Dutch Oven Cooking Basics, Essentials And Recipes!

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1 Basics, Essentials And Recipes! By Tim Dales

2 Table of Contents DUTCH OVEN BASICS WHICH ONE TO PICK?... 2 DUTCH OVEN SIZE CHART...3 DUTCH OVEN COOKING... 4 COOKING AREA... 5 HOW TO GET THE TEMPERATURE RIGHT... 5 COOKING TEMPERATURE CHART...6 COOKING TIPS... 7 HOW TO CLEAN AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR DUTCH OVEN... 7 DUTCH OVEN ESSENTIALS KIT... 8 QUICK AND EASY RECIPES... 9 SCOUT BREAKFAST...9 DUTCH OVEN VEGETABLES...9 POT ROAST...10 EASY CHICKEN AND RICE...10 PEACH COBBLER...11 Copyright 2007 Tim Dales. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied, reproduced or redistributed in any manner, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including copied, reproduced or redistributed, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations included in a review. Page 1

Dutch Oven Cooking Basics, Essentials and Recipes Since the Mayflower and the beginning of colonial times, Americans have used cast iron pot and pans, and the Dutch oven.

Throughout Europe the black iron cookware was used extensively and prized by most who had them.

3 Dutch Oven Cooking Basics, Essentials and Recipes Since the Mayflower and the beginning of colonial times, Americans have used cast iron pot and pans, and the Dutch oven. From the wagon train to the Gold Rush miners the cast iron Dutch oven was a highly regarded and prized possession. Throughout Europe the black iron cookware was used extensively and prized by most who had them. England was the chief exporter of the cast iron cookware and used its worldwide naval trading routes to spread this amazing product throughout the world. So, it s not surprising that the early pilgrims had them in America. It s reported that the name Dutch came from the early American Dutch peddlers who traveled from door-to-door selling household goods including this baking oven. Paul Revere, a blacksmith, was credited with crafting the flat-topped oven lid with the lip flange and the three legs on the bottom so you can put a fire source underneath and on top and make it a baking oven. Dutch ovens were considered to be so valuable that they were passed down from generation to generation. It was reported that George Washington s mother treasured her cast iron cookware so much that she listed it in her will. Clearly, this cooking marvel helped forge the backbone of early settlers in America and other parts of the world. Today there seems to be a revival of this cooking style not only for the usual hunters, fisherman, and campers, but now families are using them in their kitchens and backyards. There's something about lifting the Dutch oven lid and letting the wonderful smells float around the camp or neighborhood that causes many people to follow their noses to your food! For the purposes of this book, we will focus on the outdoor version that can be used for camping and any other outdoor mealtime activity. Dutch Oven Basics Which One To Pick? For outdoor cooking, it is important to select the "camp" or "outdoor" Dutch oven that has the three legs on the bottom and the flanged lid. The legs are there to create a space under the oven for campfire coals or charcoal briquettes, and the flanged lid is there to catch the coals from falling off the lid, thereby giving you the required heat for your meal to cook evenly inside the oven. The picture on the left shows a traditional cast iron cooking oven (far left) and a Dutch oven. I use both when I camp. But for our purposes we want the one on the right! Page 2

The Scout Troop I work with has a 12 and 14, which serves 14-20 Scouts. Here s a handy chart that shows the capacity of the various oven sizes.

4 Dutch ovens come in a number of different sizes depending on your family needs. They range in size from the small 8" oven all the way up to a 16". Unless you re planning to cook for a large group of people, I have found the 10 and 12" ovens to be adequate for the majority of outdoor use. I have a 10 and I get 4-6 servings out of it. The Scout Troop I work with has a 12 and 14, which serves Scouts. Here s a handy chart that shows the capacity of the various oven sizes. Dutch Oven Size Chart Dutch Oven Size Capacity Campers Served 8 2 quarts quarts quarts quarts First things, first. When you get a new Dutch oven you must cure or season it so it will last for many years. Sure, you can get a factory-seasoned one, but you still need to know how to do this in case your already seasoned Dutch oven requires re-seasoning due to lack of care. Or, say you were given an old one and you want to bring it back to life! So, this is important information to have. I know you re all excited and want to cook something in it immediately, but you will have to wait a little so you can properly season the Dutch oven. Want a Dutch oven? Click here to get one! If you purchased a new Dutch oven it will be coated at the factory with a preservative that you need to remove with some hot, soapy water and a rag. Rinse thoroughly, dry it off and get some paper towel and some vegetable oil, like Cisco. Spread the vegetable oil with the paper towel all over the inside and outside of the entire Dutch oven, including the lid and legs. Page 3

