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Picked up a lodge set a couple of years ago and finally got around to seasoning them right. I'm not a fan of the "seaaon" they put on them from the factory so i redo them. I came across a rusted pan / pot combo at a garage sale last year and decided to reseason everything today. I usually dont like getting them from garage sales as you never know if someone did something stupid with them like melt lead, but if they're priced right its worth getting some lead test strips and testing them out when you get home.
Things you'll need.
1. Real Lard.
2. Brillow pad and steel wool.
3. Old pan to keep melted lard in.
4. Brush or mop for coating pans.
5. Large piece of cardboard.
6. The understanding that you're going to burn yourself at least twice.
Start by scrubbing off all the old season from the new pans. Since that seasoning is really just spray on surface stuff thats pretty easy to do with just a brillow pad. For the rusted items, steel wool works great. You don't have to scrub the pans until you can see new metal, just a good hard scrubbing to clean up and remove the rust.
While you can do this inside with your oven i prefer outside on the smoker or grill as it makes a good mess and a lot of smoke from the lard.
I start by getting a big load of coals in the smoker and get the internal temp up between 350 - 400. Put the pans in for 30 minutes or so to get them up to temp.
Place the lard in a pan and melt it. If your smoker has a warming shelf that's a good place to keep it . After the pans get up to temp take them out one by one and brush them liberally with the melted lard until they're dripping, then put them back in the smoker. It is helpful if you place a large piece of cardboard on the ground to set a pans on when you take it out of the smoker. This allows you to set the pan down and really slather them in lard. It also allows you to quickly pull or replace a pan and close the smoker door keeping the rest of the pans hot. The pans should be hot enough that when the lard hits them they sizzle and smoke. I place the pans back in the smoker for another 15-20 minutes until they're back up to temp and the lard starts to cook off. Repeat this for 3 or 4 cycles and they should be good and heavily seasoned.
Pull them all from the smoker and lay them on the cardboard the cool and dry, wipe any excess lard from them with paper towels while they're still warm. After they cool bring them inside and wash with soap, hot water, and a soft bristled kitchen brush. Don't scub, but rather you're just trying to get any leftover greasy lard off. This should be the only time you ever wash cast iron in the sink with soap and water.
Once you're done they should be deeply seasoned with a great look and color.
Things you'll need.
1. Real Lard.
2. Brillow pad and steel wool.
3. Old pan to keep melted lard in.
4. Brush or mop for coating pans.
5. Large piece of cardboard.
6. The understanding that you're going to burn yourself at least twice.
Start by scrubbing off all the old season from the new pans. Since that seasoning is really just spray on surface stuff thats pretty easy to do with just a brillow pad. For the rusted items, steel wool works great. You don't have to scrub the pans until you can see new metal, just a good hard scrubbing to clean up and remove the rust.
While you can do this inside with your oven i prefer outside on the smoker or grill as it makes a good mess and a lot of smoke from the lard.
I start by getting a big load of coals in the smoker and get the internal temp up between 350 - 400. Put the pans in for 30 minutes or so to get them up to temp.
Place the lard in a pan and melt it. If your smoker has a warming shelf that's a good place to keep it . After the pans get up to temp take them out one by one and brush them liberally with the melted lard until they're dripping, then put them back in the smoker. It is helpful if you place a large piece of cardboard on the ground to set a pans on when you take it out of the smoker. This allows you to set the pan down and really slather them in lard. It also allows you to quickly pull or replace a pan and close the smoker door keeping the rest of the pans hot. The pans should be hot enough that when the lard hits them they sizzle and smoke. I place the pans back in the smoker for another 15-20 minutes until they're back up to temp and the lard starts to cook off. Repeat this for 3 or 4 cycles and they should be good and heavily seasoned.
Pull them all from the smoker and lay them on the cardboard the cool and dry, wipe any excess lard from them with paper towels while they're still warm. After they cool bring them inside and wash with soap, hot water, and a soft bristled kitchen brush. Don't scub, but rather you're just trying to get any leftover greasy lard off. This should be the only time you ever wash cast iron in the sink with soap and water.
Once you're done they should be deeply seasoned with a great look and color.
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