Dutch Oven question?

[HappyGirl]

I know a lot of people use this and while it seems like fun it is overwhelming to a camping newbie.  However, what about during the summer when there are fire bans or it is simply too hot to have a campfire.  What do you do?

[flyfisherman]

I know a lot of people use this and while it seems like fun it is overwhelming to a camping newbie.  However, what about during the summer when there are fire bans or it is simply too hot to have a campfire.  What do you do?

Use charcoal. Now, I have the "camp dutch oven", that's the bugger with the flat top and the three stubby legs. The regular dutch oven has the oval top and a flat bottom with no legs. Anyway, I have an old rusted cookie sheet that I set on the ground, place the bottom pieces on charcoal on the tin and the D.O. over those. And, of course, charcoal on the top, too. If I remember the formula correctly ... for baking @ 350 degrees ... multiply the size D.O. you have by two for the number of brickettes. I have a 10" D.O. ~ 10 X 2 = 20 charcoal brickettes. 1/3 goes under the D.O. and 2/3 on the lid of the D.O., or something like 7 under and 13 on top.



Fly

[wavery]

I know a lot of people use this and while it seems like fun it is overwhelming to a camping newbie.  However, what about during the summer when there are fire bans or it is simply too hot to have a campfire.  What do you do?

Hi Happy Girl,

The beauty of DO cooking is it's simplicity. Anything new can be intimidating.....even tying your shoes... .

DO cooking is simply putting the food in the DO, heating about 25-30 coals (depending on DO size), putting the coals under and on top of the DO, sit back, fill your favorite beverage and wait an hour.

Try it at home a few times, you'll be amazed at how easy and delicious it is. Clean-up is a snap if you line the DO with parchment paper.

Don't miss out.......it really is simple once you've done it.

[Skamper]

Ya, it's a lot easier then it looks.  I started out by putting already cooked ingredients out of the cooler in it, and basically just using the DO to heat stuff up.  That helped me really learn about how distance from the coals and coals on the lid affect the heat inside.  Once you learn that, it is easy to graduate to actually cooking raw ingredients and making meals from scratch.

[Spirit Deer]

Generally, if there is a fire ban, that will include charcoal fires.

It's hot to cook with a DO but you don't have to handle it that much so it's never been a problem for us.

I use a simpler method for figuring out how many coals go on a Dutch oven.  Simply place one ring of coals under the outside edge of the DO, minus three coals to leave spaces for the legs.  Then add one ring on top the lid, sides touching.  For 350 degrees, add a half ring, evenly spaced, on the lid inside the full outer ring.  IOW, you'd be leaving a space between the coals on the half ring.  For 400 degrees, use a full second ring instead of a half ring.  This will work with any size oven and any sized coals, no math or coal counting involved.  Using that coal layout also eliminates any need for turning lids or pots, always good when it's hot out.  Set it and forget it.  

For all you'll ever need to know about Dutch oven cooking, just click here.

DO cooking is shamefully simple and greatly expands your food options.  You do not need to use so-called "Dutch oven recipes".  Once you've mastered controlling the temp, which is easy using the ring method above, you can make anything you would make in your home oven.  We're particularly partial to Bisquick Impossibly Easy Pies because they're so quick and easy to throw together and bake up wonderfully in cast iron.

Good luck, have fun, and eat well!

[JohnandLeann]

We have just started using our DO as well.  We waited a couple of camping seasons 'cause we were intimidated about it also.  We made a couple of meals in it a couple weeks ago while we were camping, and just last night I made a meal at home. Everything that we have tried has came out good or  even great.  I look forward to learning how to do something without a recipe.  We did manipulate one of the recipes that we made by changing an ingredient or two and it was just fine.
Can't wait to develop more cooking skills with this new to us type of cooking.

Enjoy simple meals

[Spirit Deer]

I look forward to learning how to do something without a recipe.

Cook the same way you do at home!  There's nothing new to learn there.  If you don't need a recipe to cook at home, then you don't need one when cooking with your DO, either.

Mastery of DO cooking comes down to mastering temperature control.  It's that simple.  It's not the ingredients on the inside of the pot, it's the temperature around the outside.

[treephiz]

think of a dutch oven as a crock pot without a cord.  You just have to figure out the temperature.

[Daddie_Tom]

http://www.campchef.com/store/item/364/DOCOVER_dutch_oven_dome.html You can also use your camp stove with one of these kits..