What's the best way to get rust off of cast iron?

If this were a cast iron skillet I'd give you one answer (and tell you to take better care of your skillets in the future - these are the best pans around and deserve great respect! ) but since it is a hibachi, the answer is different. Your cooking surface is probably a different metal than the body of the hibachi, and I'm guessing it is the bottom portion of the hibachi, where the coals rest, that has rust on it.

I don't like the harsh steel wool or brush approaches to preserving your cast iron. I'll tell you what I would do if it were my hibachi (and ironically, I have been looking around for a small cast iron hibachi, to grill for one, since my kids are going to be away at college & I won't need the big barbecue grill). Over the years I've cooked on a lot of steel and cast iron surfaces meant for coals or wood fuels (fire wood, presto logs, etc.).

I would remove the rust, if it is just spots, in a more subtle and perhaps scientific method. I would scrape all of the old ashes out of the hibachi with something non abrasive, like a wooden scraper of some sort. A paint stirring stick perhaps, because it has flat edges to get into corners.

I wouldn't use water on it at all, I would put a few twisted wads of newspaper and some fresh coals in the grill and light the fire. Barbecue if you want. When this fire is out and cold, I would carefully empty all of the ash and solids out of the grill and again use the wooden scraper to remove any food that might be stuck to it.

At the spots where you know the rust had started, scrape over it and be sure that the rust comes off with the ash. DON'T USE A DAMP ANYTHING ON IT. Use a little oil on some paper toweling or a rag and dab it at any places where there was rust, to keep moisture away from those spots.

As you use the grill you will re-season it and/or temper it, and you won't have a problem. But be sure not to let it get rained on or sit out in the dew or the same problem will come up again. With cast iron or steel, you're much better off "cleaning" by burning off the grease or food than by washing.

If you leave ash standing in a grill like this and it gets wet, the ash is like a sponge but it is also light and filled with air, so it will allow rust to form in spots quickly. Clean your hibachi after each use, and be sure you clean it when you put it away for the winter or moisture might settle in the ash and cause rust over the winter. Good luck with this--in a world that unfortunately views bigger as better, I find these little grills a wonderful way to give the grill/smoke flavor to meats or veggies without having to go to great lengths or burn more fuel than is necessary.

(I sometimes will cook over a small grill long enough to get the flavor, then finish in the oven. ).

I use steel wool to to get the rust off my cast iron and then use a wet rag to wipe off the powder. Once the rust is removed it is very important to get the iron very dry. I like to take an old towel to mine, it seems if I leave the iron to dry on its own it will get little rust spots, then I am back to square one.

The important thing is to keep your cast iron seasoned. Some people will recommend coating the grill with vegetable cooking oil or shortening and then cooking the oil in. Once your grill is seasoned don't use soap on it if possible.To clean just wash it in hot water and dry immediately.

Use a stiff bristle brush for cooked on food. After this is done I like to spray mine with a light coating of olive oil and then close it up.

I'm assuming that if your whole grill isn't rusted, there might be something coating the surface of the cast iron. Any cast iron will rust if exposed to water or air. Cast iron pots and skillets are seasoned with fat to create a coating that will block the surface of the cast iron and prevent rust.To remove rust, you can use a scrub brush or steel wool, either will do the trick.

I use steel wool to scrub my cast iron skillet before seasoning for the first time (they usually have a coating of food-grade wax to keep the rust away while in the store). If your cast iron grill has a paint coating, that makes things more tricky. You can scrub away the rust and then paint over the bare spot, but if even a speck of rust is left under that paint, it could grow and bubble under the paint.

The easiest way to clean it, as you said it's a small hibachi, is to take it to where they make tombstones. They will sandblast it clean for you for probably $5-10. After this coat it with oil for packing.

I have done this and even have brought them fenders and anything that fits in the booth and they are especially used to bikers bringing them fenders and tanks for paint. It will come back silver clean again. If you want to do it by hand then get some Brillo and scrub away.

You might need to steel brush it if it's really coated with rust first. Then when clean, same thing, coat it with oil for packing. But go for the sandblasting it's just to easy and once you do it you always will.

Brillo or steel wool is best. Having lots of cast iron pots and pans, I found that steel wool with non cirus dish soap works well. Or using old fashioned Brillo or SOS pads.

If its like a small grill or hibachi, that’s a bit tougher. Go to the hardware store and get a steel brush. It looks like a curved or straight big tooth brush.

Get one is heavy duty steel and one in either copper or brass. Then you can begin the cleaning process by using a good quality oven cleaner. Spray it all over with Oven cleaner and let it soak and then hose it off, scrub with both type sof brushes to really clean the baked on mess off.

When uts all clean, wash with DAWN and dry completely. Then apply a really good cooking oil to the entire surface after cleaning.

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