New to Outdoor Dutch Oven Cooking

[LynnandCarol]

Looking for recipes (and/or) links to recipes. Prefer the number and placement of coals with the recipe! Thanks In Advance!

[magnusfide]

vidotchis wrote:
Right! Charcoal is really easy to use so far. I am using Weber Master-Touch Charcoal Grill and have not had any problems, the legs look slightly flimsy aluminum as well as the rims that are rigid plastic. I love outdoor cooking and bbq scenes, So I usually read these kinds of appliances at thebarbec.com. The food warming rack is handy to cook baked potatoes, or veggies in tin foil over the direct coals. The extra height keeps them from burning too much. The gourmet grill rack is nice.

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[vidotchis]

Right! Charcoal is really easy to use so far. I am using Weber Master-Touch Charcoal Grill and have not had any problems, the legs look slightly flimsy aluminum as well as the rims that are rigid plastic. I love outdoor cooking and bbq scenes, So I usually read these kinds of appliances at thebarbec.com. The food warming rack is handy to cook baked potatoes, or veggies in tin foil over the direct coals. The extra height keeps them from burning too much. The gourmet grill rack is nice.

[Fourkidletts]

Love DO cooking. Had a 3 stacker at the beach one year, we sure drew a crowd! Always have used charcoal, and we always seem to use more than it calls for. We haven't had anything undercooked yet, but have burned a couple of things. As my FIL would say, it's good for your teeth. 😉

[Diamond_c]

I use charcoal because I’m lazy. I like it to be as close to set it and forget it. I turn the lid 1 direction and the oven the other every 15 minutes, and change the coals every hour if need be. Other than that I’ve got my feet propped up and a cold beverage in my hand and enjoying the evening.

[Vintage465]

ppine wrote:
Do whatever you want. I resent people telling newbies they need charts and have to count charcoal. totally optional.

Seems like you said you've been doing this with wood for years...That's why you're good and comfy with. Some of us don't have that kind of time and or experience and prefer to have a guide to get started. I think if you actually "resent" people suggesting a chart to go by........ maybe this isn't a thread you should be commenting in.....

[ppine]

Do whatever you want. I resent people telling newbies they need charts and have to count charcoal. totally optional.

[magnusfide]

JRscooby wrote:

You're right that cast iron is forgiving. But some of us like a little more precision for some of our upscale dishes. The fact of the matter is, the cast iron chef community is also quite forgiving and amenable to differences between cooking styles. Most of us don't get worked up over which "style" is better (unless you have a competition with rules). If it tastes good we'll applaud the chef.

But sometimes, like everything else, you will run into somebody that "knows" how things should be done.
Once my little fur girl begged a 2 legged 1 into our site. Her dad came with. When he saw a dome lid on my camp oven "that's not Right!" I lifted the dome, stirred the beans, moved that oven off the rimed lid, checked the skillet of corn bread. Asked them to stay for supper.
I don't know why, but I get better results cooking CB with the hot lid closer to food than with the oven.

Then there are those who think they know the only way. Truth be told there are a number of methods for DO cooking. Life’s too short to bicker.

[JRscooby]

You're right that cast iron is forgiving. But some of us like a little more precision for some of our upscale dishes. The fact of the matter is, the cast iron chef community is also quite forgiving and amenable to differences between cooking styles. Most of us don't get worked up over which "style" is better (unless you have a competition with rules). If it tastes good we'll applaud the chef.

But sometimes, like everything else, you will run into somebody that "knows" how things should be done.
Once my little fur girl begged a 2 legged 1 into our site. Her dad came with. When he saw a dome lid on my camp oven "that's not Right!" I lifted the dome, stirred the beans, moved that oven off the rimed lid, checked the skillet of corn bread. Asked them to stay for supper.
I don't know why, but I get better results cooking CB with the hot lid closer to food than with the oven.

[magnusfide]

ppine wrote:
What do you do when you run out of charcoal?

Cast iron is forgiving. I can get a rough idea of the temperature with my hand. You want 350 I can give it to you.

A number of cgs including state parks won't let you bring in your own firewood (disease and insect precautions). Hardwoods are best for DO cooking but some parks just don't have that lying around. You end up buying small log packs that are more expensive than charcoal plus you cannot be sure that hardwood logs are included. This is where charcoal becomes important.

A 20 lb bag of Kingsford Original (what most cast iron chefs prefer to use) goes on sale in the autumn and can be bought for less than fifty cents per lb. The 20 lb bag will last through a number of cooking sessions where that small bag of wood bought from the cg store won't.

