cooking with a griddle over a fire.

  • Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.

gabrielsdad

Need to contact Admin...
Feb 6, 2012
441
0
north staffs
Ive just brought a cast iron griddle and skillett. I was just wondering about how you go on with tje griddle with a fire..

Surely the seasoning will burn off if Your grilling on the ridged side the smooth sides seasoning eill burn off wont it?

So how do you go about using and looking after your griddle over flame. Cheers ray
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
No it won't burn off. The heat opens the pores and lets the seasoning into them. In fact that's how they're seasoned to begin with; the seasoning works its way into the metal (not onto it) An occassional re-oiling is requiresd.
 

gabrielsdad

Need to contact Admin...
Feb 6, 2012
441
0
north staffs
No it won't burn off. The heat opens the pores and lets the seasoning into them. In fact that's how they're seasoned to begin with; the seasoning works its way into the metal (not onto it) An occassional re-oiling is requiresd.

Thats what i thought. But i thought that might open it up to any crud etc in the smoke etc.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
It does do that. But TBH it's just not a big deal. The smoke actually adds to the seasoning. whereas the crud burns away much like a self cleaning oven at home.
 

Bucephalas

Full Member
Jan 19, 2012
1,058
0
Chepstow, Wales
I have two stashed in the woods and I just use a decorators scraper to clean it and then store it in a plastic bag under ground. No problems with rust or crud and it's been used a dozen or so times so far.
 

Jared

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2005
3,390
640
50
Wales
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CHROME-EF...omeGarden_CLV_Cleaning_CA&hash=item5aec0bf22d

Or cheaper still when sold in Wilkinson.

This type of thing allows control of flame and heat. If your burning your griddle or the seasoning off it then to be honest you ain't mastered cooking with it. Practise makes perfect so try it out at home until you are confident in using it.

Ikea do an SS trivet thats 50cm x 28cm for 4 quid.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30111087/

Wouldn't want to carry it far though.
 

dwardo

Bushcrafter through and through
Aug 30, 2006
6,451
475
46
Nr Chester
you just scrape of all the crud and smoke and soot and then wipe round with oil quite thickly all over then bong it back on said fire till its dry then take it off and lightly smear it in oil and your dunn

There has been a skillet at my local haunt for about 4 years. It seen all the nasty recent winters poor summers and all the rest whilst hanging form a tree.
When it needs to spring into action it just gets super heated, scraped and oiled before use.
Only ever takes a little more work if it has standing water on it when someone forgets to hang it up after use.
Even then its just more oil scraping and burning.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Cross posted with Dwardo, not getting at his hanging outdoors all weathers one re the scraping off.


For those of us who bake on a girdle/ griddle/ bakestone all the time, there is only one side in use. The bottom of any old ones I have seen is pitted and marked by the fires. The baking surface is smooth.

I for one wouldn't be eating food cooked in the soot of the fire on the bottom side of the iron plate.
No idea how the double sided one can be considered a good idea; soot is considered carcinogenic nowadays.

If you're burning the surface off everytime then it's not being used properly. It shouldn't be used above flames but above hot coals, whether those be peat, wood or coke. The idea is to cook food not to cinderise it :D The surface should only need wiped clean and maybe a drop or two of oil rubbed in.

Practice at home, it's an amazingly useful bit of kit :cool: and then when you're out you'll be more aware of what you're aiming for.

cheers,
Toddy
 
Last edited:

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Proper seaoning takes one heck of a temperature to burn off tbh.....you surely can do it (and I have when re-seasoning), but I've only ever managed it on a red hot Barbecue...a few wood coals won't get it anywhere near hot enough
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
However, a campfire can reach 600+degC. It was the original way to fire pottery. I've seen one melt a solid aluminium maslin pan (660degC to melt aluminium) so it'll burn off the coating on cast iron without too much trouble, if not properly used.

cheers,
Toddy
 

Paddytray

Settler
Jul 11, 2012
887
0
46
basingstoke
ol'yella.jpg Like this one ?
I've had this for years and take it with me everytime we go family camping/holidays/stealth camping . It adds to the pack weight but its worth it. I clean it asap after use and boil water in it to clean out then hang near fire to dry well also I'll leave & the soot on . I keep it wrapped up in old news paper & dish cloth that can be used when we venture out again for fire starting and cleaning before use (like I say it goes everywhere so it picks up along the way)
 

Aussiepom

Forager
Jun 17, 2008
172
0
Mudgee, NSW
Just my humble opinion, but I think that for this particular piece of equipment some people waste far too much time cleaning and oiling after each use. I'm not a lazy slob and I do take the time to care for my kit. But a grill? No way:

Once you cook on it, it gets greasy. Give it a cursory scrape to get any big lumps off - no need to actually clean it. The oil from the cooked food prevents rust - no need to re-oil. Put it in a plastic bag to transport it and avoid contamination of kit. Next time you use it, heat it up - germs now dead - cook the next meal. Repeat as necessary.

I've got grills that I haven't 'cleaned' or 'oiled' for years at a time. No problems at all.
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE