GWJ BBQ Catch All

FSeven wrote:

Anyone have experience with cast iron cookware? I had a pre-seasoned skillet last year that rusted within a week and I had used the recommended care instructions.

I want to pickup a cast iron dutch oven (for smoked chili) and another skillet but due to my experience, I'm a little hesitant. But obviously cast iron is a great material and people have lots of success.

What am I doing wrong?

Acidic stuff (tomatoes, wine, vinegar, citrus) will eat at cast iron unless it has a really good patina on it from seasoning. While the initial seasoning on most cast iron is pretty good, it's best to get some more in there by popping a few batches of popcorn or following the many other seasoning tips out there. Also, dry and oil it after every time you use it.

shoptroll wrote:

Also, where are you storing it? I noticed the underside of my skillet picked up a little bit of rust because I was storing it on top of a pizza stone on top of my microwave. I don't know how the physics worked (I'd love if someone could explain this to me) but somehow there was a thin layer of water that kept forming between the skillet and the stone when I was storing them there.

Natural stone holds a certain amount of moisture which it will absorb/exude depending on the temperature and humidity of the air around it. If the temperature fluctuates a lot (like when it's above a cooking appliance) this will happen more.

Heavy cast iron is a heat sink. It will absorb heat from the air and collect moisture on its surface as it evaporates out of the stone underneath it.

Essentially you had a tiny microclimate with its own water cycle. Cool!

LouZiffer wrote:

While the initial seasoning on most cast iron is pretty good, it's best to get some more in there by popping a few batches of popcorn or following the many other seasoning tips out there. Also, dry and oil it after every time you use it.

This could be where my problem started. I should have pre-seasoned it myself instead of trusting in the factory.

So say I have a cast iron dutch oven and make a big pot of chili. What is the proper way to clean it? Rinse it off with water, then dry it, and then re-oil it? Do I have to apply heat after re-oiling it, essentially seasoning it again?

Thanks for the great info Lou!

115lb Hind Quarter smoked on Pecan for 13 hours

Right before we added the Dry Rub
IMAGE(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5312/6921872458_9c77705310_b.jpg)

Starting the Fire
IMAGE(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/6921918992_830b25c2d3_b.jpg)

After!
IMAGE(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/6921872662_3e2d8b3079_b.jpg)

IMAGE(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/7068006859_9105bbf8cf_b.jpg)

FSeven wrote:

Rinse it off with water, then dry it, and then re-oil it?

This is pretty much what I do, but less oil than you would use with a seasoning. You're looking for a thin coat.

Depending on what you're cooking, you could also use an enamel coated oven. Ours has one thin ridge of exposed iron along the top. Season and preserve that, the rest cleans up really easily.

EDIT: and now I really want a propane flamethrower. I have no real use for it, but I feel like I must have one for some reason.

koshnika wrote:

YUM!

I'm coming to visit you when I move down to Ft Worth in a few weeks.

LilCodger wrote:
FSeven wrote:

Rinse it off with water, then dry it, and then re-oil it?

This is pretty much what I do, but less oil than you would use with a seasoning. You're looking for a thin coat.

Depending on what you're cooking, you could also use an enamel coated oven. Ours has one thin ridge of exposed iron along the top. Season and preserve that, the rest cleans up really easily.

EDIT: and now I really want a propane flamethrower. I have no real use for it, but I feel like I must have one for some reason.

weed burning or sidewalk deicing are uses for a propane burner.

Tigerbill wrote:
koshnika wrote:

YUM!

I'm coming to visit you when I move down to Ft Worth in a few weeks. ;)

Wait for Tailgate season to start up you can come down when we cook another one of these.

Post-PAX BBQ over at RUB in NYC on Monday with Kittylexy and AP Erebus:
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/0VCA7.jpg)

Included chicken, brisket, pulled pork, ham, turkey, pastrami, ribs and brisket, with baked beans and cole slaw

You know, Koshnika, the winters here really aren't so bad. I could totally help you set up your smoker if you move here. Er, when you move here. Right? Right?

koshnika wrote:
Tigerbill wrote:
koshnika wrote:

YUM!

I'm coming to visit you when I move down to Ft Worth in a few weeks. ;)

Wait for Tailgate season to start up you can come down when we cook another one of these.

That's it, October's (IGWJD) GWJ-ATX gathering is going to be a tailgate at Koshnika's!

Grumpicus wrote:
koshnika wrote:
Tigerbill wrote:
koshnika wrote:

YUM!

I'm coming to visit you when I move down to Ft Worth in a few weeks. ;)

Wait for Tailgate season to start up you can come down when we cook another one of these.

