Dutch Oven Cooking
An Important Skill to Learn!
If you like to cook, even as a beginner, you will enjoy Dutch oven cooking! It is fun! Stack three Dutch ovens, and you can have a full meal cooking without relying on electricity. To top it all, you can enjoy good company, a campfire, and good scenery all at the same time!
Stripping a Rusted or Rancid Dutch Oven
- The time to strip a cast iron Dutch oven is when you see the first sign of rusting or rancid smell.
- If you have a self-cleaning kitchen oven, that is the easiest way to strip your Dutch oven. Simply place the cast iron Dutch oven on the bottom rack, and set the kitchen oven on self-cleaning for about two-and-one-half hours. Check it, as you are waiting for that oily whitish shiny look. When Dutch oven has cooled down so you can handle it, take it out from the kitchen oven and season as outlined on Page 2.
- To use a gas burner, you need to do more work. If at all possible, do it outdoors to avoid smoking out your house. On direct medium flame, rotate every side of the Dutch oven, inside and outside, about every ten minutes. When the side on medium flame starts smoking heavily, set the flame on high for another five minutes or so until you get that oily whitish shiny look. Give the same treatment to the entire Dutch oven, both inside and outside. When done, let the Dutch oven cool down, and season as outlined above. Be sure to watch the heat so that you can avoid any metal warping. Scrub remaining debris with coarse sponge and hot water. Rinse thoroughly and towel dry and air dry. Season, as outlined on Page 2.
How to Control a Dutch Oven Temperature
A simple formula many cooks use is easy to remember: you add three to the size of the oven for the top, and deduct three from the size of the oven for the bottom. That equates to 15 coals for the top, and 9 for the bottom. This will help your oven with a temperature of up to 350º. Multiply the Dutch oven size by two, and you have a good number of coals to start the heat. You will know by experience whether to reduce or add to that number. It will depend on the make of the Dutch oven you are using.
Adjusting for the Weather
You have to consider wind factor, sunlight, humidity, altitude, etc. This is true even if the Dutch oven you have purchased has a baking temperature chart you can follow. For foods that take longer than one hour to cook, remove the ashes and remaining coals and replace with new ones. You will need fewer coals this time, as the oven is hot already. Some compensation for weather conditions may be required. On cold days add about two more coals on the top; on a hot day remove a briquette or two. Direct sun can also increase the temperature. On a windy day, the windy side of the pot will be cooler than the side away from the wind. To compensate for this, just rotate the pot 180º about every 15 or 20 minutes. You can also use a windbreak.
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