Set your oven's temperature for 350 F and bake the Dutch oven and lid for at least one hour. Turn the oven off and let everything cool. Your oven is now seasoned and ready for use!

5 Place the Dutch oven and lid upside down on the top rack of your kitchen oven. Put aluminum foil or a cookie sheet on the lower rack so that any excess oil can drain onto it and not onto the heating element. Set your oven's temperature for 350 F and bake the Dutch oven and lid for at least one hour. Turn the oven off and let everything cool. Your oven is now seasoned and ready for use! If your Dutch oven is already seasoned, then you won t need to go through the seasoning steps. Simply use hot (not soapy) water and a rag to clean the oven. And always dry your Dutch oven thoroughly before storing it away, so it won t rust! Dutch Oven Cooking Whether you have a seasoned oven or not, you should prepare the cooking surfaces by oiling or spraying it with vegetable oil before you start cooking. Be sure to cover all the interior surfaces and don t forget the underside of the lid. OK, now we are ready to get the fuel for the oven. Although you can use campfire coals as fuel for your Dutch oven, we re going to use charcoal briquettes since they burn longer and it s easier. We are all about easy when we re cooking on a campout! So whether you are a beginner or accomplished Dutch oven cook, charcoal briquettes make it easier and gives you better control over the heat. As campgrounds in State and National parks continue to restrict the gathering of firewood and building open fires, this is another good reason to use briquettes. So, get yourself some good quality charcoal so it will burn longer and give off more consistent heat for your winning recipes. Traditionally, you can make yourself a pile of charcoal, lightly sprinkle some lighter fluid, light it up and wait. Or you can get a charcoal chimney, which is a cool gadget that I use for quickly starting my charcoal without a fuss. Some of you may have seen one of these, but for those who haven t here s a picture of one. Simply pour the charcoal in the top and put a crumpled up piece of newspaper underneath, sprinkle on a small amount of lighter fluid, light it through the holes and in 5-10 minutes you have great coals ready to be placed around your Dutch oven meal! Note: If you are cooking something that takes longer than 45 minutes or so, you will need to add more hot coals. This chimney is great for quickly creating a batch of hot coals to keep the oven cookin. Page 4

6 Cooking Area It s always good to find an area to put your Dutch oven that has some shelter from winds or drafts, so the coals will last longer. You can create a windbreak by placing some rocks in a perimeter around the oven. Sometimes I clean out a fire pit in the campground and place it in there. Or if you camp where there is a three sided BBQ with a removable grill you can place the oven and coals in there. Either way try to find a sheltered place that your recipe can cook without wind or the risk of getting kicked over. How To Get The Temperature Right This is the fun part that I have found a lot of conflicting information about. Using charcoal briquettes - some say each coal gives off 10 F of heat, - others say as high as 25 F of heat. So, if you have a recipe that calls for 350 F, do you add 35 briquettes or 10? Big difference. And, to make it more complicated, the size of the Dutch oven comes into play here too. A larger, say 14, will require more briquettes to heat to 350 F than a 10 oven. The fact is, either number will work, it will just take longer to cook with 10 briquettes, and with 35 you must be prepared to watch your oven so the food won t burn. So, after some trial and error I recommend using 15 F for every charcoal briquette. If the recipe calls for 350 F then I use about 24 coals. This is about as scientific as you can get with the heat. Charcoal briquette placement, rotation and replenishment are the other factors you can control that will improve the cooking heat, time and meal success. Placement - When the coals and your tasty recipe are ready to cook, place 1/3 of the coals in a random ring pattern about 1/2 under the bottom of the oven. Place the other 2/3 of the coals in a random pattern on the lid. So, in my example of 24 coals, I would place 8 coals underneath and 16 on the lid. Page 5

