Can You Use Cast Iron On A Pellet Grill? [Tips & Tricks]

Using cast iron on charcoal grills isn’t out of the blue too. But how about pellet grills? Have you ever tried using cast iron for cooking something on them? But before you answer, it’s more important to ask; Can you use cast iron on a pellet grill safely?

Can You Use Cast Iron On A Pellet Grill?

The pellet grill, just like any other grill out there, won’t mind if you get a cast iron and put it over. Cast iron won’t damage the grill or change the temperature inside. Others suggest using cast iron because it provides constant heat to the food you’re cooking once inside the pellet grill.

can you use cast iron on a pellet grill

Cast iron can be used on pellet grills, campfires, and even in your kitchen oven. I’ve even used it for my Pit Boss, and it worked great!  

Everything is perfectly safe too. Stop being afraid of flare-ups, explosions, and charred food, as these won’t happen. By pairing cast iron with a pellet grill, what you’ll get are well-cooked dishes that are juicy, have a great texture and flavor, and don’t quickly get cold.

*This page contains affiliate links to products I recommend. If you purchase something from this page, I may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

How Many Cast Iron Fit Inside A Pellet Grill?

The next question is how many can fit inside. The number of cast iron that you may put inside a pellet grill largely depends on its type. You’ll find two kinds of pellet grill nowadays, the horizontal pellet grill and vertical pellet grill.

For a quick lesson on pellet grills, you might want the vertical type if you’re going after heat. Vertical pellet grills are hotter than horizontal pellet girls due to the grilling platform’s proximity to the pellet fire. This is also the reason why it has a better smoking performance.

As for the horizontal pellet grill, you might want it for slow grilling and slow smoking. Its spacious build doesn’t allow the heat to circulate evenly, leading to a relatively cooler interior. 

It’s also better than the vertical pellet grill if you’re smoking at least 4-8 dishes at once.

Let’s go back to the subject. I’ll assume that you’ll be using medium-sized cast iron for the pellet grill. 

Here’s an on-point illustration of how many will fit inside a vertical type:

  • 2-3 medium-sized cast irons should fit on 300-500 square inch pellet grill
  • 4-5 medium-sized cast irons should fit on 700-820 square inch pellet grill
  • 6-8 medium-sized cast irons should fit on 900 square inch pellet grill

On horizontal pellet grills, how many can fit depends on the number of the grilling platform. 

Horizontal pellet grills might have 2 – 6 grilling platforms max, and each can hold up to 2 medium-sized cast iron. Following this logic, you can put six cast iron on a horizontal pellet grill with three grilling platforms, eight on a horizontal pellet grill with four grilling platforms.

Finally, your cooking skills also determine the number of cast irons to put on the surface of the pellet grill. 

This is simple. Why would you put six cast irons at the same time if you can’t keep up? So to help you choose, get a small pellet grill if you’re a beginner, check out our recommended products page if you’re shopping for a pellet grill.

If you have a family, get a medium-sized pellet grill. Finally, don’t buy a large pellet grill unless you’re running a sandwich, roast, or grill restaurant.

What’s The Best Kind of Cast Iron for Pellet Grills?

If this is your first time cooking on your pellet grill with cast iron, start with something like this pre-seasoned cast iron grill pan. It’s perfect for cooking on all types of surfaces, even grills. 

You can cook practically anything, as it is perfect for sauteing, baking, braising, frying, and broiling. Not only that, but the built-in heat retention makes it easy to cook your foods evenly without any effort on your part. 

What’s The Best Kind of Pellet For Using Cast Iron On the Pellet Grill?

You have two choices, oak pellets or hickory pellets. Oak pellets provide a lot of heat (about 500 degrees or more). You might want to use this if you don’t want to preheat the pellet grill for long. 

It’s also advantageous if you’re not after smoke. Don’t worry because oak doesn’t make the surface too hot for cooking, as there’s a temperature control that prevents this.

Hickory pellets are ideal for flavor and smoke. Hickory pellets don’t burn as hot as oak pellets. However, they provide the dishes with a classic BBQ aroma. 

It’s ideal if this is your first time using cast iron over a pellet grill. Controlling heat from hickory pellets is comparably easier than controlling the heat from oak pellets.

You might want to try Traeger flavored pellets too. These work as well as hickory pellets when it comes to providing aroma and flavor for the food. 

Traeger doesn’t ignite well, nonetheless. It produces a wonderful smoke but struggles in providing consistent heat.

What to Cook In A Cast Iron On Pellet Grill?

The sky is the limit, meaning, you can grill anything in a cast iron using your pellet grill. Many have claimed that steak is better cooked via cast iron on a pellet grill. 

Reddit community member said the steak has a more luscious exterior with cast iron than when you cook it directly on the grilling platform. The steak’s natural oils also don’t go to waste since they don’t drip but stay on the cast iron instead, thereby soaking the meat. And because of this, the steak will have a deeper and richer taste.

You can also try cooking a cast iron pizza on the pellet grill. Cast iron conducts heat well. And this provides the pizza with a brown and crispy crust. 

Furthermore, the toppings will have a very oozy texture, especially if there are cheese and a hefty amount of thickly made tomato sauce.

How Do You Clean Cast Iron?

Most cast-iron at present has a nonstick surface. This means that you’ll be fine washing them with only soap, a sponge, and water. Avoid using a rough material for washing, such as a steel wool sponge, for it may remove the nonstick cast iron’s nonstick coating.

If you happen to overcook something or are dealing with greasy food, wipe the interior with paper towels to remove excess food and oil. Rinse under hot water while scrubbing with a non-abrasive scrub brush or nonmetal brush.  

There are myths around the Internet that you can’t use soap to wash cast iron because dish soap isn’t an effective method for cleaning cast iron. 

However, according to The Kitchn, dishwashing soap won’t remove the skillet seasoning, and it’s OK to use soap. However, if you love your cast iron and don’t want to expose it to soap, use kosher salt instead. 

Also, wait for the cast iron to cool down before wetting it with water. 

Wetting it with cold water while it’s hot might cause it to expand and crack. This act might also promote rusting. Take the cast iron from the pellet grill and put it somewhere out of children’s reach before washing.

Final Word

Cast iron is highly versatile and can be used to cook on your pellet grill. Cooking on a pellet grill is similar to cooking in your oven. The difference is you’re cooking outside.

The next time you grill something on your pellet grill, look up some cast iron recipes for pellet grills. If you can’t find any, try cooking some garlic butter grilled potatoes in your cast iron. 

Cooking potatoes in a skillet on the pellet grill taste great!

Related Articles

Skip to content