Thanks for posting this! We just inherited two nice old frying pans, but they need work. The husband is in charge of cast-iron care, and I don’t think he’s ever tried lard.
-JT
What I’m doing is heating the pan with the crud in it (add some lard), then just wipe it out. After that, I add a touch more lard, then heat it up HOT (like 450-500*) for about ten minutes. Let it cool and that’s it.
The carbon works with the lard to make the crust, but it takes intense heat to get there.
I just pulled out another small pan out of storage and started working on it last night. I cooked bratwurst in it, then did the lard heat clean up and it’s already looking better. Today I’ll do three rounds with sausage and lard and it should be done.
Got to let it cool completely before the next round, though.