Serious Dutch Oven help (PLEASE)/Thank you all

[Miriam C.]

I just don't remember cast iron being so hard to season.

I got up early, is't 59 degrees out so I opened all the doors and windows in the kitchen and living room.

I followed Deans instructions --- 350* till hot---oil----500* for an hour. So here is the catch, my daughter in law came out of her room after 20 min caughing and hacking. (demonstrative) The smoke was getting to the baby's room.

I need a different way to season this. I don't have a gas grill and shouldn't make a bon fire. (burn ban)

Can I just fill it with hot coals?

Please help. I really want to make some of the yummy stuff here.

[asianflava]

The smoke is good, that means the oil is carbonizing. That is why I do mine on the BBQ grill, no smoke in the house. It takes an entire bag of charcoal to get the grill nice and hot.

[Ma3tt]

I have done a oak wood/ briquet fire in the bbq and seasoned stuff worked just great got up to 500 real nice and tapered off real well no smoke in the house either. In house seasoning is not tolerated by my family.

[Miriam C.]

Thanks Guys
I will try to fit it in the grill. We have lots of Oak and a couple of bags of charcoal. I sure hope this works.

[Ma3tt]

Just a point if you over 500 degrees may do damage to your bbq depending on what kind you have. I busted off all the finish on a weber one time.

[Miriam C.]

Matt,
I used the old grill and it is already weathered.
I don't think I got real even heat. The top and bottom are real great. Black as can be. The sides need some work. Tomorow I am going to burn some leaves and stick so I will throw it in and move it around a bit.



Thanks for the help.

[asianflava]

Try to turn it while it is being heated. I have a cool spot on my grill and I noticed that one side wasn't getting blackened. I had to turn it so that it would be nice and even. I seasoned the ovens upside down and had the lids on the legs. They didn't get quite hot enough so I had to put them directly on the grating when I took the ovens off.

[Miriam C.]

Rocky
Might help to turn upside down. I put coals under and on top and inside. The top is the best seasoned. the bottom is good, but could be better. The sides look blackish brown. I will try again.
Thanks

BTW is this the best handle you can get for one of these?

[The Teardrop Nanny]

Dear Miriam,

Whenever Dean's been seasoning his ovens, I can tell immediately when I walk into his house. I'd suggest an outdoor seasoning technique whenever possible as the smell seeps into things such as curtains, sofa, furniture, etc. Dean LOVES the smell of it, but I won't season one inside my house because of the lingering smell and smoke and how it adheres to clothing and other fabrics. Good luck in your ongoing efforts.

TDN

[coreyjhen]

Another thing you might try (I did this and it worked!) - if you have a friend who has a turkey fryer borrow it for a day. Put the fryer on concrete far from anything flammable. Put your DO on the fryer and fill it with vegetable oil. Put a deep fry thermometer in it. Now light the fryer and crank it up to its highest setting. When the oil reaches 425º turn the fryer off and let the oil cool to ambient temperature - this will take a while. Pour out the oil (you can save it and reuse it if you didn't take it beyond its smoke point - hence the thermometer and temp recommendation) and wipe out the DO. It should be perfectly seasoned.

[Miriam C.]

TDN, you are so right. I guess It wasn't as bad when I was young. We lived in an old farm house with all the windows open and the fans going. We also baked something every day. That was how we warmed the kitchen in the morning. We also stuck the pans back in the hot oven after cleaned. My former mother-in-law used soap on all her cast and they never stuck.

Coreyjhen, I don't know a soul with a turkey frier but putting oil in it and heating it might work too. I think I sense a fish fry coming on. This winter I wil put some more in the fireplace. This is a bad time of year for it.

Thanks so much for the suggestions.

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

Auntie M,
I really don't LOVE the smell of dutch ovens seasoning, but I do LOVE the end result!... Another piece of cast iron to add to the rotation!!!
Something you might want to shoot for, if having problems...
At least try and get the inside of the oven to season... That's where it counts.
Also... It takes very-very little Crisco to get a nice even layer of seasoning.
I don't use a rag or cloth of any type when applying the Crisco... Just my hands and fingers. I will use a cloth of somesort to lift off any excess Crisco, like around the logo and what not... (Where it stays white)
I try to get the Crisco, so that there is no "white" showing, which tells me I don't have exccess oil on the surface and I have noticed that it really cut down bigtime on the amount of smoke while seasoning. (I really massage that stuff in, to where the surface of the cast iron just looks wet, but no white streaks left)
When I seasoned the little 5"er, the kitchen didn't even get smokey at all...
Perhaps you may have been applying excess amounts of Crisco, maybe?
On the flip side... The very first piece I attempted to season, sat there and smoked like crazy for about three hours.... (Way too much oil)
By no means am I an expert on this, but I have stayed at Motel 6 a time or two...

[Miriam C.]

Dean, a little is good a lot is better???
My little daughter in law is very sensitive to smells and the baby has a bronchiolitis infection so the inside of the house is out of the question for at least a couple of weeks. I am thinking she will visit her mom for a night and I can open the house up and alarm the neighbors. Will give my pan a redo while I'm at it.

Thank You

[Ma3tt]

On a DO site one member said he never seasoned an oven he would cover it with oil then cook donuts a couple of times! Yeah he wieghed about 500 pounds!

[Miriam C.]

On a DO site one member said he never seasoned an oven he would cover it with oil then cook donuts a couple of times! Yeah he wieghed about 500 pounds!

MMMMMMMMMMMM yum. I love fried donuts covered in powdered sugar and cinnamon. Just the cheappy in a sleave biscuits.

I really need to get some cooking practice.