[Fire Me Boy!]

1. Lard/bacon grease (I prefer lard), all over the pan.
1a. There's nothing wrong with vegetable oil. If you don't use the pan a lot, use vegetable oil. Animal fats can go rancid if left very long. I don't let mine go unused very often.
2. 300-degree oven.
3. 15 minutes in oven, above a cookie sheet (to catch drips).
4. Pour out grease, lightly wipe with paper towel.
5. Back in the oven for 2 hours, upside down on a cookie sheet.
6. Give the whole pan a good rubdown with a paper towel to wipe up any excess oil.
7. Repeat steps 1-6 AT LEAST twice before you even consider cooking in it.

Once it's seasoned, never, ever, ever use soap. Hot water and a scrubber will work great. Don't forget to season after every use - clean it, dry it, a little fat all over the inside, heat till it just starts to smoke and drop the heat to low. Let it "cook" on the stove for 20 minutes. Wipe it out, let it cool, put it away.

Never, ever, ever let it get wet and stay wet. CI will rust very quickly.

If you get something really burned on, use salt and a paper towel. If it still won't come off, put it in the oven on the clean cycle. That will return the pan to factory new. Then season as above.

Cast iron makes everything taste better. Barley, great in cast iron. Apricot preserves... OUTSTANDING in cast iron. Hell... you can drink liquid smoke straight from cast iron pan, it makes it taste so ****in' good.