Dutch Oven Cooking - Series Introduction

[Calum7]

@NaturalBushcraft  Hi, What would you say was the largest size group you could comfortably cater for with the Box set and a tripod?

[micmoable]

How much does box set cost?

[kingjames488]

and here i thought this was going to have something to do with cooking with dutch ovens... apparantly ur just tryin to sell #$#% >.>

[NaturalBushcraft]

@kingjames488 We don't actually sell products. We were intending to do a series on Dutch Oven Cooking (and still kind of do) but unfortunately it's been put on the back-burner quite a bit.

[BornRandy62]

I take a dutch oven out to the fields with me during fieldwork. Stop at 10:30 am for a break, debone a chicken add some canned soups potato and other veggies to the dutch oven and throw it into a small hole with some charcoals. Put some on the lid and come back to it in 60 minutes for your ready meal. Chicken with bones takes 90 min. 5 inch rule works too. Hold your open hand 5 inches above the coals, if it takes 5 seconds for it to become uncomfortable, the temperature is roughly 350 deg F

[BornRandy62]

there is a trivet made for cast iron dutch ovens that is a small piece of cast iron that fits inside the pot to hold a large slab of meat off the bottom while cooking. The stand supplied will also hold the lid over coals so you can use the inside for a frying pan. You can stack cook with dutch ovens also by placing then ontop of each other with coals top and bottom. of course larger to smaller as the stack goes up. I have complete sets of cast iron pans from Wagoner and Griswold. great clip

[Nomolo2k5]

Are the other vids (cooking, cleaning, recipes) coming soon?

[pepperheadtoo]

I have heard that the lid of the Dutch oven also works well as a griddle when turned upside down !

[nephildevil]

this vid is more a commercial than a review and certainly not an introduction to using one of those things, thumbs down!

[MrBudwv]

The dutch oven was an importent trade item for mountain men. The simple iron pot was highly prized by many Native American tribes. One great Cheyenne chief even took the name "Black Kettle".

[FranceBushcraft]

Nice vid, thanks  !!

[Pripyat1]

The trivet could also be used on coals to cook with the fry pan.

[Pripyat1]

I love dutch ovens when I'm 'car camping' with the family but they're so hard to take long distances out in the bush.

[canteencorner]

looking forward to this set of videos guys

[pj065724]

Toasties???

[TheBeebopper]

The idea of a trivet is to support the skillet or other pot/pan over the fire/embers. The dutch oven has its own legs so you can rake embers all around it, it should not need to be hung.

I see no hanging rings to support the griddle, perhaps you can show how to cook bread, pancakes, scones on the griddle without being able to set the temperature by height variation.

Heavy gauge aluminium (catering quality) is just as forgiving as cast iron used as a roasting pot.

[NaturalBushcraft]

@TheBeebopper I've cooked bacon, meat & toasties on the griddle, controlling the heat by raising it off the embers with two pieces of wood either side of the fire, just embers and not an excessive amount.

As for the heavy gauge aluminium, it might be just as forgiving when thick, but I think what Justin is referring to is the evenness in distribution of heat, aluminium is extremely conductive, heating up instantly, hot-spots giving greater potential for burning food to the pot.

[TheBeebopper]

@NaturalBushcraft If you are making a cobbler or similar, aluminium will burn it over a flame. It is important to use embers here and probably just as important with iron. I think that the greater heat capacity of the heavier iron pot means that you can use the initial high flame of the fire to heat the pot and by the time it is up to temperature, the flame has died a bit and most of the heat is from embers. For baking use, I think the aluminium has to be lined with multiple layers of foil.

[NaturalBushcraft]

@TheBeebopper Whilst we're talking thick Aluminium; checkout our NaturalBushcraft website & go to "Gallery" then click "NaturalBushcraft Bushmeet - Autumn 2009" it will play a photo slideshow and straight away you will see the big, thick aluminium frying pan I was talking about, later on in that slideshow you will see me cooking the big bannock I was talking about, write back & let me know what you think of it :)

[TheBeebopper]

@NaturalBushcraft Nice collection of photos. Seems preferable to video due to better contrast. 

Looks a decent pan. That is not bannock as I know, the edge is folded over to the centre and gives greater depth. I think this is what defines a bannock. There did not appear to be any spot scorching to me. The use of low flame and embers on a thick pan does the trick. My nan and her mother used a thicker gauge aluminium than that. Still managed to warp it, frequently without ruining dinner.

[NaturalBushcraft]

@TheBeebopper Cast iron distributes the heat slower but more evenly. I have cooked with a real thick, large aluminium pan on a campfire before (mostly bannock) and I have still seen the instant heat conductivity that burns stuff as when using a thin ali pan, you just don't get this as much with a dutch oven.

[TheBeebopper]

@NaturalBushcraft I have made bread in an aluminium pot, I think that it is probably necessary to line the base with multiple layers of foil to be really succesful. But greasing your meat and pot and shaking it from time to time in the flame then turning around halfway makes it come out a treat. A griddle can be used to cook bread as long as you can adjust the height for correct temperature. A bannock is the largest style of bread I've seen cooked on a griddle. Temp test: time to tan flour.

[hobbexp]

looks like really great stuff,, thanks for showing

[paddyboy12432]

@hobbexp

[bearpatch1]

Justin, 5/5* series and info, looking forward to the complete series.

thanks,---JC

[jntroisi]

I think I'm going to enjoy this series!

Thanks

James

[otakop67]

@jntroisi Ditto!

[APDurrant]

@TheBeebopper

Quadripod?

Dutch Oven looks like a good bit of kit.

[hellerZauberer]

@TheBeebopper a quadropod?  Quadpod?

[TheBackyardBushman]

Brilliant. Have been considering buying one of these, I remember roasting a chicken in one back in scouts. It tasted nothing short of brilliant. I am planning on doing a series on camp cooking with some of my favorite Aussie dishes - we could start an outdoor cooking revolution! Lmao. Will be looking forward to the following films.

[MrBillTroop73]

Nice review.

Do they have a model of dutch over that has feet on top of the lid as well?