My Cast Iron Grill is Useless - Help would be appreciated.

[Callisto in NC]

I am so frustrated. I used the grill side of my griddle/grill CI last night and the marinade really messed up the pan. So 3 hours ago I put the dang thing in a 500 degree oven and it's just messed up now. Is a CI grill only good for non-marinaded meats? I mean, what's the point of this thing? It seems like way more work than it's worth and definitely not worth the money I paid for it. Sadly, I wanted this thing for 2 years before I bought it and now I just wish I had the money back I paid for it.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I am so frustrated. I used the grill side of my griddle/grill CI last night and the marinade really messed up the pan. So 3 hours ago I put the dang thing in a 500 degree oven and it's just messed up now

How is it "messed up" Miss Calli?

Is a CI grill only good for non-marinaded meats?

Yes and No...I never carry "wet" meat to the fire...The surface of the meat "boils" and does not sear well...In a grill pan..In a skillet or On a BBQ grill...If you marinate (Which IMO is mostly a waste of time and resources) then dry the meat off before taking it to the fire.

The purpose of a grill pan is to give you 'grill' marks on the meat...Which it will do if the pan/grill is hot and the meat is dry....

Clean the burned on Marinade off...Re-season if needed....Try again with the pan very hot...the meat dry. HTH

Tip...Right before you put the meat on...Give the grill a couple of quick burst of a pan spray (Pam) Lay the meat on and leave it alonr for 2-3 minutes...lift and rotate (not flip) the meat 45*....let it lay for 2-3 minutes...Flip it to the other side...and repeat the process on side two...Times can be adjusted for how done you want it...thickness etc...

Enjoy!

 

[Callisto in NC]

It's messed up in that there is this thick gunk that is so far burned it won't come off. I rant it under water for 30 minutes, hot, hot water and it didn't budge. It's gross and bubbley and black.

How is this thing actually a viable utensil?

 

[Katie H]

Do you have a self-cleaning oven, Callisto? If you do, you could put the item in the oven during a cleaning cycle and incinerate the "gunk." Then you could begin from the beginning and season, etc.

 

[mcnerd]

I have a copper scouring pad that I use to clean the 'gunk' from mine. It should all come off with a little rubbing. I then reseason with some oil and put on a warm stove top or in the oven to dry without rusting.

Perhaps the reason your food is sticking so bad is the lack of a good patina to seal the pores of the iron. The cooking surface should be almost totally smooth if it is properly seasoned.

 

[Bigjim68]

One of my cleaning tools for cast iron is a wire brush chucked in an electric drill. The gunk will brush off. If you have a gas grill capable of high heat, turn the piece upside down on the grill, and the stuff will burn off. Either way, you will need to reseason. If it is really stubborn stuff, I would burn it off, then use the brush.

 

[letscook]

I have a stove top griddle and use marinate alot. griddle has to hot and i take a brush and brush olive oil on it and then put the meat on it. I take a paper towel and wipe it off while it is hot. You alot have to shake the excess off

if it is cast iron you can't hurt, i also have use wire brush, I have posted before on my fines at garage sales for lil or nothing cost taken them home wire brush in the drill trick, sandpaper screwdriver to get the to the nitty gritt, then washed it hot soapy water, oiled it up and put it outside on the gas grill to season. ( didn't want to smell the house up) i have quite a collection of cast iron that i purchased cheap thru garage sales.

 

[Lizannd]

If you have enough of a 'lip' around the pan you can

clean it by adding water then heating the pan on the stove. The gunk
just boils off. Then wash and dry the pan over heat.

 

[Hoot]

Sounds like the meat was very wet with the marinade.
When you try this again (and I hope you will) pat the meat dry before placing it on the grill. Oil the grill and make sure it is very hot. Good luck.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

If heating the grill doesn't work or boiling is not an option
try oven cleaner (EZOFF) on the grill

 

[ChefJune]

Yes and No...I never carry "wet" meat to the fire...The surface of the meat "boils" and does not sear well...In a grill pan..In a skillet or On a BBQ grill...If you marinate (Which IMO is mostly a waste of time and resources) then dry the meat off before taking it to the fire.

Uncle Bob said it very well. ALWAYS dry your meat off before putting it into a pan or onto a grill. Not doing so will give you "gunk" and unbrowned meat/fish as well.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Uncle Bob said it very well. ALWAYS dry your meat off before putting it into a pan or onto a grill. Not doing so will give you "gunk" and unbrowned meat/fish as well.

Well, that's not possible with this particular dish. It's not a marinade per se, it's more of a glaze. You apply it a few times throughout the cooking process and you don't ever let the meat soak in it, its thick, too thick to absorbe. I've done this on my George Forman for years without a problem, it was when I switched to the CI that I had the problem. Maybe I'll just not use the CI for this particular dish. Sorry, I'm not sure what "unbrowned" meat means.

 

[GrillingFool]

Maybe the CI got too hot?

 

[Alix]

Unbrowned means that the outside of your meat never gets a good sear on it. When it is wet and touches the grill all that happens is the water starts to evaporate, and steam etc, and it never actually touches the grill because the water keeps it off.

OK that was a really crappy description. Sorry. Anyone with a better grasp of language today that can help?

 

[Callisto in NC]

Okay, I've decided this thing is going back. It's now rusted and if this rusted within 55 days of owning it, granted I did run water over it but I haven't used abrasives on it or anything that would cause rust to appear. I didn't allow water to sit on it or anything. Rust? No, this needs to go back.

 

[Andy M.]

Okay, I've decided this thing is going back. It's now rusted and if this rusted within 55 days of owning it, granted I did run water over it but I haven't used abrasives on it or anything that would cause rust to appear. I didn't allow water to sit on it or anything. Rust? No, this needs to go back.

With cast iron, if you scrub off or burn off the seasoning, it will rust just from the humidity in the air. It's not defective. Once all the gunk (and rust) is cleaned off, it needs to be seasoned just as you did your CI pans.

 

[Callisto in NC]

I did the whole process, the one you recommended that made my other pans ROCK but the rust is still there. I did the Crisco thing where I put the light coat and let it stay in the oven for an hour at 350. That's where the rust became truly predominate. I've restored a piece that was 100% rusted and this grill is acting worse than that piece.

 

[Andy M.]

Not sure I understand. Did you put the shortening on a rusty griddle?

 

[Callisto in NC]

Not sure I understand. Did you put the shortening on a rusty griddle?

No I put the shortening on a grill that I had busted my butt cleaning and at the end of an hour, it was rusty. I followed everything I did with all the other pans and this one rusted in two circles where the heat hits the grill.

 

[Andy M.]

After applying the shortening, di dyou heat it on the stove top or in the oven?