Breaking in my new (to me) cast iron griddle


 
Michael Richards

Michael Richards

TVWBB Emerald Member
Already had the dinner planned and prepped before I went out to the antique store with the family when I got this amazing antique cast iron griddle, for 16 bucks!!!! I'm in love!!!!
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It just fits in the kettle!
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Tonight's dinner really felt like a classic summer cook, bbq shrimp and kielbasa, some dietz and watson deli franks, and oven potato wedges.
Here we are starting the sizzle. I put the slow n sear right through the middle of the kettle.
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Shrimp and kielbasa almost done.
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Getting the dogs "done"
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Everything's off the kettle.
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Close up on the bbq shrimp and kielbasa.IMG_20220227_180701821.jpg

Time to get the potatoes out of the oven.
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And the simple plate.
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It was a great simple Sunday dinner and I am excited to clean my new griddle and start to add my own seasoning to it, this guy is going to get a lot of use.
 
That is a seriously cool piece of cast iron. Great for your grill. I've never seen anything like that. Very functional. Are there any markings on it? Any chance that this was originally the top of a roaster and doubled as a griddle? That might be why it was cheap?
 
Scott Smith said:
That is a seriously cool piece of cast iron. Great for your grill. I've never seen anything like that. Very functional. Are there any markings on it? Any chance that this was originally the top of a roaster and doubled as a griddle? That might be why it was cheap?
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I have it in the oven right now adding a layer or seasoning, but I will take a picture of the bottom when it comes out. It has an 8 on the bottom. The tag read "first style antique cast iron griddle" this is what I was able to find on line after I got home. I do think it is designed as a griddle.
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Nice score! Looks like a nice addition to your set up.

Would absolutely be amazing if that’s from the 1800’s and you just cooked for your family on a Weber kettle.
 
I love the pour spout on it. The only griddle I have is 14" diameter which doesn't afford me much room to cook anything else beside it on my 22". $16 for a nice griddle - I would have had a hard time passing that up regardless of provenance
 
Thanks for the response. The mystery deepens. Could you put a straightedge across the inside and outside middle going across the short way and tell us if it has curvature or is dead flat? I ask because it appears to have raised bars across the outside to set on that suggest it might be curved and perhaps not a griddle. Great condition whatever it is. I also wonder if the spout was originally intended to collect condensed steam when if was used in the "lid" configuration and channel it somewhere. Also curious about the weight, thickness, and overall dimensions of this thing. To my thinking, the lack of a maker's name might imply that this was part of something bigger. The "8" is certainly a common size seen on pans, but those are all round - I don't get it. It is the kind of thing where somebody might crack and discard the bottom but keep this piece. The profile is also "bowl shaped", like a lid. Modern griddles are generally dead flat with a grease drain and about the right size rectangle to fit on a camp stove. I've never seen a roaster that big in cast iron, either - generally cast aluminum for more modern roasters, kettles, etc. That suggests to me that it really is a griddle, or that it is really old.

I suppose it could have been intended as a serving tray as well? If you pre-heated it, it could keep stuff warm at a tricky tray type event. Plus it looks bad-a$$.

I want one for $18, but not for $165.
 
I'm loving the way that thing looks. That is a mighty piece of cast iron! I'm following along to see if you find more information about it.
 
Michael Richards said:
Already had the dinner planned and prepped before I went out to the antique store with the family when I got this amazing antique cast iron griddle, for 16 bucks!!!! I'm in love!!!!
View attachment 46219

It just fits in the kettle!
View attachment 46221

Tonight's dinner really felt like a classic summer cook, bbq shrimp and kielbasa, some dietz and watson deli franks, and oven potato wedges.
Here we are starting the sizzle. I put the slow n sear right through the middle of the kettle.
View attachment 46222

Shrimp and kielbasa almost done.
View attachment 46223

Getting the dogs "done"
View attachment 46224

Everything's off the kettle.
View attachment 46247

Close up on the bbq shrimp and kielbasa.View attachment 46236

Time to get the potatoes out of the oven.
View attachment 46238

And the simple plate.
View attachment 46242

It was a great simple Sunday dinner and I am excited to clean my new griddle and start to add my own seasoning to it, this guy is going to get a lot of use.
Click to expand...
That's a fantastic meal. I'd call that the casual surf 'n turf.
 
Scott Smith said:
Thanks for the response. The mystery deepens. Could you put a straightedge across the inside and outside middle going across the short way and tell us if it has curvature or is dead flat? I ask because it appears to have raised bars across the outside to set on that suggest it might be curved and perhaps not a griddle. Great condition whatever it is. I also wonder if the spout was originally intended to collect condensed steam when if was used in the "lid" configuration and channel it somewhere. Also curious about the weight, thickness, and overall dimensions of this thing. To my thinking, the lack of a maker's name might imply that this was part of something bigger. The "8" is certainly a common size seen on pans, but those are all round - I don't get it. It is the kind of thing where somebody might crack and discard the bottom but keep this piece. The profile is also "bowl shaped", like a lid. Modern griddles are generally dead flat with a grease drain and about the right size rectangle to fit on a camp stove. I've never seen a roaster that big in cast iron, either - generally cast aluminum for more modern roasters, kettles, etc. That suggests to me that it really is a griddle, or that it is really old.

I suppose it could have been intended as a serving tray as well? If you pre-heated it, it could keep stuff warm at a tricky tray type event. Plus it looks bad-a$$.

I want one for $18, but not for $165.
Click to expand...
The number stamped on the CI relates to the openings on a wood stove. This allowed one to match the pan size to the stove opening . 8 = 8 7/8 inches.
 
Mark Foreman said:
The number stamped on the CI relates to the openings on a wood stove. This allowed one to match the pan size to the stove opening . 8 = 8 7/8 inches.
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Mark, you got me wondering. Could this have been a griddle made for the old kitchen wood or coal stoves where you could remove the lids from the top and the adjoining middle piece and insert this in the elongated hole front to back? See pic below.

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Mark and Richard -

That makes a great deal of sense. I would add that it might possibly have come with the stove, as it would need to fit the diameter of the two holes exactly as well as their center-to-center spacing.
 

I think you guys may really be on to something here. Check out around the 2:45 min mark when he starts to remove the plates, when he removes all three pieces, I really think my new piece may have fit right in there.
 
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