I need suggestions on who makes the best cast iron skillets for using in a high heat oven or BBQ. Eventually, I will get a Big Green Egg so the temperatures may even be higher. I'm familiar with the Lodge's.
Cast Iron Skillet for BBQ
- Thread starter qhsdoitall
- Start date
No real need to look elsewhere. That's good stuff. I suggest you check out their Dutch Ovens before buying, though. These are more flexible.
Yup - Lodge. Best cast iron there is.
Dennis
Dennis
Lodge seems to work pretty well...are there better options?
You will really enjoy the Egg; I've been cooking on one for over 10 years now. I've also used it to season new cast iron cookware, but it's hard to beat the old 10" I inherited from Grandma. Blackened ribeyes using a cast iron skillet on a 750-degree + Egg are a carnivore's nirvana....
I have a BGE and I use an old no name cast iron skillet when needed. If it looks OK to use on the stove, it's probably OK for the BBQ. That said, as cheap as the stuff is, just go with Lodge. It's almost hard to find cast iron that's not made by Lodge anyway. +1 on the Dutch Oven too, though I find that the skillet is a lot easier to get into if you're going to be flipping a steak and such. Just get both and you'll be set. One perfect steak and one good pot of chili will pay for the investment right off. 
You will really enjoy the Egg; I've been cooking on one for over 10 years now. I've also used it to season new cast iron cookware, but it's hard to beat the old 10" I inherited from Grandma. Blackened ribeyes using a cast iron skillet on a 750-degree + Egg are a carnivore's nirvana....
I have Grandma's old skillet too.
The Dutch oven I bought for cheap at the end of the tech boom when huge amounts of online stores were clearing out and closing shop.Yeah, Grandma's was seasoned with 50-some years of bacon grease, country ham, and other things that are not good for you, but damn it makes good cornbread!
About the only cast-iron I can think of that isn't Lodge is Le Creuset, but that stuff is enameled and costs several times what the Lodge stuff costs.
Especially now that Lodge's cast iron is pre-seasoned, there's little need to look anywhere else.
Especially now that Lodge's cast iron is pre-seasoned, there's little need to look anywhere else.
If you have the patience to haunt garage sales, you might be able to find an old Griswold skillet at a reasonable price. I have inherited a couple of old Griswolds and they are the real deal. Another vintage name to watch for is Wagner.
If you don't have the time or patience to mess about at garage sales and flea markets, you will never regret buying Lodge.
If you don't have the time or patience to mess about at garage sales and flea markets, you will never regret buying Lodge.
Le Creuset also makes cast-iron pots and pans that are not enameled. In my opinion, these implements blow everything else out of the water. The surface is BBS, not riddled with pores like Lodge's offerings. With proper seasoning, these puppies become very non-stick without losing the ability to properly brown ingredients. The downside is that it is more difficult to come by in the US and that it is much more expensive than Lodge, but, hey, you asked for the best.
Best - MM
There is Wagner cast iron, it's still available in a lot of places. There's also Griswold, but I believe that it is no longer made and considered collectible. Lodge is simply more aggressive at marketing than Wagner.
You can get them already seasoned which I recommend.
- Thread starter
- #15
OK, I got everything at once off Ebay dirt cheap. Most from one seller.
1) 12" Lodge Logic Cast Iron pre-seasoned 12" skillet
2) 7 qt Lodge Logic Cast Iron pre-seasoned casserole dutch oven
3) Lodge Logic Cast Iron Food Press
4) Lodge Logic Cast Iron pre-seasoned wedge cornbread pan
5) Al-Clad Emeril 10" square skillet
Total Cost with shipping. $92.50
This should last me forever!
1) 12" Lodge Logic Cast Iron pre-seasoned 12" skillet
2) 7 qt Lodge Logic Cast Iron pre-seasoned casserole dutch oven
3) Lodge Logic Cast Iron Food Press
4) Lodge Logic Cast Iron pre-seasoned wedge cornbread pan
5) Al-Clad Emeril 10" square skillet
Total Cost with shipping. $92.50
This should last me forever!
Lodge-Lodge-Lodge
OK, I got everything at once off Ebay dirt cheap. Most from one seller.
1) 12" Lodge Logic Cast Iron pre-seasoned 12" skillet
2) 7 qt Lodge Logic Cast Iron pre-seasoned casserole dutch oven
3) Lodge Logic Cast Iron Food Press
4) Lodge Logic Cast Iron pre-seasoned wedge cornbread pan
5) Emeril Lodge 10" square skillet
Total Cost with shipping. $92.50
This should last me forever!
Indeed. Unless you, I don't know, try to heat-temper the stuff and then crack it on an anvil or something.
Oh, and don't season them like they recommend (baking in the oven). Waste of time. Instead get them rocket hot on a burner, grab a wad or paper towel with a neutral oil poured on it and rub it all over. Repeat until as dark as you want. Easier, faster, and a better seasoning (IMO, and Cook's Illustrated's too).
Dennis
Dennis
Bacon grease is the best seasoning. You can use canola or olive oil if you want, but bacon grease is better. In fact, most Lodge is pre-seasoned now anyway, so just fry up a batch of bacon and spread the grease around a bit. 
The best part of cast iron cookware is that once you get used to maintaining them (not all that hard) you'll have no trouble with black steel pans.
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