How do you reseason a cast iron skillet using a fire?

To reseason a cast iron skillet over a fire, coat the cooking surface with a thin layer of oil and set the pan over a bed of hot coals, turning it so the whole surface heats evenly until the oil darkens and stops smoking. Let the skillet cool slowly in a dry spot, then repeat the thin oil layer if you want a thicker coat.

The makers in our Best Cast Iron Skillets for Five Different Kitchens guide all ship their pans pre-seasoned, and several state that the pan can go over a campfire or into a fire pit. None of them publishes a fire reseasoning procedure, a temperature, or a time, so the steps below follow from what they do publish about care and heat.

Why a fire works for reseasoning

Seasoning is a layer of polymerized oil bonded to the iron. Heat drives that reaction, and a wood fire delivers plenty of it. Lodge states that its skillets are at home in the oven, on the stove, on the grill or over the campfire, and that the seasoning improves with use. Victoria lists a campfire among the places its pan can be used. Backcountry Iron says its skillet can go in the fire pit.

What the makers do not publish is a fire method. Lodge’s care line is hand wash, dry, rub with cooking oil. Backcountry Iron says to wipe the pan dry immediately after cleaning and apply a new layer of oil to protect from rust. EDGING CASTING says to dry the pan thoroughly on the stove at medium heat and season it with natural oils. Those instructions describe oil plus heat, which is the same idea a fire provides, but none of them gives a fire procedure.

Prepare the skillet before it goes on the coals

Start with a clean, dry pan. Backcountry Iron warns that cast iron can rust, so keep it out of the dishwasher, do not soak it overnight, and do not air dry. It suggests warm water and scraping stuck food with a flat utensil, and a stainless steel chainmail scrubber for a smooth patina. Dry the pan completely before it goes anywhere near the fire.

Then apply the oil in a thin coat. Lodge seasons its cookware with 100% vegetable oil, and EDGING CASTING says its pan is pre-seasoned with vegetable oil with no synthetic coatings or chemicals. Victoria uses non-GMO, kosher-certified flaxseed oil. Any of those oils is a reasonable choice for a refresh coat. Wipe the oil on, then wipe most of it back off, because a thick coat turns sticky rather than smooth.

Set up the fire and the pan

Burn wood down to coals rather than cooking over open flame. A skillet set directly in leaping flames heats unevenly and can pick up soot. Rake a flat bed of coals roughly the width of the pan, then set the skillet on it. The pans in our guide range widely in size, from the Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet with Hot Handle Holder, 10.25 Inches, which is 10.25 inches in diameter and weighs 5.35 pounds, up to the EDGING CASTING Pre-Seasoned Large Cast Iron Skillet 17 Inch, which weighs 14.75 pounds.

Handle the pan with protection. Lodge includes a red silicone hot handle holder with its 10.25-inch skillet. Cuisinel includes a silicone handle holder with its 12-inch pan and states that the holder reduces heat transfer, and that you should always use an oven mitt or towel when handling hot cookware. EDGING CASTING fits two integrated loop handles, one on each side, which lets you lift the pan with both hands.

Heat the pan and watch the oil

Set the oiled skillet on the coals and let it heat. The oil will smoke, then darken as it bonds to the iron. Turn the pan and shift it around the coal bed so the entire cooking surface passes over the heat. The sides and the underside benefit too, since a fire surrounds the pan in a way a stovetop does not. When the smoking slows and the surface looks dry and dark rather than wet, the coat has taken.

No maker in our guide publishes a fire temperature or a heating time, so judge by the oil rather than a clock. If the pan is too hot to hold a hand near the rim, the coals are aggressive, and you can spread them or wait. Cast iron holds heat well: Lodge states that its cast iron provides superior heat retention, and Victoria describes heat distribution and retention for evenly cooked food. That retention means the pan keeps working after you pull it off the coals.

Cool slowly and store the pan dry

Pull the skillet off the fire and let it cool in a dry place, away from dew or damp ground. Rapid cooling, such as plunging a hot pan into water, risks warping or cracking, and no maker recommends it. Once the pan is cool enough to touch, check the surface. If it looks patchy, apply another thin oil coat and repeat the fire cycle.

For storage, follow the makers. Lodge says hand wash, dry, rub with cooking oil. Backcountry Iron says wipe dry immediately and apply a new layer of oil to protect from rust. EDGING CASTING says clean by hand in warm water, dry completely, and do not air dry. A dry pan with a thin oil film is the state every one of these makers describes as correct.

Match the pan to the fire

A small coal bed suits a smaller pan. The Victoria 10-Inch Cast Iron Skillet is 11.0 inches wide and weighs 4.8 pounds, and the Lodge 10.25-inch pan weighs 5.35 pounds. The Backcountry Iron 12 Inch Round Large Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet weighs 7.0 pounds and measures 12.75 inches spout to spout with a handle length of 4.75 inches. The Cuisinel Cast Iron Skillet with Lid is 12 inches wide and weighs 11.35 pounds, and its tempered glass lid should stay off the fire.

The 17-inch EDGING CASTING pan, at 14.75 pounds, needs a wide, level coal bed so it does not tip. Whichever pan you use, the principle holds: thin oil, steady heat from coals, even turning, slow cooling. The makers publish the materials and the care steps, and the fire supplies the heat their instructions assume.