Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

[tortuga]

Just for fun, started cooking with a big 14" Lodge dutch oven on the trail and on camping trips. So far we have had some killer breakfast dishes, pineapple upside down cake, cornbread, carnitas, cobblers, biscuits and gravy, even a prime rib.

Curious if anyone else is doing the same.

[earlybronco72]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

I'm not, but I have a buddy in Idaho that cooks his venison and elk stew in one. It is amazing.

[CityHick]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

I have made cornbread in my dutch oven twice now. The first time I charred the outside of it to a crisp, but after chipping away the blackened exterior the cornbread was awesome. 2nd attempt was better but still not perfect. I've since reverted back to simpler cooking while camping but want to try more dutch oven stuff. Post up recipes for the dishes you've made...

[House]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

Man, I still want to get a Muffpot...
I had better put that on my list of things to buy again. Thanks for reminding me!
http://www.norcalbroncos.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=7436

[welndmn]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

I mainly do cobbler in mine, I love it!
I wish I knew how to cook more things with it. I bought a cookbook for it, but I've never even opened it,
I also wish more places allowed charcoal

[dblue351]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

OHHH THAT COBBLER WAS SO GOOD! To bad it was like 122 degrees that day....

[BRONKEN]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

I gave the wife a dutch oven once and she was pisssssed!

[welndmn]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

OHHH THAT COBBLER WAS SO GOOD! To bad it was like 122 degrees that day....

Next time I'm hauling an ARB fridge freezer and we're having ice cream!

[tortuga]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

I just picked up a 10" Lodge for doing smaller batches and a 12" cheapo from HF just to try it out. The 14" is great for a large group but too big much of the time.

As far as recipes go, just about anything you can bake seems to work - I think it is all about learning how to get the heat right.

Pineapple upside down cake is pretty damn good on the trail and easy to make, just follow any recipe for that. A 14" oven will take two boxes of yellow cake mix, a full can of sliced pineapple, 6 eggs and some canola, a stick or so of butter and a fair amount of brown sugar.

. Also did a couple of breakfasts with something like this:

Fry up and crumble a bunch of sausage, enough for a single layer on the pan - about 1 lb for a 14" oven; sliced linguica as well if you like that. Take it out and fry up a bunch of hash browns, again a good single layer. When the hash browns are done, put the sausage back in and spread over the potatoes, than mix up enough eggs to make it about 2" deep, season to your liking and pour them in. 18 or so eggs in a 14" oven, probably a dozen or so in a 10" - I'll find out this weekend.

Set up the oven to bake and let it go for about 20 minutes, until the eggs start to firm up on top, then sprinkle some cheese over it and keep baking until the cheese melts.

Seems to go over pretty good.

[welndmn]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

Take pics!

[tortuga]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

I'll try to get a picture of breakfast, by dinner I usually can't operate the camera.

[71BRONCO71]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

I'll try to get a picture of breakfast, by dinner I usually can't operate the camera.

Atta boy!

So for breakfast I would assume layer the bottom with bacon strips, add diced potatoes on top. Cook for a little then add a dozen eggs, chopped up bell peppers, cheese and stir it.

I might have to look into one of these

[CityHick]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

Which method are you using to heat your dutch oven? I have tried on a bed of coals from a fire that's been allowed to burn down, also tried setting it on a rock next to a campfire (rotating occasionally) with a few hot coals from the fire on the lid. Haven't yet suspended it from a teepee above a fire but have seen that done. Charcoal is probably the easiest but I never remember to bring any with me.

[tortuga]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

Atta boy!

So for breakfast I would assume layer the bottom with bacon strips, add diced potatoes on top. Cook for a little then add a dozen eggs, chopped up bell peppers, cheese and stir it.

I might have to look into one of these

Stir it? You have to get out of your chair for that, hell no.

Think baking in the oven, not cooking on a range.

[tortuga]

Re: Dutch ovens for trail cooking - anyone else try it?

Which method are you using to heat your dutch oven? I have tried on a bed of coals from a fire that's been allowed to burn down, also tried setting it on a rock next to a campfire (rotating occasionally) with a few hot coals from the fire on the lid. Haven't yet suspended it from a teepee above a fire but have seen that done. Charcoal is probably the easiest but I never remember to bring any with me.

Still learning myself, but here is what I have figured out so far:

Pine coals are just no good unless you really tend the fire. Briquets allow you to control the heat much better. It is really hard to keep an even temp with coals from a softwood fire. I haven't actually used the dutch oven with hardwood but from my experience with bbq and smokers I'd imagine it would be much easier.

Make sure your oven is on a hard surface that can support the legs, so when you sit it on the coals the legs don't sink down and let the bottom make direct contact. That is a guaranteed burn. The best results I have had were when I brought a big steel plate to set the ovens on, anything similar will work. I am going to try a metal pail lid next.

Google it! there is a ton of info on how to to this, including charts that show how many briquets on top & bottom for each size of oven and desired temp.