Help Seasoning Large Kettles

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Wm_Scott

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I'll try to go through this again as I've posted here with this problem a few years ago, have tried everything and searched everywhere and still haven't found the answer. I have 3 jambalaya pots with burners. 20 gal (pic 1), 10 gal and 5 gal. When I first got them they were extremely rough on the inside from the casting process. Like even rougher than a new Lodge. So I got a flapper disc for my grinder and sanded them smooth on the inside. Since they are too big to bake in an oven, I have resorted to flipping them upside down on the burner to burn (pic 2). I have used a variety of oils in trying to season...flax oil, vegetable oil, lard, bacon grease, solid vegetable shortening and so on. The process i use is this...preheat the pot to open the pores and then rub with a thin coat of oil. As Ive read, the thinner the better. Then I flip it upside down on the burner to bake. I shoot a laser thermometer on the bottom side of the pot (which is now on top) and shoot for around 450°-500°. I usually bake at this temp for an hour or a little longer and then cool. When I first turn it over it looks really good. Like it should. The problem is, when I gook in them, a couple things happen...the seasoning starts to scratch off the sides where I'm cooking. When cooking a jambalaya, you have to scrape the fond off the walls so the rice won't stick to it and turn black. A second thing that happens, is when Im done, I notice that on the inside of the pot just above where the flame is, has a big area where it looks like the seasoning has been burned off (pic 3). So this is my conundrum. Ive had these things for a few years now and cook in them only a handful of times a year. Ive tried not cooking acidic foods in them and that didn't work either. So I can not figure this out and have scoured the internet for every source available but nothing has worked yet. Any ideas? Could the bottom of the pot be too close to the heats source? That still wouldn't explain the scraping off a bit higher up the sides. Anyway, I'm open for suggestions. Hope someone can help!

Thanks. (I edited this after posting and attached better pics below)

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Well, the first problem you have about the flaking seasoning might be caused by the smooth surface you polished into the cooking area. You might use some vinegar to etch the surface so the seasoning will stick. But this won't solve the second problem of the bottom. I might be wrong here but I would suggest powder-coating the pots. I believe this would solve both your problems and should be bullet-proof for years of cooking. Just an idea.
 
If the thin coat of oil is shown in the photo with the lawn tractor, I'd say it's still too much. It shouldn't really look even wet. Cooking with a lot of water and over high BTU burners are also likely big parts of the problem. The other is that what you are cooking in it requires you to scrape at a not-very-well-established seasoning layer. A well-established seasoning is more a product of foods fried in oil. I don't know what else you would be cooking regularly in these pots to build that kind of long term seasoning, though.

But I think that was basically my answer the first time you asked, too.

http://www.castironcollector.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7608&postcount=2
 
Your pots need some patina. Carbon, soot and smoke from an open fire - at least once!

After washing I would give a light coat of vegetable oil to the outside and forget about it. On the inside I’d only hit the bare spots with lard and brown them with a propane torch. No problem if it drips or looks patchy, nobody will care just as long as the food does not taste like CI and it will blend in later. Browned lard will still have some oils and flexibility.

Lastly, don’t scrape or stir with metal for a while. A wood canoe paddle will work fine.

Hilditch
 
Get a bucket of oil and a sack of popcorn. Set up in your town square, and make a hundred batches of popcorn, making sure the kettle is smoking hot. By the time you are finished you will have a perfectly seasoned kettle and be a local hero. Or a public nuisance depending on how fascistic things have become in your area.
Either way, popcorn is a great way to season bigger pots. :)
 
Doug D. said:
If the thin coat of oil is shown in the photo with the lawn tractor, I'd say it's still too much. It shouldn't really look even wet. Cooking with a lot of water and over high BTU burners are also likely big parts of the problem. The other is that what you are cooking in it requires you to scrape at a not-very-well-established seasoning layer. A well-established seasoning is more a product of foods fried in oil. I don't know what else you would be cooking regularly in these pots to build that kind of long term seasoning, though.

But I think that was basically my answer the first time you asked, too.

http://www.castironcollector.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7607
Click to expand...

The coat I have on the bottom of the pot was solid shortening. Yeah it was a bit thick but actually gave me a good seasoning. The coating I put on the cooking surface is much thinner. Thanks for the reply. That is definitely a problem in that I only use them a few times a year and am not letting the seasoning develop enough.
 
JustinR said:
The popcorn idea is gold. I might use that on DO's
Click to expand...

If I have DO's or CF's that have any pitting or rust damage inside, as they sometimes do, I go straight to making popcorn after stripping them. It allows plenty of oil to soak into the rough, damaged areas and pits, while the popped kernels absorb any extra oil on the undamaged areas. Then proceed with a few manual coats of seasoning in the oven.
 
BenjaminO said:
If I have DO's or CF's that have any pitting or rust damage inside, as they sometimes do, I go straight to making popcorn after stripping them. It allows plenty of oil to soak into the rough, damaged areas and pits, while the popped kernels absorb any extra oil on the undamaged areas. Then proceed with a few manual coats of seasoning in the oven.
Click to expand...

Experience is a wonderful thing :)
 
Update...many of the sources Ive contacted now have thought that I sanded it to smooth and that is the reason the seasoning isn't sticking. So if I were to sand all the seasoning off and start over, what would be the best way to do this? DSBradley mentioned using vinegar to etch the surface. How would you go about doing that? Any help would be awesome. Thanks!
 
Fill it up to the brim with a mixture of vinegar and water and let it soak. I also wonder if taking a big galvanized trash can and turning it upside down over the pot when it is sitting on the burner wouldn't help create an oven for seasoning? I don't know if that would work but I would give it a try if it were mine.
 
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