DO Cooking

[TweetyBird]

I know I have seen something on here about how many coals to use on the top and bottom of the DO w/legs to get the correct temp but I'll be darned if I can find it again.  Please help if you can.

[griffsmom]

IIRC, the rule of thumb to maintain 350 degrees is take the diameter of the DO you're using and subtract 2 coals from the bottom and add them to the top.  In other words, if you're using a 12" DO, to cook at 350 degrees, use 10 coals on the bottom and 14 on the top.
 
 I think I've got that right.  Moose is camping this weekend, so he's not here to check my math.  If I've got it backwards, someone please correct me.
 
 Just one other caution--every 15 minutes, be sure to turn the bottom of the DO a quarter turn in one direction and the lid a quarter turn in the opposite directions to avoid hot spots and burnt food.

[mike4947]

Here's a few sites that'll give you more than you want to know about DO's and recipes for them.

http://www.idos.org/
 
http://www.ceedubs.com/
 
http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/index.htm
 
http://www.recipezaar.com/r/q=dutch+oven
 
http://www.lodgemfg.com/

[oldmoose]

mike4947 pretty well has it spelled out. I have the charcoal chart in MS Word if you want it. Enjoy your DO.
Moose

[towrod]

mike4947 pretty well has it spelled out. I have the charcoal chart in MS Word if you want it. Enjoy your DO.
Moose

Hi Moose - I'm going to buy a DO this week - can I get the Charcoal chart you mention?  
BTW I am going to buy the CampChef Lewis and Clark commemorative set that Costco is offering.... It is a 6 qt DO with a 10in Skillet and a 12in Square Griddle all pre seasoned.

[oldmoose]

When you buy the products made in China that are sold at Sam's, Costco, etc., be sure the lid fits snug. I was at Sportmart yesterday and saw the Texsport brand. The lids did not fit well.
 
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you as we've been camping and now I'm traveling for work.
 
Send me an email and I'll forward it to you.
 
Moose

[towrod]

When you buy the products made in China that are sold at Sam's, Costco, etc., be sure the lid fits snug. I was at Sportmart yesterday and saw the Texsport brand. The lids did not fit well.
 
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you as we've been camping and now I'm traveling for work.
 
Send me an email and I'll forward it to you.
 
Moose

The email is on the way  - I found a tight fighting lid after checking about 6 or 7 boxes - The set comes in a metal storage box and includes the 6qt DO, 10in skillet, 12in griddle and lifting tool - all pre-seasoned.  
It cost less than $30.00 so I don't think I can go TOO wrong with it.

[ForestCreature]

We bought the set that Costco had last year, Camp Chef. It's been a good set, can't complain. The price was the same but the contents were different. It had a griddle, 13" DO, 10" frying pan, Spoon rest size pan, lid lifter and a storage bag for the DO. It all came in a nice wooden box that we now use as a storage box for chips bread etc, things we don't want to get smashed.

[Chez Way]

IIRC, the rule of thumb to maintain 350 degrees is take the diameter of the DO you're using and subtract 2 coals from the bottom and add them to the top. In other words, if you're using a 12" DO, to cook at 350 degrees, use 10 coals on the bottom and 14 on the top.
 
I think I've got that right. Moose is camping this weekend, so he's not here to check my math. If I've got it backwards, someone please correct me.
 
Just one other caution--every 15 minutes, be sure to turn the bottom of the DO a quarter turn in one direction and the lid a quarter turn in the opposite directions to avoid hot spots and burnt food.

Lori,
Thank you for simplifying this for me...I thought each recipe had a different formula but this makes perfect sense.

[griffsmom]

Lori,
 Thank you for simplifying this for me...I thought each recipe had a different formula but this makes perfect sense.

Actually since I made that post I've decided that I use twice the number of coals as is the diameter of the DO, plus one.  In other words, if I'm cooking in a 12" DO, I figure the number of coals as 12 +12+1=25 coals.  
 
 I have also learned to resist the urge to look at something I'm baking until I can smell it.  Otherwise, when you open the lid to peek, it lets out the heat and lengthens the time it takes to cook.  For me, though, not peeking is so very, very hard!!!!

[Chez Way]

QUOTE=griffsmom]Actually since I made that post I've decided that I use twice the number of coals as is the diameter of the DO, plus one. In other words, if I'm cooking in a 12" DO, I figure the number of coals as 12 +12+1=25 coals.
 
I have also learned to resist the urge to look at something I'm baking until I can smell it. Otherwise, when you open the lid to peek, it lets out the heat and lengthens the time it takes to cook. For me, though, not peeking is so very, very hard!!!! [/QUOTE]
 
:eyecrazy: So the first formula was 24 and now you are saying 25...dare I ask where would you put that 25th coal (top or bottom?)

[unitydnk]

I scewed everything up because the charcoal I was using was bigger than normal...live and learn

[keeperdog]

moose,

Could I get the charcoal chart too?  

Thanks a million.

[dthurk]

I've found DO cooking to be wonderful.  The briquette formula is usually a rough guide starting point.  It needs to be adjusted somewhat due to outdoor weather conditions...temperature, wind speed, etc.  Mistakes are minimized, though, because of the length of cooking times, as the number of briquettes can be adjusted as you go.  Experience helps.  I use a metal hog feeding pan to set the oven in, then set that on three or so bricks.  I can cook on a picnic table or any other surface without danger (although I would avoid setting the rig on anything plastic).  The hog pan acts as somewhat of a wind screen and is cheap.  The best thing about DO cooking...DW thinks I'm doing something productive as I'm "working" the pot for an hour or 2!

[griffsmom]

I use a metal hog feeding pan to set the oven in, then set that on three or so bricks. I can cook on a picnic table or any other surface without danger (although I would avoid setting the rig on anything plastic). The hog pan acts as somewhat of a wind screen and is cheap.

Well.  Now there's an idea...repurposing things you already have as equipment for cooking with DOs inexpensively.  Hmmmm...maybe we should give that a try....Naw, we like our DO toys too much.  At this past January's Dutch oven gathering here in So Cal, out latest purchase was a wind screen for the DOs.  We've spent literally hundreds (and probably more) of dollars on our DO equipment--you know, things that we can't possibly live without.  And it's all my brother Moose's fault.  :p