Now you are just teasing...

Ok, opened the door -



It’s still hot but with the door open, it’ll cool quickly. My first impression is good. Looks like everything has burnt to white ash. We’ll get a closer look soon.

Film at 11:00.

I got a couple of hot pads and grabbed it by the handle. I swung it toward the counter and it left an ash con trail behind. I parked it in the sink and got the hot water as hot as it got and sprayed it inside and out, resulting in a minor steam cleaning of my glasses. It is very clean and the pores are open. It will need to be reseasoned immediately. But first pics-

That’s the water evaporating off it, not dark spots.



All that baked on gunk is gone!



The inside looks better now too.

Time to season...

After it dried, it still needed to be cleaned. Touching it turned my fingertips black. -

You guys know that soap never touches my cast iron, even in this shape. Out comes the tuffy pad and get the water hot.



That stuff came right out after a few go rounds -



Flipped it over and tuffy scrubbed the outside -





I like the way this looks. It will be easier to get a good black surface I suspect. After glass blasting you have more of a gray colored surface.

Now it’s ready for the lard...

Glad to see it worked out for you. Use self cleaning sparingly.

Thanks for the tip on the SC cycle causing maintenance issues.

I wiped it inside and out (sparingly) with lard. You don’t want puddles forming.





Put it in a 500° oven upside down so it can drain any excess into the drip pan. Any excess that accumulates on the bottom (unlikely) will burn away.

Check out that clean oven!



...and we wait. I’m thinking that it won’t take as many coats as when glass blasted.

Film at 11:00.

This is ironic.

I started collecting cast iron in about 1998. My maternal grandfather (whom I had a deep relationship with) had died two years prior. My grandmother told me he would build a fire outside, and when he had cast iron cookware that was needing a start over, he would put the cookware in a bed of coals, and put coals inside it. So he was cooking off the gunk, same as you did in a more modern way.

Cast and TexasLefty, it’s y’all’s fault I have this cast iron sickness. I grew up on Mom’s cheap cast iron skillet, made in China pc of junk but they got it when they married at 16. She still used it today. In all my searching for good deals, it’s the research part that I love, learning all about the history of the different companies, methods, stamping, quality of metal then vs now etc. Even researching the characteristics of unmarked pieces is fun to me.

I’ll fine me that Griswold for $5. Just hasn’t happened yet.

Very cool write up Cast. Thanks for sharing.

thats the way its done and it obviously works . YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING. You can easily crack or warp your iron. Slow EVEN heat up and slow EVEN cool down. The thicker the iron the easier. I would not do it outside in winter either , but hey play at your own risk.

I watched my grandmother do this more than once.

I’ve been cleaning cast iron since the late 50’s when I was in elementary school. Every year we raked the pine needles into a pile and burnt them. Every year I put mom’s cast iron skillets (this one included) into the center of the pile before I lit it. Every time they came out clean. This ain’t my first rodeo.

Ok, I left this in a 500° oven for 20 minutes. It came our pretty good, but I’m wanting it a little better.

It’s a little blotchy inside, I’ll try another coat.



The outside is a little better, but it gets another coat too.



So I gave it another light coat of lard and put it back in a 500° oven.

Bring it when you drop by tomorrow and I’ll test your seasoning with a fresh batch of jalapeño cornbread!

Looks great!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, it’s out and the second coat is finished.



...and I’m done. Just got back from a run around the lake to Broward’s to top off the fuel cans with ethenol free gas. Now it time for nachos and a pitcher of margaritas. We head home in the morning.

you have me thinking of fried chicken now. Looks fantastic

Yep, it’s what I call a fried chicken skillet.

Nice job Keith! Think I might try that trick.

You don’t even cook do ya?

naw but i'll east chit outa whatever come out of those rusty thangs

That is how my grandpa taught me, but he used his forge, he would start a wood fire, let it burn down then lay the skillet in the coals and fill the inside with coals. Then let it sit until the next day after it had all cooled down. The bad part is, it can warp the cast iron, rare but t can happen.

I have cleaned many a cast-iron skillet in a burn pile and have also bead blasted several. I prefer the burn method as it takes less work to get them seasoned again in my opinion. I have never used the self cleaning oven method. This is my old 1/2 recipe corn bread one, it never sticks.