7 Why you say? Hot Air Rises one of the Laws of Physics. Therefore more coals are needed on the top to put the correct amount of radiant heat into the oven from above than from the bottom. Additionally, too many coals on the bottom can burn your food! Rotation In order to maintain an even temperature and prevent hot spots from overcooking or burning your food, lift and rotate the oven a ¼ turn every minutes and rotate the lid a ¼ turn in the opposite direction. If have found this is essential when you are cooking cakes or cobbler. Don t just set it and forget it! Check your food from time to time to make sure everything is cooking at the right speed. When you do this you will have to lift the lid off. BE CAREFUL not to put any ash from the lid into your food. It s not the best seasoning! Replenishment Every minutes of cooking time you may need to add more coals. The wind conditions and the charcoal brand will cause the cooking time to vary. So, when you feel the cooking is slowing down or the majority of your coals are turning to ash, its time to add some more coals. Fire up your charcoal chimney and get some more briquettes ready for the oven. When you are ready simply replace the old with the new, in the same pattern of 1/3 on the bottom and 2/3 on the top. When your cooking is done, if it s a stew or roast remove all but a few coals to stop the cooking and keep it warm; if it s a cake take it off the coals and let it cool. I ve found that the food usually stays pretty hot in the cast iron oven all by itself for some time without warming coals. With a little practice you will learn to control the cooking heat. This is all part of the fun and challenge of cooking with a Dutch oven. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment after I cooked my first meal in my Dutch oven. However, you can use the following chart as a guide for cooking temperature in various sizes of Dutch ovens. It s provided by the International Dutch Oven Society. (Who knew that Dutch ovens had a society! ) The first row of numbers to the right of the Oven Size is the total number of coals for that temperature and the numbers underneath are the ratio of top to bottom placement of coals. So, for an 8 oven at 350 F you will need 16 coals, 11 on top and 5 on the bottom. Remember, your temperature may vary based on charcoal quality and wind conditions. Cooking Temperature Chart Oven Size Top/Bottom 10/5 11/5 11/6 12/6 13/6 14/ Top/Bottom 13/6 14/7 16/7 17/8 18/9 19/ Top/Bottom 16/7 17/8 18/9 19/10 21/10 22/ Top/Bottom 20/10 21/11 22/12 24/12 25/13 26/14 Not to worry! Most of the Dutch oven recipes call for 350 F of heat. So if you remember that number from this chart, you will be fine. Page 6

8 Cooking Tips 1. To fry or sauté in your Dutch oven, put all the coals on the bottom. Sometimes you may need to sauté something first before you cook the rest of the ingredients. When this happens, put all the coals on the bottom for sauté and then distribute them according to the 1/3 to 2/3 ratio and you are ready to let the Dutch oven do it s magic! 2. If it s necessary to add or remove charcoal briquettes, do it in the same proportions on the top and bottom. 3. Occasionally you will have to remove the lid to check on your food. Plan a place to put the lid that won't contaminate the cooking surface with dirt or grass. A lid stand is handy to have, but a couple of clean rocks will also serve the purpose. CAUTION: Removing the lid too many times may extend cooking time and cause uneven heat distribution. 4. When baking a cake with my Dutch oven I line the inside with aluminum foil. I feel this helps distribute the heat more evenly and when I m done I can lift the cake out nicely for cooling and frosting! After a few campouts with your Dutch oven, you'll find yourself becoming comfortable and you'll be able to control the oven s temperature more easily. Hopefully this will give you more confidence to try some of the recipes in the back of this book. There isn t much that can t be cooked in a Dutch oven!! How To Clean And Take Care Of Your Dutch Oven Here are a few tips for maintaining your Dutch oven for years to come. 1. Once you are finished cooking, clean your oven with warm/hot water and a stiff brush. NEVER use a steel wool brush. One of those plastic or fiber brushes will work. DO NOT use soap or detergent, since it will remove the seasoning. 2. NEVER put a hot oven in cold water. The shock can warp or crack the oven. 3. After washing, towel dry thoroughly and wipe a light coat of cooking oil on all the interior and exterior surfaces. It s best to do this while the oven is still warm to the touch. 4. Store your Dutch oven in a cool and dry place so it won t rust. And put folded paper towels between the lid and the lip of the oven to provide air circulation. I always put a few squares of paper towel inside the oven to pick up any moisture. See the picture below. Page 7

