A cast iron skillet on the grill changes how you cook. The Lodge Chef Collection is the right one to buy.
Regular Lodge skillets are fine. They heat unevenly, they’re rough, they take patience. The Chef Collection is machined smooth. Butter or oil glides across the surface instead of fighting texture. For searing on high heat, this matters. Crust forms faster, more reliably.
What you actually use it for
Sear a brisket flat in cast iron on the grill grates before smoking. Twenty-two minutes on side one, eighteen on side two, high heat the whole time. You get a crust that would take two hours in a smoker. Then throw the whole skillet in the smoker for the rest of the cook. No transfer. No lost heat.
Finish pork chops in the skillet after reverse searing. Cook vegetables while the meat rests. Make cornbread in it on the grill. The Chef Collection skillet isn’t just for searing.
Heat retention is as good as any cast iron. Once it’s hot, it stays hot. Oil or butter won’t smoke out. Temperature stability means you get consistent results every cook.
The drawbacks
It’s heavy. Eleven pounds. You’re not casually picking it up off the grill one-handed. You wash it while hot with a paper towel and a little oil. Never the dishwasher. The seasoning is good out of the box, but you’re still maintaining cast iron. That’s the deal with every cast iron skillet.
If you cook on a grill regularly, the Chef Collection is worth the space it takes up. Buy it.
