If you grew up camping with the Boy Scouts, you've probably got fond memories of meals and desserts cooked on a hot bed of coals in a Dutch Oven. But I have found that many people today don't know a lot about Dutch Ovens and how they can improve camp cookery. And many people think that the Dutch Oven is a relic from pioneer days. Luckily, this venerable implement is alive and well and helping to provide tasty campfire desserts for today's campers.
Dutch Ovens are traditionally are made of cast iron, although there are some Dutch Ovens that are made of aluminum. The oven is basically a large deep pot with thick walls. It also consists of a thick lid that nests snugly with the pot. The lid has a rim along the outer edge that enables hot coals to be placed upon the lid. The bottom of the pans often have three or four legs that allow them to stand in the coals rather than directly on the hot coals. Some models are designed without legs and sit directly on the coals or on some type of rack in the fire pit. A sturdy wire handle is attached to the main pot to allow it to be lifted off of the coals.
Versatility is the name of the game for Dutch Oven cooking. They can be used like any other pot for general cooking or frying. But they are best used for baking and roasting a variety of dishes. When using the Dutch Oven for baking or roasting, a bed of coals is prepared. If I'm camping where I have the ability to build a proper fire, I will find a level spot to use my Dutch Oven. However if I'm unable to build a large fire or I don't have the time to build a fire to have proper coals, I will use charcoal briquettes for my cooking. This provides me the ability to enjoy my Dutch Oven even in my backyard for cookouts. I use an old iron plow disc to hold my bed of charcoal.
I have found that it's best to preheat my the oven before I actually add my ingredients. Preheating the oven creates a much more uniform cooking temperature for your culinary creation. Cooking with a Dutch Oven is not an exact science. The heat is regulated by adding or removing coals from the top lid or by moving the entire setup to an area with fewer coals. Sometimes it is necessary to rotate the lid or the pot to eliminate hot spots where the heat has been focused on a particular spot.
It is necessary to check the progress of your dish during the cooking process. This requires lifting the lid up. The lid has tab protruding from the center with a hole in the middle of the tab. You can use a pair of pliers, a multi-tool, or a specially made hook to lift the lid. For the sake of safety, be sure to utilize a sturdy tool for lifting the lid. During cooking, the lid will have actively burning coals on top of it and will be extremely hot. Your imagination is your only limit to what you can cook with this classic camping implement. You could bake a chicken or a roast, make a hearty stew, bake homemade buttermilk biscuits, or prepare a multitude of desserts. I have found that recipes that have more moisture in them work best for this type of cooking. The drier the recipe, the higher the risk of burning the bottom of the food. It is tempting to put too many coals under the base, thus causing the bottom of your dish to be burned. I encourage you to explore the world of possibilities that a Dutch Oven can bring to your camping dining experience. Well prepared Dutch Oven recipes can transform a good campfire meal into a camping experience to never forget.