SFR Yeti skillet

Sorta fishing-related

mcswny

Legend
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Sweet. And you really get 1,000F in that thing?
100%! Is it necessary? Absolutely not. The coolest part is it has a 2” ceramic fiber insulation blanket in between the fire brick and the stucco so while it’s ripping on the inside it’s cool to the touch on the outside.

I almost never get it that hot, but it can and I stopped taking temps once I got the feel for it. And yes, I built it :)
 

O' Clarkii Stomias

Landlocked Atlantic Salmon
Forum Supporter
100%! Is it necessary? Absolutely not. The coolest part is it has a 2” ceramic fiber insulation blanket in between the fire brick and the stucco so while it’s ripping on the inside it’s cool to the touch on the outside.

I almost never get it that hot, but it can and I stopped taking temps once I got the feel for it. And yes, I built it :)
Very inspirational. I hope to do my pizza/tandoor oven/wood fired wok and griddle/grill in the near future. I may never cook inside again.
 
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mcswny

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Very inspirational. I hope to do my pizza/tandoor oven/wood fired wok and griddle/grill in the near future. I may never cook inside again.

This is the 3rd I’ve built. It’s mostly grunt work—I estimated it to be 11k lbs of material that I schlepped from the curb to my backyard. It’s really not hard, and I’m a desk jockey granted I do a lot of building.

Sorry for the thread drift.
 

Evan B

Bobber Downey Jr.
Staff member
Admin
This is the 3rd I’ve built. It’s mostly grunt work—I estimated it to be 11k lbs of material that I schlepped from the curb to my backyard. It’s really not hard, and I’m a desk jockey granted I do a lot of building.

Sorry for the thread drift.
Want to build a 4th?
 

mcswny

Legend
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Want to build a 4th?
Happy to lend a hand!

There’s a forum for wood fired ovens (shocker) and they have a pretty in depth step by step guide on how to do it. The one tricky part is building the jig for the brick placement
 

Rob Allen

Life of the Party
Happy to lend a hand!

There’s a forum for wood fired ovens (shocker) and they have a pretty in depth step by step guide on how to do it. The one tricky part is building the jig for the brick placement

Giving the various cure times for all the pieces is this something a bunch of idiot fly fishers could show up at Evans house , start on a Friday afternoon, work through the weekend and have pizza on Sunday? Given such a desire on Evan's part of course..
 

mcswny

Legend
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Giving the various cure times for all the pieces is this something a bunch of idiot fly fishers could show up at Evans house , start on a Friday afternoon, work through the weekend and have pizza on Sunday? Given such a desire on Evan's part of course..
No, with all the various cure times, it’ll take a month or two. For instance the high heat mortar in the actual oven needs two weeks to cure before a very slow gradual fire over the course of 7 days to slowly draw out all the moisture in the mortar
 

Jim in Anacortes

Life of the Party
I dabbled into this a short while back. I watched a ton of you tubes. If I had a Lodge already, I would definitely sand the living hell out of it to make it as smooth as possible. But, I lucked out and found some very old pans for next to nothing at a rummage sale. The old ones are far superior, and the history and traditions of cast iron is fun to learn about. I have a square cast iron pan with "ridges". It is over 100 years old (handle markings dated it). When I cook a steak on it, the "grill marks" make me smile. Best indoor steak I can make and it's been working perfectly for over a century. I say Yeti Shmeti....go old school.
 

Rob Allen

Life of the Party
I dabbled into this a short while back. I watched a ton of you tubes. If I had a Lodge already, I would definitely sand the living hell out of it to make it as smooth as possible. But, I lucked out and found some very old pans for next to nothing at a rummage sale. The old ones are far superior, and the history and traditions of cast iron is fun to learn about. I have a square cast iron pan with "ridges". It is over 100 years old (handle markings dated it). When I cook a steak on it, the "grill marks" make me smile. Best indoor steak I can make and it's been working perfectly for over a century. I say Yeti Shmeti....go old school.

I routinely find Griswolds and Wagners at thrift stores under 10 dollars.. at antique stores you can find them for 20-50 dollars
They typically are black an gunky and really need the lye bath. Unfortunately they are usually 10" pans bigger ones are hard to find
 

Jim in Anacortes

Life of the Party
The subject of "seasoning" a cast iron pan is probably a barrier for those just beginning to use them. It is quite complex and is a mixture of folklore, science and alchemy. High heat combines the iron molecules with amino acids to transform them into complex polymers creating a non stick coating. Don't quote me on this, just off the top of my head and probably wrong, but you get the point. This is why the oils and butter come into play and further complicate the discussion. You tube will show you how to season a pan, but IMHO... starting with a very smooth surface is key.
 

nwbobber

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
I have several lodge pans, and if you cook on them and use a stainless spatula, in a couple years they are as smooth as any other. No need to sand, just use it. The Finex stuff is interesting to me and I would pay the extra being made here, if I needed one. Everything Yeti is suspect, as last time I looked at one of their overly expensive coolers it was marked "made in the Philippines". I don't mind paying more if it gives people here jobs, and there are American made products that are just as good, if not better, and less expensive. Has anyone checked what the country of origin is on the Yeti skillet?
Now if any one is interested, I could be tempted to sell my smooth as a babies butt 12" lodge skillet for just 350$. A lot of love went into it.
 

Evan B

Bobber Downey Jr.
Staff member
Admin
Giving the various cure times for all the pieces is this something a bunch of idiot fly fishers could show up at Evans house , start on a Friday afternoon, work through the weekend and have pizza on Sunday? Given such a desire on Evan's part of course..
That's a hypothesis I'm willing to put through testing
 
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Jim in Anacortes

Life of the Party
Some you tubers will show off their pan's level of non stickiness with fried eggs. But for me, that level as been elusive, especially if I am not paying close attention. So when I have stuck on food, I run hot water over it ( Sometimes boil water in it briefly) and then use my "chainmail" cleaning tool. For me, this tool is indispensable. I usually dry it on the stove and spray it while it's still warm with some oil or clarified butter.
 

Jim in Anacortes

Life of the Party
The pan I use the most is a fairly deep "10" frying pan. I have a glass lid that fits perfectly. This really helps with evenly cooking omelettes and keeping food nice and warm prior to plating.
 
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O' Clarkii Stomias

Landlocked Atlantic Salmon
Forum Supporter
Some you tubers will show off their pan's level of non stickiness with fried eggs. But for me, that level as been elusive, especially if I am not paying close attention. So when I have stuck on food, I run hot water over it ( Sometimes boil water in it briefly) and then use my "chainmail" cleaning tool. For me, this tool is indispensable. I usually dry it on the stove and spray it while it's still warm with some oil or clarified butter.
Ghee is the key for eggs!
 

Jim in Anacortes

Life of the Party
I had to look up Ghee (thanks O' Clarkii Stomias). Clarified butter is fun to cook with. Using regular butter in a cast iron skillet can easily result in a "burned" taste. Clarified butter can be cooked much hotter. I also like to put a bit on top of the steak once it is seared. I can't wait to get ahold of some Ghee.
 
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