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I did use olive oil, and I kept it at high heat. I am thinking it is easier to put on a winter coat, and grill outdoors.
Olive oil does not do well with high heat. It smokes and breaks down.
I'm still using my mom's Le Creuset that must be 50-60 years old. All the good of cast iron, none of the worries. I buy a piece every now and then. Macy's has a brand that i also have used for 10 years. It is way cheaper, so I use it for stuff that i know will discolor the enamel. It is my bean pot.
That's hasn't been my experience at all. My cast iron pans need NO cleaning except to wipe them out with a paper towel or once in a while heat a small amount of water in them and when it cools, wipe it out. Easy!
Unlike my stainless steel pans that require scrubbing with SOS and soaking and they are a real pain to clean.
That's all the cleaning I do and my cast iron pans have never had any rust on them.
So rather then sending DH out last night to grill our steaks, I said, ok, We will try cooking them in our cast iron skillet. Well, the whole house filled with smoke, and the smoke alarms were blaring.
The steaks, however were very good . Wondering what kind of oil, would prevent all the smoke. I can`t believe all this smoke is the norm.
Eh.
If I'm gonna be using the kind of heat needed to get a good sear on a steak, there's gonna be smoke. I just open the windows and back patio door.
What kind of oil did you use? You need a high temp oil and despite all the Food Network and Racheal Ray hype, olive oil isn't the right oil for high temp cooking.
Now the other big thing is how high did you have the temp on the pan? It's really hard to get a high enough temp in most kitchens without some smoke from the meat. Most home kitchens really aren't designed to pull the smoke out fast enough. I have to be real careful when cooking meat indoors not to set off the smoke alarm. Which usually means starting with a hot pan to get a quick sear and then bringing the temp down fast, before it smokes too much.
I set the smoke detectors off searing meat all the time, it doesn't happen if I remember to open the window and the back door but just the fan above the stove isn't enough. I use a gas range with a 19k burner so it gets really, really hot. I use EVOO with a smoke point of 405 degrees, I guess I could use avocado oil but it's too darned expensive. Anyway, with steak if I don't set the thing off when searing I usually do when finishing the steak with butter.
Nevermind... I see stainless steel with a glass lid in my near future.
Stainless steel pots with Pyrex glass lids and aluminum heat disks, are the only ones I use to cook, except for my deep-dish, Hamilton Beach, non-stick, electric fry-pan. I can fit three, 5-lb. jumbo packs of chicken breasts in it.
The OP's pans aren't seasoned well enough. We have some we have had for years along with some newer lodge pans we bought a couple years ago and have not had a single problem with them. It is all about seasoning them properly. Once that is done, they are easier to clean than any regular pan and will last for who knows how many generations of your family if they keep passing them down and taking care of them. I would imagine it would take hundreds of years to actually wear one out.
The correct method , that has worked for me so many times.
After use, clean with detergent and a sponge/scrubber. Then leave it on the stove on medium heat, until the water completely dissolves .Leave in the oven for storage.
If there is ever any rust stains, wash with a sponge and table salt, then use a brillo pad. Dry on top of a stove over medium heat, then store in a dry space.
For daily usage, I use a half teaspoon of canola oil, and wipe the cooking surfaces with a paper towel. Heat on medium before cooking. I do not need to use too much oil, unless for frying chicken parts. Eggs, pancakes, tortillas, searing meat ,etc only needs a little oil wipe.
I am 15+ years on the same cookware , mostly Lodge products. The only downside is the weight!
I'll update later... still under the weather & having surgery in a few days, so my mind is elsewhere... that's the only reason I haven't repped or replied to individual posts.
Thank you for all the replies & links. I've done all of them... every single method mentioned. Again, I'll update sometime next week... I'm re/seasoning like a madwoman now & will let you all know of the end results mid-month.
Happy New Year, everyone!
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. Wondering what kind of oil, would prevent all the smoke. I can`t believe all this smoke is the norm. 
