Dutch Oven questions

dbbls wrote:
Here is a outing you may want to consider. It is not too far away and I have been thinking about going also. Could learn a lot. I am referring to the national gathering in October which is just south of Hot Springs a few miles.

If you go I KNOW you'll learn a lot and have a good time as well. Cast iron chefs are a great group of folks.

When Kate and Will got married my wife wanted me to make Bubble and Squeak in the d.o. It turned out great!

Here is a outing you may want to consider. It is not too far away and I have been thinking about going also. Could learn a lot. I am referring to the national gathering in October which is just south of Hot Springs a few miles.

brirene wrote:
Simple answer is it depends what you're cooking. For a simple things, such as a dump cake, one round of charcoal may be enough. Something requiring a longer cook time, such as a stew or other meals will require you to refresh the coals. The trick is knowing when to do it. The good thing is, imo, its not a crucial timing type of thing. Have fun!

BTW, if you haven't already, check out Byron's site for all things DO.

Double ditto. The cast iron is heavy enough to hold heat while changing out the coals. You can tell when the coals have died. Our pot roast is usually a 3 hour cook and I only have to change the coals once.

Other factors are wind and cold: windy days, the coals do not last as long as they burn faster; cold days, you need more coals to compensate for the ambient temperature. It's easy to get the hang of it. Just pay attention to your pot. Usually we sit around with our drinks and play cards while the pot is doing it's thing.

Another good source of info where you can ask as many questions as you like from the experienced cast iron chefs is the Yahoo Dutch Oven group.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dutchovencooking/

The briquettes will last around 30-45 minutes before you will need to start to add more. You don't really change them out. You just keep adding to keep the heat up. Get yourself a chimney starter with the Dutch oven.

Simple answer is it depends what you're cooking. For a simple things, such as a dump cake, one round of charcoal may be enough. Something requiring a longer cook time, such as a stew or other meals will require you to refresh the coals. The trick is knowing when to do it. The good thing is, imo, its not a crucial timing type of thing. Have fun!

BTW, if you haven't already, check out Byron's site for all things DO.

The answer will depend on the cook time. Short duration cooking can easily be done with one round of briquettes. An all day roast will require periodically adding fresh coals.