Between the inviting aromas, communal vibes or ease of cleanup, cooking on the grill just feels good. That is, until your veggies, seafood or hard-earned drippings disappear through the grill grates. Enter the cast-iron skillet: your secret weapon for expanding what’s possible outdoors. It holds heat like a dream, delivers an incredible sear and lets you cook everything from delicate fish to saucy sides without ever returning to the kitchen. Here’s how to use a cast-iron skillet on the grill like a pro.

Think Beyond the Grates

A cast iron skillet should be considered an essential accessory to any grill, says Kris Stubblefield, resident chef of Lodge Cast Iron. “Using a skillet on the grill really transforms it into an outdoor kitchen, giving more control, flexibility, and a lot more opportunity to cook creatively outside. Whether you’re working with gas, charcoal or even over a campfire, cast iron skillets improve your grilling routine.”

While grill grates limit you to foods that can hold their shape, “cast iron opens the door to veggies, seafood, sauces, and sides without worrying about anything falling through the cracks,” he adds. The fun begins in menu planning, when cast-iron skillets allow you to dream bigger. Why grill hot dogs when you can have chili cheese dogs? On taco night, a cast-iron skillet means you can have queso to boot. The inherent limitations of a grill don't have to dampen your imagination or your appetite.

Preheat Your Skillet

One of the greatest features of cast iron is how well it holds heat. This attribute makes light work of searing any protein, from delicate seafood to thick, bone-in steaks. But to achieve the deep char known as Maillard reaction on grilled meats, it is essential to thoroughly preheat your skillet, just like you would indoors.

“Great grilling isn’t about doing more, but doing less better," says David Nathans, the executive chef of Stissing House, a historic Hudson Valley restaurant known for its live-fire cooking and ingredient-driven menus. "Allowing your cast-iron skillet proper time to preheat is the simplest way of improving the flavor and texture of proteins cooked on the grill.”

Just remember to use grill gloves or long-handled tools when you grill on a cast-iron skillet. Always assume the handle is hot, because once cast iron is hot, it stays that way!

Learn Your Heat Zones

Just like most ovens, some areas of grills get hotter than others. “Generally, the middle and back of the grill will be the hottest, while the heat on the edges will be weaker," Stubblefield says. "You can control the heat by moving your cookware closer or further from the heat source.”

Once you’ve identified the hotter and cooler zones of your grill, use them to your advantage by “searing in a cast iron skillet over the hot zone and then moving the skillet to the cooler zone to continue cooking slowly," suggests Nathans. This lets the Maillard reaction develop gradually, resulting in a very even char and intense flavor.

See Your Skillet as Security

Skillets provide security against more than just the loss of small ingredients between grates. By bringing your cast-iron skillet to the grill, you prevent unwanted odors in your home, overreactive smoke detector alarms, and dangerous grill flare-ups. Cooking methods such as deep fat frying or high-heat searing are better suited to the outdoors, and your home will smell all the better for it. Next time you are craving fried chicken, try frying in a cast-iron skillet on the grill—and enjoy some al fresco dining while you are at it.

Nothing beats a beautifully seared grilled steak, but no one wants to smell it later. With a cast-iron skillet on the grill, gone are the days of greasy aromas lingering in your home or on your curtains. “A good, fatty steak is best done in a skillet because you do not worry about flare ups from the fat catching fire" on the grill, Nathan says.

Build Flavor with “Extras”

Want one of the smartest ways to use a cast-iron skillet on the grill is as a sidekick. While your protein cooks on the grates, use the skillet to make caramelized onions, buttery mushrooms or blistered peppers. Stubblefield often cooks in a skillet alongside whatever is on the grates, he says. "It’s perfect for caramelizing onions for burgers and brats, or sautéing mushrooms in butter until they’re deeply browned. Those little extras take a meal from good to great, and being able to do it all outside is the best part.”

Nathan agrees. “If your grill has a lid, you can easily make it into an oven or smoker. Move the flames, coal or wood to one side to create an area of indirect heat, perfect for baking cornbread or roasting shellfish." You can also fill your cast-iron skillet with wood chips that have been soaked in water, he says. Place it on the grill directly over the heat source while cooking a pork shoulder or beef ribs to impart deeper flavors.

Don’t Forget Breakfast (Yes, Really!)

The grill isn’t just for dinner. A cast-iron skillet makes it easy to take breakfast outside. “In the warmer months, I love turning the grill into a full family breakfast feast," says Stubblefield. "Bacon and eggs in one skillet, pancakes in another, and some crispy hash browns to round things out,” he says. Similarly, one of Nathan's favorite ways to use cast-iron skillets on the grill is to make, “a simple fried egg in lots of fat from whatever you were cooking before.” If you feel that a breakfast feast is incomplete without some sausage gravy, that too is ridiculously simple to prepare on a grill.

Once you start using your cast-iron skillet on the grill, don’t be surprised if it never makes it back to your stovetop. With just one piece of cookware, your grill becomes more versatile, more forgiving and a whole lot more fun to cook on.

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