see also:

• camp fires and fire restrictions
• cookware for camping
• cooking options when camping
• gas or liquid fuel stoves for camping
• wood stoves for camping
  • Winnerwell Nomad wood camping stoves
• https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/camping-dutch-oven-cooking/
• Youtube - great camp cooking tips!

• cooking on camp fire coals is a long standing art form in many countries including Australia
• the traditional camp oven bread baked in Australia is damper however there is an art to ensure it is well cooked without burning the outside
• some foods can be cooked on coals by just wrapping in aluminium foil such as potatoes, bananas, corn, etc
• there are camp oven cooking competition events such as https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-02/camp-oven-cooking-growing-in-popularity/101415826
• cooking on coals +/- coals placed on top of the lid:
  • Spun-steel ovens gain and lose heat quickly and are best for desserts and breads
  • Cast iron camp ovens hold heat for a long time and are great for cooking stews and soups and these can be used to sauté, simmer, braise, sear, fry, and bake as they can also be suspended over a campfire using a tripod or placed on a campfire cooking grate over a fire, and it may be possible to use them on top of a wood stove
  • the best coals are from hardwoods, especially, old fence palings, (softwoods such as pine burn out to quickly), or charcoal briquettes
  • if one wishes to create coals without a large fire, one can use a foldable chimney to light the briquettes
• an alternative is to use a specialised camp oven:
  • flat fold ovens which sit on top of a wood stove, or,
  • as part of a wood stove chimney such as the Winnerwell pipe oven which provides a more even heating, or,
  • ovens incorporated into a wood stove (these are usually designed for pizzas)
• finally one can buy dedicated wood fired pizza ovens but these tend to be heavy and bulky - see cooking pizzas and camping

• have a relatively flat lid with raised edges to prevent charcoal falling off
• some lids have upward projections
  • these allow the lid to be used upside down as a frypan and the projections become legs
  • they also allow Dutch ovens to be stacked on top of each other
• some lids have an alignment arrow marked to allow you to vent steam or insert a thermometer
• have a handle which allows rotation and also hang it over flames under a tripod
• some have small legs to raise it off the ground
• buy the optional lid lifter device to reduce burns risk and make life easier
• buy a trivet to prevent food from being in direct contact with the bottom which might otherwise burn the food more readily when using it as an oven
• various sizes:
  • shallow “bread” ovens - these are the most versatile
    • 8“ is 2L capacity and good for 2-3 people
    • 10” is 4L capacity and good for 2-6 people
      • as a guide, for 180deg C used as an oven, with wind protection, use 21 briquettes with 14 on the lid and 7 under the oven and for cook times longer than 30 minutes, you will need to add fresh coals midway through the cooking process to maintain a consistent temperature. Rotate the lid and body of the Dutch oven about every 15 minutes.
    • can also get 12“ and 14”
  • deep “soup/stew” ovens
• if not pre-seasoned, they do need to be “seasoned” before use and re-seasoned if in bad shape
  • cast iron cookware surfaces are made up of microscopic imperfections
  • when oils are heated on its surface, they bond to the imperfections and create a smooth plastic-like polymer “non-stick” surface
  • use a stiff brush (if new) or steel wool (if old) with some dish washing soap and scrub down the entire oven, and remove any rust spots down to bare metal
  • rinse and dry
  • once dry and cool, rub in a small drop of organic flaxseed oil or grapeseed oil (must be polyunsaturated oil) and coat the entire oven and wipe of any excess so it looks nearly dry
  • place it upside down in the middle of your house oven at 230degC (put aluminium foil on bottom rack to catch any drips) and bake for 1 hour
  • turn oven off and let cool with oven door CLOSED
  • once cool, remove and repeat the above oil application and oven steps another two times
  • https://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/
• usage
  • as they take a while to heat up, generally good idea to pre-heat it
  • if baking use metal skewers to slightly raise the lid to allow steam to escape and the food to brown, alternatively, intermittently lift the lid as you rotate it
  • use parchment paper with straps to prevent food sticking to the sides
  • when cooking over a fire, raise the height to adjust temperature
  • when cooking over coals, raise the dutch oven a little above the coals for better heat and longer lasting coals - eg. sit it on a trivet
  • if roasting vegetables, place a trivet inside then place:
    • large Kent pumpkin chunks with skin on (not butternut pumpkin) and skin facing the walls
    • whole carrots with tops chopped off
    • onions with skin on but ends chopped off
    • then lastly washed potatoes with skin on and add salt as needed
    • for 6 adults, a 12qrt oven works best and this will take about 60-90min to roast
  • generally need ~70% of your coals on top of it as the top needs to heat the air whilst the food is touching the bottom - for tall foods, rotate them top to bottom
  • coal ratios top:bottom - simmer/stew 5:24; broiling 10:0; baking 16:8; roasting 18:12;
  • see also cooking pizzas and camping
• cleaning to reduce losing the seasoning:
  • don't add cold water to hot cast iron cookware otherwise it may crack
  • avoid scourers and harsh detergents (but metal utensils are fine as long as you avoid gouging)
  • avoid storing when wet
  • avoid cooking highly acidic foods (eg. tomato sauce, white wines) for a long time
  • clean with a plastic pan scraper before it has totally cooled down with a little bit of warm water and if necessary a small amount of soap
  • place it over the heat again to ensure it’s completely dry (even a small amount of water will lead to rust) then add a drop of grapeseed oil and rub the interior down with a paper towel until it is evenly coated, and optionally place back on camp fire for 10 minutes before allowing to cool down for packing away
  • store in a dry place
  • see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bjt-4k3N6o
• NB. bluetooth “meat” thermometers save having to lose hot air by repeatedly lifting lid but phone will need to be within 1m or so for connection as the cast iron blocks radio waves
  • pizzas will generally be cooked when they reach 80degC

• mainly designed to boil water or stew food but can be used as an oven when turned on its side on coals as below
• much lighter than a Dutch oven and thus more useful for hiking
• can be turned into horizontal position and placed directly on coals but with a metal trivet / grill inserted to keep food off the bottom surface
  • can additionally place stones in the space below the trivet / grill mesh to store heat better
  • keep food away from the sides to avoid burning edges
  • lid may need to have a mechanism of keeping it in place

• these generally have a oven thermometer
• if roasting meat, consider using to Bluetooth meat thermometer such as a Meater to avoid opening the oven door and losing heat

• these pack flat and require assembly then they can sit on top of a wood stove or sometimes on a gas stove if it fits (ensure it is not too wide for the stove that a gas canister may overheat and explode)
• tend to be more spacious inside than a pipe oven but less even temperature
• to reduce burning the bottom of your scones, etc, place a baking stone underneath them (or under your tray)
• eg. Winnerwell Fast Fold oven
  • stainless steel with two racks
• great for cooking potato chips, sausage rolls, scones, camp quality pizzas, re-heating frozen pies, etc

• eg. Winnerwell Pipe oven
  • need to choose the correct pipe size for your stove piping
  • two small racks
  • the medium one allows a small aluminium tray on each rack which is large enough to do a 600g butterflied lamb roast in one tray and roast veges in the other tray
  • the large one allows a 7.5“ wide tray on each rack
    • cooking up a frozen tray of Danish desert
      • you need to cover the Danish with foil and use a lower temperature than the 180degC specified otherwise the Danish top will burn before the centre is cooked

• eg. Winnerwell pizza oven stove

• see cooking pizzas and camping