Dutch Oven

[WaHoo]

Watched a cool thing on tv last night: Dutch oven cookoff. Pretty amazing what people managed to get done in such a primitive way. I just wish they had mentioned how the hell they're estimating the temperature inside the pot since otherwise it's really nothing but cooking with indirect heat. Any clues?

Those ovens along with a charcoal smoker would make for a pretty cool outdoor kitchen. I'm drooling from the thought of fresh-baked rolls along with smoked trout right at the river...

[CMontyBurns]

<--- had something else in mind when you mentioned "dutch oven"
snicker

[Chalybos]

Bwahahahahahaa!!!!!!!!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'm thinking dual ovens, myself. :wink:

[Chairman_Kaga]

Watched a cool thing on tv last night: Dutch oven cookoff. Pretty amazing what people managed to get done in such a primitive way. I just wish they had mentioned how the hell they're estimating the temperature inside the pot since otherwise it's really nothing but cooking with indirect heat. Any clues?

Those ovens along with a charcoal smoker would make for a pretty cool outdoor kitchen. I'm drooling from the thought of fresh-baked rolls along with smoked trout right at the river...
Ever get one???
http://goneboating.net/cpgnuke/index.php?name=Recipes&action=viewrecipe&recipeid= 73

Dying for someone to tell me if it's worth it. Decent one is not cheap.

[SauerKraut]

Watched a cool thing on tv last night: Dutch oven cookoff. Pretty amazing what people managed to get done in such a primitive way. I just wish they had mentioned how the hell they're estimating the temperature inside the pot since otherwise it's really nothing but cooking with indirect heat. Any clues?

Those ovens along with a charcoal smoker would make for a pretty cool outdoor kitchen. I'm drooling from the thought of fresh-baked rolls along with smoked trout right at the river...


OK, it's easier than you think. I do this all the time when camping. We use to do this on the farm back home every weekend as well.

There are 3 simple ways to make sure the temperature is within safe and proper cooking limits so as either to not overcook the food, nor undercook it:

1. this is what I do most the time... the 2-charcoal briq rule... you take the size of your oven (i have a 14-inch oven) and you place that many charcoal briqs on the bottom, under the oven...you then take 2 out that you just placed, move them to the top of the oven and add the exact same amount you did for the bottom. Meaning, 14" pot has 12 briqs on bottom and 16 on top. This technique will maintain a temperature of 325 to 350 degrees, depending on the altitude (when I do this, it's usually at around 4,000ft or so I would imagine as I'm usually in the mountains). Now, if it's too hot or too cold, you move the briqs around or remove/add them. For every 2 briquettes added or subtracted to/from this the net change is about 25 degrees. And there you have a sure-fire method that always works.

2. Place a teaspoonful of flour in a small pie pan and put the pan inside a hot Dutch oven.
Place the lid on the oven and leave it for 5 minutes.
If the flour has not turned brown the oven is less than 300 degrees.
If the flour is light brown, the oven is about 350 degrees.
If the flour is dark brown, the oven is about 450 degrees.
Note: If the flour is dark brown after 3 minutes, reduce the heat, the oven is too hot to cook with (remove some briqs).

3. Buy a fricken oven thermometer! :D


There are a couple of other things to remember about temperature control. The first is that you should rotate your oven a third of a turn every ten minutes. And then rotate the lid a third of a turn the other direction. Next if you are baking bread, rolls, or cake remove the bottom heat after two thirds of the cooking time. It will finish cooking from the top heat. This will keep it from burning on the bottom.