That's it, October's (IGWJD) GWJ-ATX gathering is going to be a tailgate at Koshnika's! :)

You would; I'm in charge of food and PenCon2012 for IGWJD. If we get to have it at the castle I will be doing a hog roast.

Tanglebones wrote:

Post-PAX BBQ over at RUB in NYC on Monday with Kittylexy and AP Erebus:
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/0VCA7.jpg)

Included chicken, brisket, pulled pork, ham, turkey, pastrami, ribs and brisket, with baked beans and cole slaw

Love me some RUB!

Tanglebones wrote:

Post-PAX BBQ over at RUB in NYC on Monday with Kittylexy and AP Erebus:
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/0VCA7.jpg)

Included chicken, brisket, pulled pork, ham, turkey, pastrami, ribs and brisket, with baked beans and cole slaw

Was that just your order or were you sharing with the table?

LilCodger wrote:
FSeven wrote:

Rinse it off with water, then dry it, and then re-oil it?

This is pretty much what I do, but less oil than you would use with a seasoning. You're looking for a thin coat.

I do the same. Our dutch oven with a skillet lid is Lodge - nothing fancy - and it's holding up just fine with this kind of treatment.

Also, dry anything off thoroughly if it's going to reside in the same cabinet as the cast iron.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

Post-PAX BBQ over at RUB in NYC on Monday with Kittylexy and AP Erebus:
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/0VCA7.jpg)

Included chicken, brisket, pulled pork, ham, turkey, pastrami, ribs and brisket, with baked beans and cole slaw

Was that just your order or were you sharing with the table? ;)

Mine.. my own.. my precious!

Actually, we were able to demolish around 75% of it, and I had the rest for lunch yesterday.

That is an absurd amount of food and makes me think a maiden voyage to Red Bones is in order if the weather is good this weekend.

That looks awesome Koshnika! Done to perfection.

I also use a weed torch to light my Egg. The look on my neighbors face when I first used this lighting method was priceless.

LouZiffer wrote:
LilCodger wrote:
FSeven wrote:

Rinse it off with water, then dry it, and then re-oil it?

This is pretty much what I do, but less oil than you would use with a seasoning. You're looking for a thin coat.

I do the same. Our dutch oven with a skillet lid is Lodge - nothing fancy - and it's holding up just fine with this kind of treatment.

Also, dry anything off thoroughly if it's going to reside in the same cabinet as the cast iron.

Thanks for the info guys. I'll have to try cast iron again.

Last question: olive oil fine for seasoning or do you prefer vegetable or even peanut?

Tigerbill wrote:

You would; I'm in charge of food and PenCon2012 for IGWJD. If we get to have it at the castle I will be doing a hog roast.

Let me know if you need help with the Hog, I've cooked 20 or so to date.

I'm certain that our tailgate can absorb the GWJ kingdom that arrives. When it gets closer, I'll post and remind folks

Not moving to MN. I might visit one summer and cook some stuff, but not moving where it snows more than once every 4 years.

Grumpicus wrote:
koshnika wrote:
Tigerbill wrote:
koshnika wrote:

YUM!

I'm coming to visit you when I move down to Ft Worth in a few weeks. ;)

Wait for Tailgate season to start up you can come down when we cook another one of these.

That's it, October's (IGWJD) GWJ-ATX gathering is going to be a tailgate at Koshnika's! :)

Oh! do we get to add a Greasy BBQ stained streamer to the pilowcase flag?

We need to make that happen!

koshnika wrote:

Let me know if you need help with the Hog, I've cooked 20 or so to date.

I will require hands on training while I'm in TX.

FSeven wrote:

Thanks for the info guys. I'll have to try cast iron again.

Last question: olive oil fine for seasoning or do you prefer vegetable or even peanut?

I go with cheap vegetable oil, since it imparts hardly any flavors. Canola, safflower, or peanut would work fine too. Olive oil would be among my last candidates as the cheap stuff usually has impurities and imparts flavor.

Can't believe how much traffic this thread is getting months after I move out of Texas. Cruel fate!

I'm supposed to buy a grill sometime after my wedding at the end of this month. We had already been looking at a Weber, but now I feel better armed with wider options and general characteristics to look for. I haven't done any big-boy grilling ever, so I may need some troubleshooting from y'all -- have to practice lots so we can host at least one real BBQ party this summer!

EDIT: Seems like nowhere in my neck of the Canadian woods is selling Ducane, which is a shame because I thought the Affinity 4100 might be nice. Weber seems to be available locally, though -- hopefully I can get my hands on some good models.

LouZiffer wrote:
FSeven wrote:

Thanks for the info guys. I'll have to try cast iron again.

Last question: olive oil fine for seasoning or do you prefer vegetable or even peanut?

