Dutch Oven Cooking Guide
Open fire cooking doesn’t mean you must do without baking or roasting. It is possible that your favorite recipes are given an enhanced flavor when using this method. When cooking over an open fire, use a Dutch oven with a lipped lid and three feet on the bottom.
DON’T USE METAL UTENSILS
Metal spoons shouldn’t be used on the inside of a seasoned cast iron pot. Metal will damage the seasoned coating, so use wood instead.
FUEL FOR A COOKING FIRE
Build a hot fire using hard wood at least an hour prior to the time you wish to begin cooking. Stay away from using soft wood or retailed charcoal for your fuel. Pine is an example of resinous, cool-burning, soft wood that produces a quantity of black soot when burned. This residue makes a mess of your cookware, builds up a hazardous film inside your chimney, and isn’t very pleasant for the cook. Because commercial charcoal is often filled with chemicals and additives that bind them into uniform lumps and increase their flammability, I don’t use them for my cook fire. Learning how to build a hardwood fire will keep you from dealing with either of these difficulties. A bed of red hot coals is your goal. Use an oven mitt or cloth to protect your hands as well as a curved iron tool to lift the lid from your pot.
PREHEATING
If needed, wipe the inside of your pot (including the lid) with a paper towel and olive oil. Set the lid onto the pot and set it near the fire to warm while you prepare your ingredients. This is similar to pre-heating your standard oven. Pre-heating your pot will allow the oil to penetrate as the iron warms and allows the food to properly cook. Ash is kept out of the pot by the well-seated lid. If your recipe calls for peppers, onions, or carrots, I add them to the oven at this point to simmer a bit and to provide a cushion between the bottom of the pot and the rest of my ingredients.
LOADING YOUR DUTCH OVEN
Assemble the ingredients for your recipe. Remember the seasonings. The pre-heated oven should be moved away from the heat of the fire. The hot lid is best removed by using a curved metal rod.
Add layers of your other ingredients. This is the time when you would add any broth or water and grains, like rice. Add any additional vegetables. The meat rests on top of any vegetables, rice or potatoes so that it may flavor them as it cooks. Take care that the pot is not overfilled so that the food touches the underside of the lid. Baked deserts or breads should be added to the Dutch oven just as they would be added to a modern oven. Place the lid back onto the pot.
SETTING THE OVEN IN THE COALS
Shovel a small pile of hot coals to the edge of the fire. This method is less hazardous than attempting to set the pot over leaping flames or into the middle of the fire pit. After placing the oven onto the pile, use your shovel to place more hot coals on top of the lid. When you have an even layer of coals are resting on the lid and beneath your pot, sprinkle ash over the lid and around the sides of the bottom. This is called banking your fire. The coals will retain their heat and burn slowly as they aren’t exposed to the air.
Your cooking time should be similar to the time used in a modern kitchen oven or a little longer if your coals are cool. Use a shovel to scoop the live coals off of the lid of your Dutch oven when cooking is complete. A whisk broom can remove any ash dust. Use a potholder to lift the pot by its handle. Move the vessel off of the live coals and set it away from the fire. Use a piece of curved iron to lift the lid and set it aside. Examine your food for doneness. Serve with a wooden spoon if the food has finished cooking. If more time is needed, recover the pot with the lid and replace it onto the small bed of coals scooping more coals back onto the top. After a few minutes, check the food.
It’s okay if your first effort results in a few burnt edges. With practice you’ll learn how to avoid this. Any scorched surfaces will be ignored by those that have been inhaling the aroma of the fire-baked meal. There aren’t often leftovers. Your guests will be more than ready to eat.
CLEAN UP & STORAGE
Wipe the interior of your pot clean with a wash cloth, soft sided scrub pad or wooden spoon. Eventually, you’ll likely find that a clean towel will easily do the job. If there is baked on residue, simply set the emptied pot next to your fire again and allow the remaining bits to cook to ash. Don’t submerge your Dutch oven in soapy water or put it through a dishwasher. This will strip it of its protective seasoning. Wipe your cleaned pot with oil to recoat it between uses. You should be able to see your reflection in the bottom of your Dutch oven. Replace the lid for storage.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Learn about HARD CORE survival in the wilderness with the DVD training on PRIMITIVE WILDERNESS SKILLS, APPLIED. The Bulk Herb Store offers this DVD for sale in their online store, and it’s a great gift for the survival enthusiast. Additionally, the new best-selling book – THE VISION by Debi Pearl – offers a wealth of information on herbal medicine.
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