will not stay lit you need to create more air space by adding fire brick to the bottom or cutting 1 or more air intake holes near the open bottom to let in more air. My stove heats to 550° in 15 minutes on high and once the oven gets hot I turn the heat to medium to keep the temperature steady.

I made such a seasoning oven but dont have pictures of it so I'll have to get it out of storage and set it up for pictures. But I hope this helps.


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## i is a moose (Feb 15, 2011)

here's one I did back in the fall:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/camping-outdoor-gear/418593-salvaging-worst-case-scenario-dutch-oven.html

Nobody should ever have to resort to these measures, but it worked out great, best season I've ever had. I could reflect lasers with the finish.


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## saitotiktmdog (Apr 14, 2011)

I have one that my granpa gave me. It has some rust in it. I was thinking about hitting it with my sand blaster to get the rust out and clean it up before I reseason it._   _I would think that would be fine.


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## fife (Apr 14, 2011)




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## eman (Apr 23, 2011)

Have seen the old timers season the big pots in a good oak fire. Wipe the inside and out w/ a thick coat of lard and set it upside down in the fire let the fire burn out and let the pot cool on its own. Make sure that it is not going to rain and no water near the pot as it will crack if it gets hit w/ water.

 Once it cools , wash it out w/ a sponge an plain water to remove any ash. Dry it on low heat  then do it again.

 It may take a few times to get a smooth surface.

  This will give you a good start.


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## exhaustedspark (May 17, 2011)

Cabellas has a very nice aluminum  D.O.


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## michael ark (May 17, 2011)

My favorite way is fried  chicken after i burn it off.If you fry enough chicken it will season it self .Just don't wash the oil off without re oiling  .But still change your oil.Safety first.My wife makes a sweet tea fried chicken thats the bomb.


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## Dutch (May 23, 2011)

If you go with an aluminum d.o. go with one that has been anodized.


ExhaustedSpark said:


> Cabellas has a very nice aluminum  D.O.


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