I go with cheap vegetable oil, since it imparts hardly any flavors. Canola, safflower, or peanut would work fine too. Olive oil would be among my last candidates as the cheap stuff usually has impurities and imparts flavor.

A quick search on DuckDuckGo turned up what seems like a rather promising article -- read the article thoroughly and as many comments as you can feasibly get through. A popular StackExchange answer also links back to that article.

The short answer is that you want oils with a high iodine value, which reflects a capacity for polymerization. Soybean and sunflower are quite good for this, and canola isn't too bad. [Edited for brain hiccup.]

Cyranix wrote:

The short answer is that flaxseed oil has a high iodine value, which reflects its capacity for polymerization, which is what you're looking for.

You're like, the Goodjer Alton Brown.

Speaking of grills, ever considered a Big Green Egg, Cyranix? I love mine. Slow 250 degree smokes for ~10 hours on one load of lump, homemade pizza at 500 degrees, and everything in between. I've even made a pecan smoked Bananas Foster which was indescribably delicious. I also like how I can smoke in the NJ winter due to it retaining heat far better than a metal grill/smoker. It's a bit pricey but totally worth it and will undoubtedly last longer than me.

Yes. NEVER trust a factory "seasoning". That goes for the cast iron grill grates you can get as well.

A bit of rust doesn't hurt the pan. You don't have to get rid of it. Just scrub the rust and that cheap-ass seasoning coat away with steel wool and then season it again properly.

I intrinsically don't trust new cast iron at all. Most of my big pieces were my grandmother's and they've been through anything that can be dished out of a pan. I've gotten two of my best pieces at a thrift store (a griddle and a baking mold with six wells shaped like corn ears for cornbread). They had a fine coating of rust, but no pitting or anything. So I brought them home, scoured the heck out of them with steel wool and a brass bristle brush for the corners and fiddly bits, filled them with Crisco and took them down to the park to season them in the big grill. They've been awesome ever since.

LouZiffer wrote:
FSeven wrote:

Thanks for the info guys. I'll have to try cast iron again.

Last question: olive oil fine for seasoning or do you prefer vegetable or even peanut?

I go with cheap vegetable oil, since it imparts hardly any flavors. Canola, safflower, or peanut would work fine too. Olive oil would be among my last candidates as the cheap stuff usually has impurities and imparts flavor.

This.

FSeven wrote:

Speaking of grills, ever considered a Big Green Egg, Cyranix? I love mine. Slow 250 degree smokes for ~10 hours on one load of lump, homemade pizza at 500 degrees, and everything in between. I've even made a pecan smoked Bananas Foster which was indescribably delicious. I also like how I can smoke in the NJ winter due to it retaining heat far better than a metal grill/smoker. It's a bit pricey but totally worth it and will undoubtedly last longer than me.

My former boss had two BGEs, and they seem really awesome... but I can't spring for that price range yet though.

Cyranix wrote:

Can't believe how much traffic this thread is getting months after I move out of Texas. Cruel fate!

I'm supposed to buy a grill sometime after my wedding at the end of this month.

EDIT: Seems like nowhere in my neck of the Canadian woods is selling Ducane, which is a shame because I thought the Affinity 4100 might be nice. Weber seems to be available locally, though -- hopefully I can get my hands on some good models.

Hi Cryanix!

Congratulations on the wedding!

One thing to consider when buying equipment is trying to figure out exactly what you want to do with it.

Grilling is a direct, high heat.
BBQ is indirect, Low heat
Smoking is indirect, very low heat with a huge amount of smoke to help impart additional flavor to the meats

The small smoker that I use at home is a New Braunfels Black Diamond or NBBD on some BBQ forums =D
It has an offset fire box so you can choose to make the fire Direct or Indirect as your needs change.

IMAGE(http://www.8possumtuesday.com/bbq-new.JPG)

You can find a decent priced clone for about $150 to $200 here in Texas. YMMV up in Canada but they last a long time.
Mine is currently almost 12 years old and still going strong.

Question time!

We have an exceedingly windy balcony (flipped our picnic table the other day--probably time to ditch that). We have a Weber Q, which tends to perform pretty crappily in terms of flame size. It's often bad enough that I can't cook anything, or that lighting it yields only a couple little blue dots of flame along the whole pipe. I've tried multiple propane tanks and checked the line for leaks. What's the problem?

A) Dust, bugs, etc. are clogging the line.
B) The winds blow out the flame and trigger safety valves in the grill and/or tank.
C) It's a stupid POS and I hate it.

(Forgive me for insinuating anything bad about a Weber product. Palatine, IL, represent.)

This thread and my upcoming move to Texas, have me wanting to learn how to bbq. I've been reading the Big Green Egg forums all day (FSeven I blame you).