Have you ever wondered how you could restore that old pot of jambalaya your grandfather gave you? How about an old Dutch oven or cast iron skillet you found at the hunting camp or in Grandma’s kitchen? Have you ever wondered why you should restore any of these classic pieces of history? If you’ve ever wondered how to “reclaim” any piece of cast iron cookware from an old, rusty state, you’ve come to the right place.
Let’s first address the question, why should I restore an old jambalaya pot? The fact is, an old secondhand jambalaya pot or Dutch oven is a priceless heirloom that could be passed down through the generations. Cast iron products, such as jambalaya pots and Dutch ovens, are made from cast iron, which is virtually indestructible. If properly maintained, they will last a long time, making them a perfect gift for your children or grandchildren. A gift like this will help them appreciate their heritage and a bit of history.
So what do you do when you find this old gem and it’s in less than desirable condition? Do not throw it away! As a good friend of mine from Cajun Country says, “Let’s take back the black pot.” What he means is, let’s restore this rusty jambalaya pot. There is a process to bring it back. The process is the following:
- First care for the interior by using a piece of fine steel wool to remove any rust. After loosening the rust from the surface, dust the jambalaya pot and repeat the process until there is no more loose rust.
- After you’ve removed as much surface rust as possible with the fine steel wool, the pot may still have a red tint to it. There is still rust in the pores. To remove this rust, you need to place the jambalaya pot on your stove or over an open flame and fill it with water. As the water starts to get hot, use a thicker piece of steel wool to scrub the inside. Warm water helps loosen embedded rust, and coarse steel wool will remove it. When the water is so contaminated that you can’t see the bottom of the pot, dump the water and start over. You may have to repeat this step several times. Be careful not to bring the water to a boil, it just needs to be very hot, as hot as you can handle.
- When you are satisfied that you have removed all the rust from the inside of the jambalaya pot, it is time to season. There are several ways to achieve this, but we’ll focus on the easiest way for large pots. Place the jambalaya pot on the stove or open the flame again and start heating it up. Once it’s hot, take three to four pounds of bacon and place it in the pot. Cook the bacon as long as possible without burning it. While it is cooking, take a paddle or large spoon and move the bacon around so that it covers all the internal areas of the pot.
- Just before the bacon burns, remove the heat from the pot and remove the bacon. Take clean WHITE paper towels (not designer) and wipe all excess grease from the jambalaya pot. Take this opportunity to re-smear grease on all internal surfaces. Return the pot to the stove and turn the heat down to very low. What you want to achieve here is to maintain a consistent, even heat in the pot for about an hour. This allows the pores to open and absorb oil.
- Steps three and four must be repeated at least two more times with one exception. Instead of using bacon, you can use lard or shortening, but do not use vegetable oil or shortening. When you see your pot of jambalaya start to get a nice shine on the inside surface, you’ve successfully seasoned your cooktop.
- Now all that remains is to touch up the exterior. Unlike the interior surface, you don’t have to remove the rust if you don’t want to. Some people think that rust adds character. However, whether you remove the rust or not, you should take some of the fat from the last round and clean the outside of the jambalaya pot.
I hope you enjoy your jambalaya pot and that you can successfully restore it to cook properly.
