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As a primer, I'll say that I've been cooking with cast iron for 2-yrs now, have read every seasoning site out there, have tried varying methods of seasoning & have asked q's of the cooks/chefs here in the past... so, I think my problem isn't improper seasoning. I use different grease to season... lard works best, if I can stomach the nasty odor. When not using that, I use veg shortening. Sometimes, if frying eggs, I just take the stick of butter & run it across a hot pan so it won't stick. I coat the pots/pans with grease almost every time I've cleaned the pot after cooking.
Okay, now the problem... I slow cook in the oven overnight in my Dutch oven (225-300 degrees) about once every 2-wks. The only meals I've made in that pot are roast beef or chicken with potatoes/onions/carrots/celery & seasonings. About once in every 4 mos, the entire meal is permeated with the taste of iron to the point that it's almost inedible, however, it's only happened when I've cooked a roast beef.
I always add water to the pot with bouillon before loading it with meat/vegs so the food doesn't stick & burn, which has happened on rare occasion. Is it the water which is causing the problem because the temp is too low & it's dissolving the pot's seasonings? Or, is it the water in combination with the beef that's causing some reaction? Why would this only happen with beef, or is that simply a coincidence? Any ideas?
I love slow cooked meals, especially for breakfast (yep, I'm a weirdo & eat backwards... dinner for breakfast & breakfast foods for dinner... it's a cultural thing in my family ) & I give a thermos to the SO to take to work. I'd love to make a roast again, but it irks me that 1 in 4 or 5 roasts has a metallic taste to it to the point where I won't eat it & the SO, who has a stronger stomach & is less fussy than I, will eat it for days before asking that I not make roast for awhile. Poor lad, what he puts up with!
I have cooked the last few roasts at 350 or higher, but the tenderness just isn't the same. I'd like to slow cook a roast this week... what am I doing wrong & how can I prevent cooking a hunk of iron-tasting beef?
I can't answer your question because I've never slow roasted in regular cast iron. I have slow roasted, braised in stainless steel and enamel coated cast iron. Maybe you should use another pot or pan.
...Something could be stripping the polymeric coating during the cooking process thus increasing the iron transfer.
Cast iron cookware isn't polymer-coated - it's carbon-coated during the seasoning process and extended use, like a wok. Cast iron releases the "iron taste" into food when it has oxidized - maybe some of the surfaces that are not properly seasoned are oxidizing during the cooking process.
As a primer, I'll say that I've been cooking with cast iron for 2-yrs now, have read every seasoning site out there, have tried varying methods of seasoning & have asked q's of the cooks/chefs here in the past... so, I think my problem isn't improper seasoning. I use different grease to season... lard works best, if I can stomach the nasty odor. When not using that, I use veg shortening. Sometimes, if frying eggs, I just take the stick of butter & run it across a hot pan so it won't stick. I coat the pots/pans with grease almost every time I've cleaned the pot after cooking.
Okay, now the problem... I slow cook in the oven overnight in my Dutch oven (225-300 degrees) about once every 2-wks. The only meals I've made in that pot are roast beef or chicken with potatoes/onions/carrots/celery & seasonings. About once in every 4 mos, the entire meal is permeated with the taste of iron to the point that it's almost inedible, however, it's only happened when I've cooked a roast beef.
I always add water to the pot with bouillon before loading it with meat/vegs so the food doesn't stick & burn, which has happened on rare occasion. Is it the water which is causing the problem because the temp is too low & it's dissolving the pot's seasonings? Or, is it the water in combination with the beef that's causing some reaction? Why would this only happen with beef, or is that simply a coincidence? Any ideas?
I love slow cooked meals, especially for breakfast (yep, I'm a weirdo & eat backwards... dinner for breakfast & breakfast foods for dinner... it's a cultural thing in my family ) & I give a thermos to the SO to take to work. I'd love to make a roast again, but it irks me that 1 in 4 or 5 roasts has a metallic taste to it to the point where I won't eat it & the SO, who has a stronger stomach & is less fussy than I, will eat it for days before asking that I not make roast for awhile. Poor lad, what he puts up with!
I have cooked the last few roasts at 350 or higher, but the tenderness just isn't the same. I'd like to slow cook a roast this week... what am I doing wrong & how can I prevent cooking a hunk of iron-tasting beef?
Thanks very much!
I didn't think you are supposed to "clean" a cast iron pan with soap?????? One cured it instead in a low oven and then used salt to scrub it, and again heat in the oven to finnish... Then move onto where you add water, or broth. I think you should have the pot good and hot before adding anything, this way it doesn't stick, but instead of water I'd spry with a "pam" like substance , then add "whatever".
I use the coated cast iron now as well, it is just much less complicated. Cast iron is super for camping out though, you can't burn the pan.
I can't answer your question because I've never slow roasted in regular cast iron. I have slow roasted, braised in stainless steel and enamel coated cast iron. Maybe you should use another pot or pan.
Nope. Want to use the iron pots/pans because I'm a lifelong borderline anemic & thought the iron would help. So far, I'm not testing anemic, so it's working. Cooking is fine most of the time... 1 in 6 or so (roasts only) have the iron taste, so there's an easy solution.
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) & I give a thermos to the SO to take to work. I'd love to make a roast again, but it irks me that 1 in 4 or 5 roasts has a metallic taste to it to the point where I won't eat it & the SO, who has a stronger stomach & is less fussy than I, will eat it for days before asking that I not make roast for awhile. Poor lad, what he puts up with! 
