Dutch oven cooking

We have heard all kinds of good things about cooking while camping with a dutch oven. Does anyone have an suggestions on what brand to buy? How about some good dutch oven cookbooks? Or any recipes anyone would like to share specifically for the oven would be appreciated.

Here is a website that has lots of Dutch oven recipes:

http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/~papadutch/dutch-oven-recipes.htm

I love cooking with cast iron, but I'm not educated in dutch oven cooking.
Thanks for the link Tater. I know what I'll be doing this evening... knowledge is power!!

TC

Thanks Tater, i will check it out asap. I know there are probably lots of sites but i figured i would get my information from real experts. lol thanks again!

Stick with Lodge pans and ovens. They are good quality and will last a lifetime. You can get something cheaper but you get what you pay for. There are recipes all over the internet for cooking, I'll send you mine for peach cobbler, good luck.

Peach cobbler and ice cream. NC Firefighter when are you going to cook it up for us.

ohhh, peach cobbler, the husband will be soooo happy. I am looking forward to that. ps I see either cabelas or bass pro, i can't remember which has an enamel cast iron, do you think that would work over the campfire or should i stick with the regular old cast iron dutch oven?

I think I would stick with the regular old fashioned cast iron cookware. Be sure you season any new cast iron. I guess the enameled stuff doesn't need to be seasoned, I haven't looked at it. I'd be afraid that the enamel would chip.

Tater

Lodge makes a complete line of pre-seasoned cast iron that is great. If you ever get to Pittsburg, TN they have an outlet store a few miles off of I-24 (stop at the welcome center on the interstate and get a coupon for a 10-1/2" skillet for $3.95). The enameled one is not suitable for use on an open fire. You can use any recipe that you normally can cook in an oven to cook in cast iron. http://www.cowboyflavor.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=on_rfd this is a website of a program that is on RFD-TV on DirectTV. They cook everything in cast iron outside. One tip is if you get something stuck/burned to the bottom, pour in some coffee, it will lift it off. You are best using natural charcoal instead of brickets. It lasts longer, cooks hotter and longer with almost no ash left over.

An easy cobbler
Soak fresh fruit (peaches, pineapple, berries) in vanilla cognac vodka at least overnight (the longer the better)
Put into individual serving cast iron pans well greased
Cover with Bisquick
Bake on covered grill
Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream or fresh made whipped cream

This is good after any meal or by itself while sitting at the campfire. We have never had a complaint about these.

The thing about Lodge's "pre-seasoned" stuff, is it's barely seasoned; more like electroplate in comparison. You still have to cook and cook and cook to get a REAL season on even these post and pans.

One thing I quickly learned about cast iron cookware is, they don't like high acid items like tomato based recipes. I no longer use my cast iron DOs and skillets to make stews, chilis, etc. because the acid will eat the seasoning right off!

TC

Bob or Karyn,
Cobbler sounds good. How much Bisquick? Do you put it on dry, or mix it according to the instructions on the box?

Tater

Bev:
Mix according to box and put just enough on to cover and cook until golden brown. If you want to kick it up to great, add a little pepper to the fruit mixture. I grill peach halves and pineapple quarters on the grill with chipolte pepper sprinkled on it.

Bob

Bob,
Thanks. It sounds very good. I think I'll skip the pepper, though.

We just got back from camping and i tried a new cobbler recipe that was so easy and really quite good. The original called for a can of apple pie filling but next time I am going to try peaches and I would think about any kind of pie filling or canned fruit would work. (Oh and since we haven't purchased our dutch oven yet I did it inside in my toaster over) 1/2 cup walnuts sprinkled over the fruit, I used pecans. One yellow cake mix sprinkled over the nuts then 1/2 cup melted butter poured evenly over that. Cook at 350 covered for 1/2 hour then take tinfoil off and cook till topping gets golden brown. The original recipe said to cook over low heat until top is brown but i can't see how the top is going to brown unless the foil comes off. Not exactly figure friendly but darn good anyway. And thanks everyone for the dutch oven help. I will definately bring the crock pot for the chili and do less acidy stuff in the dutch oven.

Bev,

If you use a touch of pepper it will make any grilled fruit sweeter.

Bob

Being new to the forums, I'm discovering a ton of great information. If you have a good dutch oven recipe, please post here. Wife and I do a LOT of Dutch Oven cooking. Third saturday of each month we meet with our Dutch Oven group. Lone Star Dutch Oven Society - Piney Woods Chapter. When I get time, I'll post some of our favorites.

