Is this possibly a diamond in the rough?

[Axehandle]

I see you use the same lie I use. Truth is I just really like bacon.

The logic is bacon is just pre rendered lard, so this is the lard method, perfectly acceptable.

 

[beamernc]

The pan made it's maiden voyage with a pound of bacon earlier today. Worked great.

 

[GymB]

I watched one video where the guy "seasoned" his pan by placing it on the stove top, without any oil, and heated it on high until the entire pan turned blue. Took about an hour. According to steel tempering charts, his pan must have been between 560-570 degrees. I'll just stick with oiling.

I have steel pans that are black on the inside and blue on the outside from the seasoning process. Steel takes a lot longer to season IMO, and if done too quickly will not adhere to the steel. Very thin layers of oil and long heat cycles over med-high heat.

For cast iron I‘ve always used shortning. The seasoning is, I think, a mix of carbon and polymerized oil. If you use too much heat you burn off the oil rather than allowing it to polymerize.