Tongs sturdy stainless steel or aluminum tongs are a must for moving the hot coals around. Especially from the charcoal chimney to around lid and under the oven. 2.

9 5. If your oven starts to taste like metal or has rust spots simply wash the oven out with hot water and soap, scrub off the rust and re-season the oven. Dutch Oven Essentials Kit If you want to make your job easier.and who doesn t want that! there are about 4 Musthaves when camping or cooking with your Dutch oven. 1. Tongs sturdy stainless steel or aluminum tongs are a must for moving the hot coals around. Especially from the charcoal chimney to around lid and under the oven. 2. Lid Lifter This smart and necessary gadget allows you to lift the lid while keeping it level, so you don t spill ash in your food! 3. Charcoal Chimney surely the quickest and easiest way to get hot coals for your oven. 4. Leather gloves for handling the hot lid and the tongs with hot coals. Send me an if you are interested in getting a Dutch Oven Essentials Kit. A friend of mine puts them together. Page 8

10 Quick and Easy Recipes Here s a few of my favorite recipes that are quick and easy to prepare and will help you get started if you are a beginner. Scout Breakfast Enough charcoal briquettes for 350 F (24 coals for a 10 oven) 2 pounds sausage 2 pounds frozen hash brown potatoes 8 eggs 1/4-cup milk Grated cheese Slice into chucks or crumble the sausage into the Dutch oven and brown. Remove cooked sausage and drain on paper towels. Leave the sausage drippings in the pan, (this is the best part!) and brown the potatoes, then spread them evenly in the bottom of the oven. Place the cooked sausage over potatoes. Mix eggs and milk together and beat/whip. Pour eggs over sausage layer. Sprinkle with cheese. On a 10 oven, cook with 8 coals underneath and 16 on top for minutes, until eggs are cooked. You may find that the potatoes will stick to the bottom so you can either line the oven with tin foil or layer the bottom with uncooked strips of bacon! Now doesn t that look like a hardy breakfast to eat before you go on a hike? Dutch Oven Vegetables Enough charcoal briquettes for 350 F (24 coals for a 10 oven) 8 cups of bite size mixed vegetables of your choice. (Pick your kid s favorite vegetables, or yours) I put carrots, onions, peas, mushrooms, potatoes and zucchini 1/4 pound butter A handful of grated Cheddar cheese Page 9

11 A handful of grated Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper Water Put 1/4" of water into your Dutch oven and add veggies. Season generously with salt and pepper - more than seems enough. Place slices of butter on top of the vegetables. Put the Dutch oven over all the hot coals until the veggies are steaming, then remove at least half of the coals. Steam veggies until carrots are tender. Take oven off the coals, remove water, cover veggies with the grated cheeses and put the lid back on the oven. Serve when cheese is melted about 3 minutes. Pot Roast This is one of my favorites, because it s so easy and good tasting! For more mouth watering, easy camping recipes go to my website at: Enough charcoal briquettes for 350 F (24 coals for a 10 oven) Small beef roast 6-8 pounds (smaller than the size of your oven) 1-2 garlic cloves Vegetables sliced or cubed (I use carrots, potatoes and onions) 1 can of beef broth Salt, pepper and Italian spices Take your roast (smaller than the size of your oven) and randomly poke holes in the outside with a knife and stuff garlic cloves in the holes. Put in as many as you like! Rub salt, pepper and Italian seasoning all over the roast. Surround the roast with an assortment of small vegetables. Finally, add a cup of beef broth, cover and cook on coals for about 2 hours. You want about 350º F, so for a 10 oven use about 24 coals with 16 on the top and 8 on the bottom. Be prepared to add more coals as they turn to ash, so have your charcoal starter chimney available. After 2 hours, check roast and potatoes for doneness. When ready, cut the roast up and serve from the oven. Spoon out the juice to pour over your veggies! Easy Chicken and Rice Enough charcoal briquettes for 350 F (24 coals for a 10 oven) 1 cup of rice 1 chicken (cut into parts) 1 can of chicken broth 1 package of dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup Water Page 10

