Some folks seem to be cast iron master’s and caring for cast iron appears easy and  second nature.  For me, I’ve gotten used to having unruly cast iron that I only cook meat in because everything sticks.  This is the sign that it’s time to re-season the cast iron.  I’ve neglected the cast iron so long that I decided to go ahead and strip two pans. 

Stripping a cast iron is simple but seems odd when you consider the newer style pans that for sure wouldn’t hold up to the process.  We strip it with fire!  I started a fire in our fire pit and pitch in the cast iron and left it in until it burnt out and cooled off.  After this, I took steel wool and a little dish soap (Yes, dish soap.  The reason you don’t use soap on cast iron is because it removes the seasoning from the pan particularly if you use a lye soap.) to thoroughly clean the pan. 

Before you apply the bear grease to the pan, you want to make sure it is dry and you want the pan to be warm when you apply the bear grease.  To achieve both, we put the cast iron in a 200-degree oven for ten minutes.  After the ten minutes are up, it’s time to apply the bear grease!  

When applying oil to the pan, you want the lightest of coats.  Apply oil to the complete pan (even the handle and outside) and then go over it with a paper towel to get as much oil off as possible to keep consistent seasoning.  Put it in a preheated over the smoke point of the oil you’re using.  Most tallow has a smoke point of 375 degrees, so we set the oven to 385 degrees.  Leave it in the oven for thirty minutes.  Ideally a good season takes three to four sessions of applying the oil to a warm pan and thirty minutes in the oven.  This should go without saying but be careful handling hot pans. 

A well-seasoned cast iron should naturally be non-stick, and you should even be able to cook scrambled eggs in it.  Enjoy your new bear grease powered cast iron!