The Grill vs Cast Iron

[BloodyRedArrow]

Cast Iron and wild game were made for each other. I would encourage all to give it a try. Keep in mind there is a small learning curve. There are many Youtube videos that can get you started.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Cast iron skillets and pots need to be seasoned with cooking oil and high heat when you first get them. The older it gets and the more you use it, the better the food tastes. Never wash it with soap, just wipe it out with a paper towel and coat with light coat of cooking oil between uses.

 

[jaximus]

both, about 50/50. my family eats venison at least 3 meals a week year round. i do trimmings and eggs for breakfast on my off days, so im probably closer to 5+ meals a week. i do city herd control, so i have 10+ whitetails for the freezer each year, plus i work for the sheriffs office, so i can grab freshly put down car kills if/when i run low.

i live in northern wisconsin, so it gets annoying to grill toward the end of deer season through mid march, so most winter time cooking is in the pan.

 

[Brendan]

One quick point - it's a myth that you can't wash properly seasoned cast iron with soap. Dishwashing soap isn't taking off polymerized fat, but you shouldn't scrub the hell out of it or cook acidic foods like tomatoes.

Pretty sure the soap recommendation comes from olden days when soap could have lye in it?

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

 

[rustneversleeps]

I love my blackstone

 

[LostArra]

I reverse sear all tenderloins (whole) or backstraps (in big pieces) usually using a cast iron skillet for the sear.
Bigger pieces are easier to keep medium rare for me. skillets are easy to add mushrooms or eggs

I smoke burgers for about 30-40 minutes then sear on grill.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

You fellas speaking strictly wild game? I love some cast iron for certain wild games dishes and the grill/smoker/sous vide for others but nothing is better for proper blackened fish than red hot cast iron..I picked up a old griddle at a flea market a couple of years ago for 5 bucks..keep it outside with the grill...redfish, dolphin, trout, mackerel, even blackend some of the fatest shrimp we caught last year. I want both in my kitchen.

 

[T28w]

I love some cast iron. I have both new and old. Some that is from my wife’s grandmother that is 60-70 years old and slick as an onion. I also have some newer lodge skillets that are “rough” in texture. I took various grit metal sand paper and sanded them smooth and then reseason. I much prefer the smooth slick skillets over the grainy surface.

 

[cjl32]

I use both but well seasoned venison backstrap seared in cast iron and eaten rare to med rare is one of my favorite meals. Typically use a side burner on the grill to not smoke up the kitchen and house.

 

[Oregonboy]

I like both. Low and slow on the pellet grill then finish with a sear in the cast iron. Or just butter and meat in the skillet, either way you can’t lose.

 

[GunsAreFun]

I have pretty much switched to cast iron for all steaks. Can’t beat drying meat in butter with some garlic and seasonings in the sauce and basting the meat.

Easier to control temperature too.

 

[rustyN]

I have a pellet smoker and a blackstone griddle. My favorite way to do it is smoke at 225 until IT of 120 or so, then get my griddle screaming hot, toss on some butter, and sear it for a minute or two per side. It's pretty hard to beat doing it that way.

At elk camp last year though my brother cooked some whitetail backstrap on just the griddle and it was damn good.

 

[mwf008]

For those of you using cast iron I’d recommend you try ghee instead of butter. Better flavor and a higher smoke point makes it ideal for super hot searing on cast iron. I make mine at home from unsalted butter, it’s way overpriced when buying store bought fully prepared ghee.

 

[WCB]

99% of any meat we make is on cast iron...Burgers, Brats, kabobs, etc are for grills. Roasts are for the slow cooker (seared on cast Iron first), any wild game steak or domestic steaks, fish, etc cast iron all the way.

For stakes sear with a touch of Avocado oil...Then throw in the butter, garlic, Rosemary, fresh crushed pepper, and baste until cook to desired done-ness...(hint: anything past meadium rare just cook on a rock because your taste sucks anyways). As soon as it hits the cooling board hit with some more fresh pepper and sea salt.

 

[Tag_Soup]

Tender cuts, I'm a big fan of a quick sear in cast iron then baste with butter. Charcoal is also great for tender cuts but I find myself doing it less on wild game and more with fatty meats like beef.

For tough cuts I am a big fan of getting a good crust over high heat and then slow braising. The sear can be charcoal or any type of fat in cast iron. One of my favorites is a whole bone in deer neck roast. Season liberally and sear over hot charcoal until a good crust forms, then transfer to a 300F oven for 4-6 hours and braise with some stock. Final 2 hours you can add vegatables to the braising pan for a complete meal....only problem with the dish is it has become my first at home meal from any deer or antelope we take so i pretty much only get the treat in the fall.... also works well with a full shoulder but the neck has more connective tissue to break down resulting in more juicy almost pulled pork like texture.

I rarely do wild game on the pellet grill. Ribs are an exception but have to be finished on the highest setting or over charcoal to render any remaining fat (piping hot deer fat is great but as soon as it solidifies it has a terrible mouth feel).

 

[pirogue]

You mean you would actually wash a cast iron skillet after cooking venison in it? The way I see it, it’s already setup for eggs the next morning.

Exactly. Who washes cast iron. If it is properly seasoned, it takes less time to clean, after use, than cleaning my grill each time, before or after use.

 

[Sharticus007]

Reverse searing from the pellet grill to the cast Iron is my go to and seasoning with some pink Himalayan salt with some butter in the pan

 

[tdot]

Carbon steel pans will change your life. I'll only use an enamel coated cast iron pan now if I'm cooking with tomatoes or anything with acids. The only negative to them is if I want to make a quick wine reduction for a sauce, it definitely hurts the seasoning, but do it quick enough and it's not permanently damaged.

I need to upgrade to a pellet grill or something similar to increase options.

 

[LongWayAround]

Cast iron on the grill has been my new go to preparation. I'm able to get it much hotter than the stove, don't care about grease splatter, and get a better sear along with the grill smoke. It's also an easy way to throw some vegetables on and not burn them. I've got a flat griddle that's about 12"x14" and I've used a regular skillet, both seem to work equally well.

 

[7mmremmag]

Sous Vide then Blackstone.