Outdoor Adventure USA

Dutch Oven Cooking - Easier than it looks.
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Dutch Oven Basic Gear
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Good Eats from the Dutch Oven
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Ways to fully utilize your Dutch Oven and other cast iron cookware.

The great thing about all cast iron is that it can be used on any cooking surface or heat source.
1. Over a camp fire
2. Charcoal underneath and on top
3. Buried in the ground with coals as above
4. On propane stove
5. Double or triple stacked with coals
6. On a home natural gas or induction stove
7. In your home oven. Cast iron can go from stove top to oven.
8. Dutch oven can be used like an oven with another pan inside.

Here are a few pictures of their many uses.

Dutch oven recipes:

Brownies
In 12” dutch Lightly greased at a temp of 350 F Layer the following:
1. 3/8” thick layer of chocolate chip cookie dough. Either home made or store purchased.
2. Firmly press an even layer of Oreo cookies into cookie dough filling any voids with broken Oreos. You will need about 2 sleeves. At this point you will want to consume any left over cookies.
3. Here is where you have a decision to make. You can now add a thin layer of peanut butter to the top of each cookie or drizzle Carmel over the cookies if you would like.
4. Cover this layer with brownie mix prepared to directions on box.

Cook for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out mostly clean. Do not over bake.

Serve warm or cool and place in plastic bag. These will keep Un-refrigerated for about a week if they last that long.

Recipes

Bratwurst and peppers

1. Brown Bratwurst in an oiled Dutch oven. Remove and set aside.
2. Add I little more oil and lightly brown bell pepper, onions and mushrooms if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Return Brats to dutch oven and add apple juice, beer or stock to partially cover.
4. Keep heat to a simmer.
5. Serve as is or on a hoagie roll with mozzarella or provolone.
This dish keeps for a long time kept warm so is great for Large groups or late arrivals.

Jack, John and I used the remaining veggies the next morning in our omelets. Fantastic!

Chicken and vegetables.
1. The chicken is Costco vacuume packed rotisserie.
Brown in oil quickly and remove from pan
2. Add sliced or chopped vegetables of your choice to pan and season with Italian seasoning mix.
3. Add milk or half and half to the vegetables along with crushed garlic and Parmesan cheese. This will make your sauce.
4. Add chicken and rice. You may omit the rice and serve over pasta.
Serve with garlic bread and Caesar Salad and garlic bread.

As I mentioned, this recipe is easy to upscale and if you use precooked meat and rice along with sliced veggies from home, it is very quick to prepare.

Useful Dutch Oven tools
I use an old bbq burner grate temporarily affixed to the lid to allow me to use a variety of cast iron pans on the lid at the same time.

Other tools
1. Standard cheap metal tongs will allow you to add coals in tight
Spaces.
2. Chainmail scraper and plastic scrapers.
3. Lid lifter. Useless with the grate on top.
4. Leather Gloves are also important.
5. Collapsable charcoal chimney
6. I made a leather cover for my cast iron pots.
7. An aluminum cake pan with straight sides is useful for
Containing the coals as directing the heat upwards . It also
Makes moving the entire setup possible.
8. I usually keep a pair of Vise Grips or other plies on hand
To move things around.

Just a quick bit about charcoal starters:
I do not like to use accelerants like lighter fluid or charcoal starting fluid. Instead, I use a chimney with kindling to start the charcoal.

The problem this method poses is the transportation of a bulky charcoal starter chimney. As I searched for alternatives I found several folding chimneys but the one I like the best is the one shown below. It is constructed of stainless steel and folds completely flat. Works great and folds up flat after use (and after cooling) so there is no mess and I no longer worry about smashing the chimney during transport.

Click Here to find it on Amazon.

Here are a few pictures I took of the chimney.
On last note about Briquettes: For what it is worth, I use Kingsford Charcoal Briquettes. There are many good brands and I having nothing against any of them. Just found one I like and I have stuck with it. There is debate about the standard briquettes or professional version. I don't think that matters as much as how you use them. I would recommend using the same brand and type so that you can get used to their performance (temperature, burn characteristics, etc). Just my 2 cents!

Charcoal

While talking with Tom about this net, I mentioned a problem I had with Kingsford "Professional" (previously "Competition") charcoal and the Dutch oven. Kingsford Professional briquettes cost around 70 cents per pound (Costco). Kingsford Original cost around 50 cents per pound (Home Depot). More "professional" must be good, especially if it costs more! Right?!?!?

I used a chart such as below to determine the number of briquettes and placement:
I can't remember what I was making, maybe a multi-hour pot roast, but everything seemed to be cooking/bubbling okay, though I needed more charcoal than expected as the Professional seemed to burn out faster.

When I was done, I noted that the food at the bottom was burned.

Tom found an article that explained this: Review: Original vs Competition Kingsford Charcoal

The Competition (now "Professional") briquettes in fact burn hotter initially, but then get cool faster, while the Originals provide a more even heat for longer time.
The Professionals (and other lump charcoals) are may be great for grilling, but might not follow the heat output curve that Dutch oven charcoal charts expect.

Check in please - Thanks - Bernie

Please check inn
K9ATK BRIAN
K9FOG TRISH
KD0RHA TYLER
KD0EXI CHEYENNE
KD0GPE AUSTIN
THANks