BobnPi wrote:When I get time, I'll post some of our favorites.

Looking forward to it!!

TC

How exactly do you season your cast iron pans?

I coat the entire pan lightly with crisco. Lay it upside down in the oven on the middle rack. Place a pizza pan directly underneath the CI pan on the lower rack to catch the oil when it drips.

Some say to bake around 200 degrees but I have better luck at 350 for a couple hours. You'll know when its ready. The pan will have a hard, slick black sheen to it. If the oil is still soft when you check it the first time; put it back in the oven a little longer.

Expect a slight odor and perhaps a little smoke when doing this in your oven. I just open a few windows and run a fan if needed. Most of the time, we never need to.

Bacon just aint bacon if its not fried in a cast iron skillet!

Please do follow up with your DO recipe's BobnPi.

Amen for the bacon, and same goes for the cobblers

The whole idea of heating the cast iron up is to open those pores so the fat can get down in there to form a base layer for each subsequent layer to build upon. That requires high heat initially. Low oven heating doesn't get the job done.

NEVER have any cast iron cookware sitting on or in high heat while dry; one of the BEST ways of stripping the seasoning right off.

Speaking of bacon fat, I've kept my skillets seasoned nicely just by frying bacon in them and leaving the rendered fat in the bottom until it's cooled off, them wipe the skillets out good.

TC

My favorite dutch oven website. www.cowboyflavor.com

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If you need a certain temp for baking, roasting, stewing, etc, the following link has a nice little applet that you plug in the size oven you have, how you want to cook, and the temperture you want. It will tell you how much charcoal to put on top and how much to put under. It is fairly accurate, and I have used it a few times with good results.

Also there are some nice tips included in this page. Hope this helps...

http://www.dutchovendude.com/campfire-cooking.shtml

Great find BobnPi. Thanks muchly!!

TC

Me & the wife drove out to the Pecos River here in New Mexico this past weekend. It was snowing just a little but it was fresh. I took out the 10" lodge dutch oven sprayed the bottom with pam. placed placed 12 biscuits in her over some coals top and bottom for 15 minutes. They were fantastic!

We also used the 12" with a layer of onions on the bottom and a whole chicked with some red chile powder as a rub. Let it go for 2 hours with coals on the top and bottom. The bird came out with the bones falling off & the juice still running as you pulled a piece off wow was it goooood!

After I Told my wife we should of put some potatoes cut up in there with some carrots.
So many easy creations with this type off cooking

Don't want to high jack this thread butt. I went camping with some friends who brought one of thier friends who was a 2nd place national dutch oven cookoff winner. One night he made a meal and It was the best food I have ever eaten. I can't remember what the main course was the the peach cobbler was to die for. He also made breakfast the next day. Eggs sasauge taters in one pot WOW

This week while visiting our son in Smyrna, Tn we made a trip down to S. Pittsburg,Tn to the Lodge Cast Iron outlet store. It is just off I-24, north of Chattanooga. They have everything cast iron plus more than you could imagine. Also they have a room with irregulars that have very minimal flaws at half price. If you buy over $200. you get free merchandise. I think 10% of what you buy . We spent $230 and got $23. free merchandise. It is well worth the trip and a fun outing. Dianne

For cobblers, I mix 2 cans of any fruit pie filling, and a box of yellow cake mix.(make according to directions on cake box.) Real simple receipe, takes about 45 min. with coals on top and bottom. We make a black forest cake as well. Can of cherry pie filling, box of choc. cake mix, and hershey bar broken in pieces on top. Again, real simple, not alot of stuff to pack and carry. Like others have said, the internet is full of receipes. I use charcoal instead of coals from the fire. Put about 8-12 pieces on bottom, and about the same on top. I think its easier to monitor the temp with charcoal. I bought a pair of welding gloves to use to pick up the charcoal to place on lid or remove the lid itself to check on the cooking....

NC Firefighter wrote:Stick with Lodge pans and ovens. They are good quality and will last a lifetime. You can get something cheaper but you get what you pay for. There are recipes all over the internet for cooking, I'll send you mine for peach cobbler, good luck.

Yes and the Lodge brand, also bought at Walmart and saved $20.00 or Lodge factory outlet and $12.00 over Tractor Supply. Jack