It's Grilling Time! The Official Stangnet Grill/Smoke Thread

Sooooo, I’ve finally buckled down and bought a couple cast iron skillets.
CB85C8EC-8C7F-4A80-9534-EA958E73A9A0.webp
I just need to get them seasoned. I want to start doing some smash burgers next weekend.

Speaking of burgers, today is my youngest son’s 21st birthday. I went crazy and bought two pounds of the A5 wagyu hamburger for a side gift. I don‘t have the ability to tell you how good that meat is. I could eat those until my stomach physically burst.
 
Sooooo, I’ve finally buckled down and bought a couple cast iron skillets.
CB85C8EC-8C7F-4A80-9534-EA958E73A9A0.jpeg
I just need to get them seasoned. I want to start doing some smash burgers next weekend.

Speaking of burgers, today is my youngest son’s 21st birthday. I went crazy and bought two pounds of the A5 wagyu hamburger for a side gift. I don‘t have the ability to tell you how good that meat is. I could eat those until my stomach physically burst.

I don't know what you know about seasoning cast iron but....

Sand them both down (doesn't matter what pan or even if pre-seasoned). I use a random orbital sander and the gnarliest paper I have laying around.
Once it's flat on the bottom (use a metal ruler) and all the raised boogers are gone, wash it with soap and water. [This will be the last time you wash the pan!]

You need [Flaxseed oil] and a quality [virgin olive oil] and less important and for later [avocado oil].

I have one dish rag that keep in a zip-lock bag for oiling my pans. Never use paper towels.
---
Heat your oven to 450 / coat pan with flaxseed oil and bake it for half an hour. Turn the heat off and let the oven cool normally with the pan inside.
Once it's cool, use your oil rag and wipe the excess oil off.

repeat twice more
---

Cut up some potatoes, onions, garlic... Cook this in the pan with olive oil and use it for something.
Cook bacon in the pan and use it for something.

---

To clean cast iron:

When you're done cooking with it and while it is still hot, turn your water faucet on to full-hot.
Pour enough plain water into the hot pan to deglaze
Rinse under hot water with a metal spatula and put the pan back on the stove at full heat
Put a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of the pan and spread it around with a metal spatula until all the moisture is gone and the pan is warm/hot
Put a lid on it and let it cool, it's ready for the next use. I keep mine in the oven.


If you don't clean the pan right away or it's a sticky mess for some reason:
Heat it up, deglaze with water, re-heat and oil.

You should never have to wash it unless it rusted or something horribly tragic happened. :shrug:
 
All of my cast-iron is truly non-stick.

I make cobblers and stews and chilli in my cast-iron pieces and can cook an egg over-easy on any of them.

You can't use plastic spatulas etc. in these things. :nonono: That will end up in the pores of the iron and actually, anything you put in the pan will end up in the pores of the iron. This is the piece that some of these 'millennial' cast-iron seasoning instructions, neglect.

Oh, and the stuff that they use to pre-season cast-iron, is not food. O_o
 
  • Like
Reactions: RaggedGT
I brought the big pan with me to work and used 80 grit to smooth the inside. I followed up with 180 then 320. Think that’s pretty good or should I use finer grits as well? @Noobz347

HUGE difference in the smoothness, it feels pretty slick now.
AF1479AD-84F7-4F22-BA95-E0AF87574F55.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Noobz347
Flaxseed oil has a lower smoke point and while it makes for a nice smooth surface, it doesn't hold up long term for a lot of people.

Try Crisbee. I used it to season both my newest cast iron pan and my Blackstone griddle. It's well worth it.

As mentioned earlier, avocado oil is great for cooking because it has a high smoke point of over 500 degrees.

 
I brought the big pan with me to work and used 80 grit to smooth the inside. I followed up with 180 then 320. Think that’s pretty good or should I use finer grits as well? @Noobz347

HUGE difference in the smoothness, it feels pretty slick now.
AF1479AD-84F7-4F22-BA95-E0AF87574F55.jpeg

You went above and beyond. :D

Oh.... the paper towel thing is because they leave stuff behind. It burns and then it is what is in your pan.
 
Is avocado oil not a good oil for seasoning? I’m a big fan of the flavor.

I ask this because I have a little time before i can season the pan, you see, I left it at work:nonono:

Each of the three oils have different properties. The avocado is really good for high heat cooking and is also good for occasionally putting into the hot pan while it's cooling. Avocado oil is much 'thinner' than olive oil and will help fill smaller pores that are difficult for the olive oil to get into.

Avoid using vegetable oil in your pan.

The overall goal is to "build up" the oil coating. The buildup occurs as the oil is vaporized. The combination of vaporizing those three specific oils over time is what makes my pans so good.

I do not use the flaxseed very often. It has a 'flavor' that I prefer not to have in the food. I've had the same bottle of flaxseed oil for probably 5 years. I keep it in the fridge and use it when I've cooked some particularly caustic thing in a piece of the cast-iron. It is a nice base while your other oils are taking hold.

Cooking anything with wine in it (for instance) is a good reason to reapply the flaxseed oil. It's really only used when either cooking or cleaning may have stripped your oil oils out of the pores of the cast.