I once bought a cast iron Dutch Oven over seas that was coated in some kind of penetrating wax. Couldn't wash it off, scrub it off, dissolve it off. We finally ended up building an out door charcoal fire, set the thing on top, and let it go until all the smoking stopped. Then scrubbed it, oiled it properly, and cured it in an oven.

if it still smokes then its not finished curing. ive used the bbq pit method as well to remove the wax on new pieces and also to cure. using your oven to do this will smoke up your house. i usually use old bacon grease to cure my iron.

I don't know if I remember this or was told about it I was, after all, very young.
My grandparents did not have electricity until several years after WWII. They cooked on a wooden stove and this caused tremendous buildup on the outside of the cast iron skillets. They also washed clothes outside and used a wash pot heated by burning wood logs under it.
So every now and then, they'd put the skillets into the fire and leave them during the days boiling. The burned-clean skillets which were then reseasoned.
Sounds like what david did more than half a century later.
Kay

I recommend the fire method above to clean the comal. That is what my mother always did. She taught me to cure the cast iron cooking utensils in the following manner.

Take a bit of Crisco on a strong paper towel (I like the microwaveable ones because they don't leave "lint") and rub it all over the utensil inside, bottom, sides, handle(s). Put the item in a slow oven (about 275) for approximately 8 hours. Every hour or so, pull the item out and very carefully go over it again with the paper towel (no more Crisco). This is a weekend project. It works perfectly every time.

He ended up using steel wool and elbow grease. I don't think he's heated it up yet to see if still smokes. Burning off the olive oil is what I would have done. Lard is what I've always used for seasoning my Griswolds and so did my mom before she gave them to me. And lard is what he's going to use too. Lard rules!!

Thanks for the input!

jt

since Crisco is reformulated to get rid of the transfats, it probably wouldn't work, although that was our cast iron seasoning of choise, too. Remember how we banned lard and butter for Crisco and margarine? Back to the basics -- Long live lard and butter.

I've actually used olive oil on my cast iron...yes, it smokes for a while, but there hasn't been an aftertaste. The next time I use Crisco or lard....and it is back to normal. I haven't ever scrubbed it down in between.