Danny,
I've been using Cast iron pans for decades. I found the best way to (quickly) clean a crudded up pan is to put it on the stove on HIGH until a drop of water sizzles, then hold it under running HOTwater in the sink. BE CAREFUL!! You can get a nasty scald from the resulting steam! Scrub vigouously with a stiff bristled brush. Return to the fire to dry off any residual moisture. Repeat again if necesary. treat with crisco or whatever (I used to use peanut oil because it has a much higher burn temperature than crisco or other oils. Not good if yoiu're cooking for someone who is allergic to peanuts, though.)
You might have to do it a couple of times to get all the grunge out of the nooks and crannies. On regular frying pan I would get it good and hot, pour about a cup of boiling water into it (stand back!) and then let it simmer for a while to loosen up all the crud. Scrub out with a stiff brush (not wire, unless you are trying to take it back down to bare metal) and dry over the flame until all the moisture is evaporated. While it's still hot, treat with crisco, wipe off excess. pastry brush to spread it around, and paper towels to sop up the excess works good.
Dave