Dutch Oven Class Tips

You have been told to brown a roast before you cook it to seal in all the juices. But in a Dutch Oven you do not have to do that. The dutch oven does that for you. If you want to put a little Maple Syrup on it that is good too. Put Vinegar on the meat then put some knife holes in the meat, then your favorite Maple syrup and then if you want some spices. Then you are off and cooking.

A good dutch oven will create 3 lbs of pressure when cooking. When opening the lid on a Dutch Oven make sure you open it away from you that way you do not get all the steam coming at you!! Lodge Dutch Ovens are in cast iron are made in the USA. Camp Chef dutch ovens are made in China but are monitor the ore that goes into making the dutch ovens. Maca dutch ovens are made in India. All ore that goes into the dutch ovens are monitored for quality. But they are not a smooth as a Lodge or Camp Chef. Kelty Dutch Ovens are made in Twain, but they do not monitor what goes into the ore to made the dutch ovens. Sometimes they will put in aluminum which will cause an area not to season.

If you’ve got to be away from camp for a while and would like to find a hot meal waiting for you when you return, the first thing you need to do is grab a shovel. Next, dig a pit in the ground and line the bottom and the sides with rocks. The lined pit should be four to six inches wider than the dutch oven and deep enough so that the oven can be buried and covered with four to six inches of dirt. Build a fire in the pit and let it burn down to a bed of hot coals. This will heat the pit and the rocks and leave hot coals for cooking. Prepare the roast, vegetables, stew, bread, or whatever you want to come home to, and put it in the oven. Remove some of the hot coals from the pit and place the dutch oven, with its lid on, in the pit. Put hot coals around the outside of the oven, and then bury it under four to six inches of dirt. It can be left unattended throughout the day, and the food will be cooked and hot when you return. If properly planned, a whole meal can be prepared this way, and it’s delicious! Caution: Unless you like fireworks, don’t use limestone, sandstone, or other porous rocks that may contain moisture. When rocks with moisture in them are heated, the moisture expands into steam, and the rocks explode! Remember—you can cook anything in a dutch oven that you can cook with the most expensive kitchen range ever made, and the dutch oven delicacy will probably taste better, especially considering that you get to eat it out-of-doors. Dutch oven cooking is an art, however, and like all arts, it takes time and experience to perfect your skills. But if you want to eat like a king while living in a tent, it’s more than worth the effort. An outdoor dutch oven has legs and a lid with a rim, while an indoor dutch oven has a flat bottom and a rounded lid Mark the spot where you put your dutch oven. Sometimes when you return all the dirt looks the same!! Placing coals on the lid of an outdoor dutch oven enables you to bake all the fancy cakes and breads you can create at home When you dig up your dutch oven make sure you clean off all the dirt from the lid before you open it. Yes that means the side too. A broom works well. If you do not you will get what I call Scout Pepper in your food. Once you have that all done you are ready to serve and eat.

If you do not like to start your stove and get a kick back on the flame. Start your match or fire first and then turn the stove on then you will not get a blow back.

Never Season your Dutch Oven inside because of the smoke, smell, and possible fire!!! 1. All Dutch Ovens now are pre-seasoned!! If Not do this! 2. Lightly grease inside and out. Suggested oils are vegetable, solid Crisco, bacon grease, or lard because they offer a low burning point. You do not want the oil to pool anywhere while you are seasoning your oven, so be sure to turn bottom side up. 3. Put your Dutch Oven upside down. Put the lid on the top of the legs. Place Dutch Oven in BBQ or use your Volcano on Medium Heat until it turns black and burns the oil into the Dutch Oven. If you are using the Volcano, put about 25 briquets to 30 briquets into the stove. Remember, you want the heat around 500 to 550 degrees to burn the oil in. You will notice that sometime during this process smoke will come out of the BBQ for about 20 minutes or so. This is normal. Remember, you are burning oil into the pan. That is what creates the nice black look that you want. Your Dutch Oven will be extremely hot!!! After one hour, just turn off your BBQ and let the Dutch Oven cool by itself. This will take some time. I just let mine sit overnight, and that way it is cool in the morning when I take it out. 4. Your oven should be a nice black color. If you get what I call freckles, this is from not removing all the protective coating before seasoning your Dutch Oven. All you need to do is re-scrub those areas and then re-season your Dutch Oven. 5. If the pans are not as black as you like, just redo the process on a little higher heat on your BBQ. Remember, you want your Dutch Ovens black not brown.....brown means that you need to season at a higher heat. 6. Acid foods such as tomato sauce might remove some seasoning. Just lightly oil after use and place upside down in you BBQ for 30 min. to re-season.

You can use a tote bag or if you use the a lot you can just put a paper towel hanging out from under the lid to wick the moisture out of you dutch oven until you use it again. If you have a tote bag we suggest you put the lid down first and then the dutch oven on top of that. This way it will not rub holes in the bottom of the bag if you have it in your RV and are traveling down the road.