Cast Iron Camp Oven Cooking

[kentishman]

My buddy Jeff brought three cast iron ovens for a cookout. Did St. Louis style ribs, chicken thighs, a loaf of bread, and a pear and apple cobbler.

Here’s the hardware:

Two racks of ribs with a spice rub that was on them 24 hours:

The ribs went on top of the chicken, which got a dose of ketchup based liquor and some of the spice rub:

Almost done:

The bread:

And the cobbler all ready for cooking:

This was the set up with all three ovens on the go:

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[luvmesump3pp3rz]

Nice!  cast iron is the best. i don`t have a dutch oven but i do have 4 skillets in 3 sizes and use them all the time. 

 

[Edmick]

Dang, that bread turned out killer!

 

[dragonsfire]

Cant believe how expensive cast iron has become, unreal

 

[Grass Snake]

Well done! I'm slowing venturing into the cast iron world. What cleaning method do you prefer? After trying a couple different ways, I decided I like Kent Rollins method which he shows on his YT channel. Basically get the pan hot and rinse with hot water using clean sponge to scrub the hard stuff, then reseason. The cast iron would start to stink using other methods I tried like wiping down or using salt only.

 

[dragonsfire]

Use rock salt to clean pans with towel and give a oil rub after.

 

[Grass Snake]

Use rock salt to clean pans with towel and give a oil rub after.

I tried that and it works but not after cooking meats. It would start to smell rancid after a week, maybe I'm doing it wrong.

 

[dragonsfire]

Maybe thats telling you something about the meat your eating lol.
Make sure your using oils that dont go rancid, I always use basic Olive Oil.
 
....Also I use pans for specific purposes and dont cross contaminate, so if your doing meat always then only use that pan for meat.

 

[Grass Snake]

Thanks for the tips DF!

 

[kentishman]

Grass Snake, if your cast iron is already clean and you cook in it correctly, it shouldn’t take much to clean it. Soak it a few minutes in warm water, then use a plastic tuffy to remove any food. You don’t want to scour it and remove the seasoned surface. If the food particles are stubborn, use soapy water. Once clean, dry it thoroughly. Give it a very light coating of an edible oil such as Canola and it’s ready to be stored.

Now, if you have an old piece of cast iron that is caked with grease and grime, cleaning is another matter. There are several methods, but I find oven cleaner does a good job. Here’s a picture of the lip on a skillet lid that is caked with grease. It had probably been building up since the lid was made in the 1930s.

I cleaned the lid with oven cleaner and reseasoned it. Here’s the restored piece.

The reseasoning process is another matter!


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[Grass Snake]

Grass Snake, if your cast iron is already clean and you cook in it correctly, it shouldn’t take much to clean it. Soak it a few minutes in warm water, then use a plastic tuffy to remove any food. You don’t want to scour it and remove the seasoned surface. If the food particles are stubborn, use soapy water. Once clean, dry it thoroughly. Give it a very light coating of an edible oil such as Canola and it’s ready to be stored.

Now, if you have an old piece of cast iron that is caked with grease and grime, cleaning is another matter. There are several methods, but I find oven cleaner does a good job. Here’s a picture of the lip on a skillet lid that is caked with grease. It had probably been building up since the lid was made in the 1930s.

I cleaned the lid with oven cleaner and reseasoned it. Here’s the restored piece.

The reseasoning process is another matter!


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Thanks for the tips. That oven cleaner looks like it does the trick, that lid looks good as new. My CI is newer Food Network branded crap but I would like to find some older
antique CI and put it to work.

 

[bob65]

Just remember to re season it when you use oven cleaner or soap and you will be fine,

 

[rghm1u20]

Well done! I'm slowing venturing into the cast iron world. What cleaning method do you prefer? After trying a couple different ways, I decided I like Kent Rollins method which he shows on his YT channel. Basically get the pan hot and rinse with hot water using clean sponge to scrub the hard stuff, then reseason. The cast iron would start to stink using other methods I tried like wiping down or using salt only.

 
We use sodium bicarbonate ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate ). Put it inside, leave it a bit, and clean wit a sponge or a plastic tuffy. Works wonderful. No smell.
 
@Tom: nice set! Too bad I'm so far, cause I would like to visit you!

 

[salsalady]

That is a great looking trio for some awesome grub.  Fun cooking.  And stacking up the Dutch ovens, nice~
 
 
 
I've been using a chain mail scrubber on my well seasoned pans.  While the pan is hot, add some water and use the scrubber,  takes all the crusty bits out.  Wipe the pan dry and good to go.

 

 

[luvmesump3pp3rz]

Cant believe how expensive cast iron has become, unreal

true but it will last for your lifetime and your kid`s lifetime too.

 

[Edmick]

I have a nice little collection of cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens. You inspired me to restore a 15 inch skillet that a buddy gave me when he moved. I removed all the rust with dilute vinegar and steel wool. It's in the oven now drying and then I'm gonna season it. Should turn out good as new. I really wanna make pizza with it.

 

[salsalady]

true but it will last for your lifetime and your kid`s lifetime too.

 
Very true!  My son 'inherited' a couple cast iron pieces from my mom, who I think got them from my grandmother.  Been in use daily for at least 60+ years.  Old cast is much better than 'most' new cast.  There are a couple companies who are making cast pieces in the traditional way with milled/smooth surfaces on the inside.  Most modern pieces are just cast in a mold and the interior surfaces are bumpy and hard to clean.  Plus, most pieces are made with a poor iron mix that contains impurities that will cause the pieces to crack. 
 

 

[Ashen]

That is a great looking trio for some awesome grub.  Fun cooking.  And stacking up the Dutch ovens, nice~
 
 
 
I've been using a chain mail scrubber on my well seasoned pans.  While the pan is hot, add some water and use the scrubber,  takes all the crusty bits out.  Wipe the pan dry and good to go.
IMG_7255.JPG
 

You beat me to it, I love that chain mall scrubber.

The absolute best CI cleaning tool I have found yet.


It works on many things besides CI too. Takes off crusted on stuff without scratching stainless, pyrex,seasoned stoneware.

In fact I never could get my stoneware bar pan fully seasoned to where I wanted it until we got that scrubber.

 

[Edmick]

This is the big guy I'm seasoning today. Damn near takes up two burners.

 

[salsalady]

plus, it's just kind of fun to say you have some chain mail....