Pour rice grains (not cooked) into your Dutch oven. Place the cut up chicken parts on top of the rice. Sprinkle Lipton Onion Soup Mix over the chicken.

12 Pour rice grains (not cooked) into your Dutch oven. Place the cut up chicken parts on top of the rice. Sprinkle Lipton Onion Soup Mix over the chicken. Mix can of chicken broth and Cream of Mushroom soup with one can of water. Pour mixture over the chicken and cook for about an hour or when the rice looks cooked. For a 10 oven, cook with 8 coals underneath and 16 on top. I recently cooked this for 8 Dad s when we went on our annual Boy Scout campout to Anza Borrego Desert. I cooked this in the largest Dutch oven the Troop had which was 14. It was pretty heavy with all the food in it. Here s picture of what it looks like. It was a hit!! This may be a little hard to see, so let me tell you what s in the picture. The 14 Dutch oven with chicken legs, rice and soup/chicken broth mix is up front. It s about ½ way through being cooked. My charcoal chimney is at the left with the charcoal in it ready to replenish any spent charcoal. I ve place the lid on the grate of the steel fire ring that was in the campsite. So, as you can see, it s pretty simple to do. Just need to check it every now and then. It was done when the rice was cooked! Peach Cobbler Another one of my favorites! This must be the most popular desert on my campouts. The kids always scream for this! Enough charcoal briquettes for 350 F (24 coals for a 10 oven) 1 box of yellow cake mix 1 can of sliced or chunked Peaches 1¼ cups of water and Peach juice 2 Tbsp of butter 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 3 eggs Brown sugar Aluminum foil Page 11

Put oven on all coals and melt the butter. Once melted (not burned) spread the bottom with butter and sprinkle in some brown sugar. Pour in the cake mix. Place the peaches randomly into the cake mix.

13 Start your coals before mixing up any cake batter. Open the can of peaches and drain the juice into another container and add water up to 1¼ cups. Whip or beat the peach juice/water mixture, eggs, cake mix and vegetable oil together. Line your Dutch oven with foil. It may take two strips to cover the bottom and sides. Put oven on all coals and melt the butter. Once melted (not burned) spread the bottom with butter and sprinkle in some brown sugar. Pour in the cake mix. Place the peaches randomly into the cake mix. Sprinkle some more brown sugar on top. Put on the lid and move 2/3 of the coals to the top. Bake until done, (about minutes) turning the Dutch oven base and lid ¼ in opposite directions every 10 minutes. Check with a fork for doneness. When ready take the oven off the coals and let if sit for about 15, then pull out the foil liner with the cobbler in it. Let it cool a little more, slice and enjoy! Before After Now that you know all about how to use a Dutch oven to create delicious outdoor meals, why not get one. Check out the latest bargains on Dutch ovens. If you liked this book, The Camping Guy has another book you might like: Discover the Secrets of Family Camping Without Breaking the Bank! This is where I give first-time and family campers tips and tricks on how to make their campouts a big success..and make great memories for years to come! Page 12

Dutch Oven Cooking 101 by Kimberly Cook

Dutch Oven Cooking 101 by Kimberly Cook Why? flexibility Gives you the ability to cook anything at a campsite you can cook in your oven at home. easy cleanup If you use aluminum or foil liners, you throw