[yew]

Who likes to cook with a Dutch oven when car-camping or canoe/kayak camping or horsepacking? Willing to put forth any good recipes or tips? I recommend using and recoating the Dutch oven with spraycan oil to avoid rust and to keep the oven seasoned. A shovel is always necessary for wood coals or charcoal briquettes. A big leather glove and tongs is good for briquettes. Briquettes have the best, nice, even heat but I hate to buy and pack them. I've even taken my small, 1 quart Dutch with me on the airplane, in checked luggage to use when living out of a tiny rental car. It's great for grilled cheeses or bagels or deep frying when it's hot when there's flames but no coals. My recipe for Sonoran style enchilada casserole ingredients package of corn tortillas some cheddar cheese can of green chilis can of enchilada sauce can of refried beans Grease up the Dutch well. Lay down a corn tortilla. Place alternating layers of cheese, beans and green chilis on tortillas. Pour some enchilada sauce half way down. Keep stacking on cheese, beans and chilis. Dump the rest of the can of enchilada sauce over top. Bake for atleast 20 minutes in Dutch oven. About 12 briquettes on top and just 5 on the bottom. Other dishes that worked well in the Dutch oven when car-camping. -cornbread (plain and with chili & cheese) -pizza -soup with dumplings -blue & ruffed grouse, chukar, quail in autumn -Spanish rice -pancakes -breaded, fried smoked and regular canned oysters -biscuits (OK quality. It always varied) -potato, onion, pepper, garlic with spices mixture -cobbler (canned fruit topped with cake mix; very sweet so go easy) Wind blows away heat off top of the oven. This is something to consider when cooking when it's windy. Protect the oven from wind! The 1 quart Dutch (now hard to find) fits well over the old Camping Gaz Bluet stove burner for pancakes, sauteing and general cast iron skillet use.

[Magellan]

I read a book on this subject while at Outdoor Emporium. It was the only interesting thing in the store. I had not previously heard of this method of cooking. It seems like one of those things where people have a 'secret' method of getting things just right.

[seawallrunner]

Dutch ovens make yummy chili with cornbread and delicious desserts. Last month I had the pleasure of partaking in both meals prepared on the beach with a dutch oven and they were absolutely *wonderful*. One needs to consider the weight of a dutch oven for a longer trip - these things are very heavy.

[Dayhike Mike]

Some have suggested that two down bags, zipped together, would be an ample and lightweight setup for treating one's hiking friends to some "dutch oven" goodness. The Schmidts may even argue that I was able to provide a similar experience from the next tent over. I, however, place the full blame on the Chili Mac and Cheese that Jeremy foisted upon us.

[treeswarper]

We had a demonstration of dutch oven cooking at one of our huckleberry camps. I use cast iron at home and use olive oil to season the iron with. Never "fry" jalepeno peppers indoors. It was like mild pepperspray had gone off in the kitchen. The dog wanted out, I wanted out, and then, hours later, I rubbed my eyes with my hands and owie! Curse you Sunset Magazine...actually, I couldn't find Anaheim peppers in our local store so substituted jalepenos. Bad move.

[strider]

Dutch ovens need to happen in conjunction with campfires. Steaks grilled over coals are also a campfire requirement. Why does grilling a steak belong in a thread about dutch ovens, one might ask? Well, when it's time to grill my steak, I put it the slab in a lightweight "clamshell" grill. The grill simplifies seasoning, turning, careful placement to apply just the right heat, and so on.... The little clamshel grill is virtually never in use when the dutch oven is a'buildin. The grill becomes the perfect little shovel for scooping up hot coals. Tap it against a log to knock off the ashes and dust, then it is easy to precisely deposit your nice, "fresh" glowing coals on top of the oven. Ya gotta be careful tho - it's so easy to do that it becomes easy to overdo, and you risk singed crust on the cornbread....

[yew]

[Scouter]

Love my dutch ovens and cast iron skillets. When we do the annual car camping vacation in the summer with the kids, we make it a point to cook on the fire for breakfast and dinner. My wife has actually become quite proficient with the ovens. We've done some great breakfast hash scrambles and ribs in barbeque sauce for dinner. The hard part with the ovens is keeping the fire maintained if your not using charcoal. I have seen the cake mix cobbler burnt to a crisp by another cook, but that was due to impatience and not letting the fire burn down to coals. Scouter

[salish]

I asked Santa for 12" dutch for Christmas, but he didn't deliver. I think I'll just go ahead and buy one at Joes. I've been told that the ovens made by Lodge are the best, but I see they come in regular (need to be seasoned) and "pre-seasoned". I actually saw the Lodge pre-seasoning process on some history channel show, or some other cable channel. Is there a good reason to season your own or is buying a pre-seasoned oven a good idea? Or is it just laziness on the customer's part? I went on a kayak trip down the Colorado River the summer before last and the host was a veteran dutch oven cook. His dinners were the highlight of each day! Cliff

[raz2sea]

For those that have no weight restrictions and can bring a small crane while camping: http://www.macaovens.com/22in.htm My Father has this on his Xmas list every year, just in case his 6 Dutch Ovens weren't enough