Rescuing Cast Iron

Step 5: Bake

Pre-heat your oven until about 275ºF, and place your pan in. Use a baking sheet to catch any drippings- you may find that flipping your pan upside down and putting the cast iron directly on your oven rack (dripping pan underneath) will work better, depending on the extent of lard-ification you sent your pan through. After letting your pan warm up for 10-15 minutes or so, crank up the heat up to near the smoking point of your fat. This gradual heating allows for the iron to slowly expand, preventing any cracks or fractures. Let your pan bake at full temperature for 45 minutes, and let cool. 

Comments

[cat2phat]

I have scoured the internet for re-seasoning cast iron and have read several articles where you are suppose to wipe off excess lard and only leave a thin layer on the pan before putting in the oven. Any suggestions on why to put more on vs leaving a thin layer?

[WurdBendur]

The point is to heat the oil above its smoke point (you'd never do this while cooking, but you will not be eating the pan), so that it polymerizes and leaves a protective layer on the surface. In order to get heat to it evenly, it needs to be very thin. The process should be repeated several times, say five or six times, until the seasoning is thick enough.