RE: Dutch oven heating question

[mikewilley]

 
I have not used a dutch oven since I was a boy scout (30 years, give or take).  I seem to be having a problem getting it hot.  I have been putting it on top of white hot coals that are on the ground in my fire circle and covering with white hot coals.
 
 I have been using the coal counting method of getting the temp up to where it needs to be, but even when I use substantially more coals than I should need, it still does not seem to be coming up to temperature properly.
 
 Do I need to get my bottom coals up off the ground?  If so, with what?
 
 Can anyone guess what I may be doing wrong (I know you can t see what I am doing, but I can provide further description if it might help.)?
 
 Thanks in advance for all the great input I know I will get.
 
 cheers,
 mike

[AustinBoston]

 mikewilley
By coals, do you mean wood embers, or charcoal?
 
 The easiest formula is to use " +3 up, -3 down"  to get an oven that is aproximately 350 degrees.  That is, for a 12"  oven, add 12+3=15 coals on top and 12-3=9 coals on the bottom for 350 degrees F.  Each additional coal will add 20-25 degrees.
 
 This works best when using Kingsford regular charcoal (NOT match-light).  Other brands may work, they may burn too hot, or (most likely) they will go out when not right against each other, resulting in a cold oven.
 
 BUT:
 
 * On windy days, the carcoal will burn hotter, but the iron will give off heat faster.  The net result is usually (but not always) a cooler oven.
 * High humidity will affect temperature, but I can t remember whether it increases or decreases the burning temp of the coals.
 * Different brands of dutch ovens have different wall thicknesses.  We use Lodge, which seems to have an average to slightly thin wall.  Maca ovens have a relatively thick wall.  Imported no-name ovens tend to have very thin walls (but not always).  The thicker the oven walls (including lid and bottom), the longer it takes to preheat the oven, but the more even the heat (and the longer they stay hot when the heat is removed).
 * Use more bottom heat and less top heat for high-liquid foods (such as soups and stews)
 * Use less bottom heat and more top heat for dryer foods (such as breads, rolls, or cakes), and use 2/3 timing (take away all bottom heat 2/3 of the way through cooking).
 * Turn the oven 1/3 of a rotation every 10-15 minutes, and turn the lid 1/3 of a rotation in the opposite direction.  This reduces or prevents " hot spots"  that can scorch or burn.  Never put coals exactly in the center of either the lid or bottom because they won t move when you turn the oven, and you ll get a hot spot.
 
 Austin

[mikewilley]

 AustinBoston
Thanks for the tips Austin! Glad to see you got back your posting priveledges[]
 
 I found out about the Matchlight problem the hard way.  I have been using the formula you used, but now that I think about it my oven is a 14 inch, so I should probably use 30% more coals, right?
 
 BTW, do you put the bottom coals directly on the ground inside your fire ring, you didn t say in your reply.
 
 Thanks loads!

[AustinBoston]

 mikewilley
We are addicted to more than one thing...and one of them is Dutch Oven cooking.
 
 We started off with a small stand.  It was a piece of heavy gauge sheet steel with the edges turned up, and three legs (about 6 inches long).  We put the coals on that, and would put that in various places...on the ground, in the fire ring, even on the picnic table!  It worked well for one oven.
 
 We re now up to three, and that little stand isn t even enough for the charcoal starters.  The ovens have their own table, the Lodge table with wind screens on three sides.  We can get all three ovens set up on there, separately or stacked.
 
 I suspect that putting coals directly on the ground would rob heat.  I have heard others say that putting the coals directly on cinder blocks do rob heat.  The general wisdom is that adding a layer of HD aluminum foil will solve the heat loss problem with cinder blocks, so it might work with the ground/fire ring as well.  OTOH, we have used a 1-1/4"  piece of granite (left-overs from a countertop) with no noticeable heat loss.
 
 You might try asking this on one of these D.O. forums:
 http://www.kamperskettle.com/forum/
 http://www.idos.com/phorum/list.php?f=4
 
 I have never posted at the IDOS forum, and suspect that you may need to be a member of IDOS (the International Dutch Oven Society).
 
 Austin

[oldmoose]

 mikewilley
I tend to agree with AustinBoston on the coals. Lodge has a chart for the coals which I have in MSWord. If you want a copy, please email me and I ll send it to you. I have 13 Dutch ovens, but usually use my 10" , a couple of 12"  and my 14" . I do use the lid of my 16"  for making quesadilla s though.

[DBGCAMP]

 mikewilley
If you don t want to invest in or transport a DO specific table ...
 
 We use galvinized oil pans from Target. They are only 3 or 4 dollars each, can be nested and easily transported, make for a more efficiant burning of the coals, and keep the ashes under control.  
 
 We always take 2 ... We can work with more than one oven (without stacking) and if it rains, we can set one of the pans over the top of the oven to prevent the rain from extinguishing the coals.