Tin can for a pot

yes it probably does have a coating. What was in it to start with?

There might be better options, though probably not any cheaper ones.

It was a Progresso Chicken noodle soup can.

Are the scorch marks actually black carbon? If you rub it with a piece of white cloth or paper towel, does it smudge the cloth?

The steel will discolor from the high temperatures you'll get when you heat a pot without water in it.

If you make sure there is always some water in the pot, it can't get any hotter than it did when the food that came in it was processed.

If you're worried about it, set your oven to the highest temperature possible (over 500) and bake the pot in it for a couple of hours. Then scrub it out with a steel wool pad to remove the coating.

Dennis,
There was a very comprehensive thread just a month ago, regarding this very subject.

I don't know how to search for it but perhaps you can find it.

There is a coating which is in most all food cans. You should never "cook" them dry. It might be best if you toss this one and search out the thread before going further.

They coat most cans with plastic now. But some foods they do not. You might be able to search on which foods are not in coated cans.