You're right that cast iron is forgiving. But some of us like a little more precision for some of our upscale dishes. The fact of the matter is, the cast iron chef community is also quite forgiving and amenable to differences between cooking styles. Most of us don't get worked up over which "style" is better (unless you have a competition with rules). If it tastes good we'll applaud the chef.

[ppine]

I have been cooking with wood for over 40 years. Charts and formulas for charcoal seem absurd to me. Then people want to add gizmos like charcoal chimneys, charcoal starter, gloves, trivets, Dutch OVen tables and tons of other stuff. What do you do when you run out of charcoal?

Cast iron is forgiving. I can get a rough idea of the temperature with my hand. You want 350 I can give it to you.

Don't make cooking with cast iron complicated. It is simple and works for everything. All you need for a deluxe outfit is a DO, a shovel and something to pick up a lid. Water pump pliers, a hay hook, vice grips work fine. Or you can buy a lid lifter., My brother made me a nice one, long enough so I don't have to bend over.

[Vintage465]

DrewE wrote:

Vintage465 wrote:

2 Retired wrote:
Thanks for the chart Vintage 465! Very helpful Much appreciated.

Yeah, if I was just starting out, I'd go get a couple rounds crack and cook biscuits. They're about $5.00 a round and a 12" D/O will just about swallow one round of crack and cook biscuits. That way you're not really out a lot if you toast em too much..............

At $5.00 a tube for biscuits, you're either getting ripped off or purchasing ultra-gourmet, all-natural, free-range, organic biscuits. Basic store-brand ones run about $.50 around these parts.

One useful "secret" to keep in mind for dutch oven (and other) cooking is that very often oven temperatures are not at all critical for the success of a dish. If it's a little cooler, it'll just take a little longer to cook; and if it's a little warmer, it'll merely be done sooner. Keep an eye on things and adjust the heat according to what you see and you should have no great trouble. It does, of course, help to cook things, at least at the start, that you know are not too sensitive in that regard.

For that matter, charcoal briquets behave a bit differently than coals from a campfire, and it's about impossible to count the latter accurately, but both work fine.

OK......So the crack and bake Pillbury are $2.00 a roll. I never buy them.....but my cousin uses the heck out of them. I bake from scratch. But I think it's an easy way to learn the oven.............

[magnusfide]

DrewE wrote:


One useful "secret" to keep in mind for dutch oven (and other) cooking is that very often oven temperatures are not at all critical for the success of a dish. If it's a little cooler, it'll just take a little longer to cook; and if it's a little warmer, it'll merely be done sooner. Keep an eye on things and adjust the heat according to what you see and you should have no great trouble.

Exactly. Not only keep an eye on it but keep your nose on it too. If it smells like it's starting to burn, it usually is. This is not "set it and forget it" type of cooking.

Chill winds affect the pot temperature. Humidity. Charcoal briquets or wood coals impact it. As I mentioned earlier, a Weber tabletop kettle like Smokey Joe will hold a 12" oven and help maintain a steady temp.

[DrewE]

Vintage465 wrote:

2 Retired wrote:
Thanks for the chart Vintage 465! Very helpful Much appreciated.

Yeah, if I was just starting out, I'd go get a couple rounds crack and cook biscuits. They're about $5.00 a round and a 12" D/O will just about swallow one round of crack and cook biscuits. That way you're not really out a lot if you toast em too much..............

At $5.00 a tube for biscuits, you're either getting ripped off or purchasing ultra-gourmet, all-natural, free-range, organic biscuits. Basic store-brand ones run about $.50 around these parts.

One useful "secret" to keep in mind for dutch oven (and other) cooking is that very often oven temperatures are not at all critical for the success of a dish. If it's a little cooler, it'll just take a little longer to cook; and if it's a little warmer, it'll merely be done sooner. Keep an eye on things and adjust the heat according to what you see and you should have no great trouble. It does, of course, help to cook things, at least at the start, that you know are not too sensitive in that regard.

For that matter, charcoal briquets behave a bit differently than coals from a campfire, and it's about impossible to count the latter accurately, but both work fine.

[Vintage465]

2 Retired wrote:
Thanks for the chart Vintage 465! Very helpful Much appreciated.

Yeah, if I was just starting out, I'd go get a couple rounds crack and cook biscuits. They're about $5.00 a round and a 12" D/O will just about swallow one round of crack and cook biscuits. That way you're not really out a lot if you toast em too much..............