see also:

• camp fires
• gas or liquid fuel stoves for camping
• wood stoves for camping
  • Winnerwell Nomad wood camping stoves
• https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/camping-dutch-oven-cooking/

• 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 (softwoods such as pine burn out to quickly), or charcoal briquettes
  • if one wishes to create embers 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
• have a handle
• usually have small legs to raise it off the ground
• 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
• 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 isea 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
• cleaning to reduce losing the seasoning:
  • 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 anount 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
  • store in a dry place