| I enjoy cooking with a Dutch oven, whether it be over | | | | requires you to make a place outside of the campfire |
| a campfire or a camp stove. There is an art to | | | | to place your coals for the Dutch oven. If you don't do |
| cooking in a Dutch oven. Once you get the hang of it | | | | this and leave the Dutch oven in the fire pit with the |
| you can cook or bake anything that can be cooked or | | | | fire burning you will probably end up with the food |
| baked in your modern kitchen at home. | | | | burned on the side closest to the fire. |
| I have baked rolls, cake and even pizza in a Dutch | | | | I usually use a fire pan of some kind, the lid of a metal |
| oven. One dish meals such as stews and soups are | | | | garbage can works great, to put the coals in. That |
| the best when made in a Dutch oven. Meat, even the | | | | makes for easy clean up of the ashes and you don't |
| cheapest cuts can be made tender and delicious in a | | | | have coals and ashes scattered all over your |
| Dutch oven. | | | | campsite. |
| There are a few tricks concerning the cooking source | | | | Cooking with wood coals requires some skill learned |
| that are important to successful Dutch oven cooking. | | | | by experience to determine the proper temperature |
| They can make the difference between undercooked | | | | for the food you are cooking. There are different |
| or burnt food. | | | | types of wood that make better coals than others. |
| When I am preparing a meat dish such as ribs, chicken | | | | Usually we don't have the luxury of having the best |
| or roast, I like to brown the meat in the Dutch oven on | | | | wood available every time and just use what is |
| a camp stove. Then the flavor from the browned | | | | available. So it takes a little more watching to make |
| meat is in the Dutch oven and adds to the taste of the | | | | sure the dish you are preparing gets properly done. I |
| finished product. Also this gets the Dutch oven hot so | | | | don't worry about this too much when cooking meats |
| when it is placed on the coals, they maintain the heat | | | | and stews. This may be more of a problem when |
| and energy isn't lost trying to heat the Dutch oven up. | | | | baking products such as cakes and rolls. The correct |
| The heat for Dutch oven cooking can't be too hot or | | | | and consistent temperature is more important when |
| too cool. To take a line from the three bears, it must | | | | baking so the item doesn't burn or become under |
| be, "just right." This might seem hard to determine, but if | | | | cooked. Doughy rolls or soggy cake is a real |
| you are using charcoal briquettes it as easy as | | | | disappointment after all the work you go through to |
| counting the number of briquettes to put under and on | | | | make them. |
| top of the Dutch oven. | | | | You can also just use a camp stove and not have a |
| Put as many briquettes under the Dutch oven as it | | | | fire or coals at all. This works great with one dish |
| size and two more than that number on the lid. That | | | | meals and dishes with a lot of moisture in them. A |
| will give you a temperature of 350 degrees. For | | | | camp stove doesn't work that great for baked items |
| example if you are using a size 12 Dutch oven put 12 | | | | though because there isn't any heat on the lid. |
| bricketts under the Dutch oven and 14 on the lid. If you | | | | The best thing to do is just try it find Dutch oven recipe |
| are baking anything I recommend using bricketts. | | | | that looks good. They are on the internet or in special |
| If you are using a campfire you need to burn the | | | | Dutch oven cookbooks. Follow the instructions and you |
| wood down to coals and use the coals to heat the | | | | will have a great meal that tastes better than anything |
| Dutch oven. I like to keep a campfire burning to replace | | | | you have ever cooked before. Especially if you cook it |
| coals as needed. Usually ever 30 to 40 minutes. This | | | | while camping in the mountains. |