Any Dutch Oven cooks?

[Hondopatrick]

We've been cooking with ours just about every weekend. CopanoCruisin you gotta give me the details on how to make the chili with the cornbread on top!

[barrelslime]

We made a Pineapple Upsidedown cake in our dutch oven this weekend.

[ByDesign]

That looks Great !!

[Hondopatrick]

Ditto... that is awesome!

We are getting close to purchasing another DO. We have the 12" Lodge camp oven, but most of the time it is just the two of us, so we are going to get a 10" next. Haven't tried the pineapple upsidedown cake yet, but that pic is all the coaxing I need!

[barrelslime]

We use our 10" oven more than the other ovens cause its just the 2 of us most of the time.
I am tring to perfect a fryed potato reciepe. Not there yet but here goes.
Take 1 med potato for every person you are serving, than add 1 extra potato for every 2 people. example, if there are 6 people, thats 6 taters, plus 3 more, 9 total.
Slice them about 1/4 inch. Finely dice one large onion. and crisp 1/2b bacon.
Fry the bacon in the dutch oven to crisp. When it cools break it up in small pieces. Add the onion to the hot bacon grease and cook till translucent and remove. Put enough oil in the oven to cover the bottom. add a layer of taters, then half the onions and bacon,ADD SALT AND PEPPER LIBERALLY, then layer the rest of the taters, onion, bacon and plenty of salt and pepper. Cover the pot and dont look inside for 20 minuets. Double the number of coals from the diameter of the pot. If you have a 10" pot fire 20 coals. one third on bottom and 2 thirds on top. STir and recover, look in again in 15 minuets and stir. Rotate pot on the coals every 10 minuets during the cooking process. They are done when there is no more oil in the bottom, and there should be some of those wonderful crispy ones on the bottom. If they look greasy or oily KEEP Cooking em. Keep the lid on, but stir every 15 mins.
After you take them from the oven put the oven back on the coals, and fill half full with water and cover. Now go eat and enjoy you taters. When you are done eating open the pot and all the baked on yuck will be loose, brush and swirl the water and its clean. My wife likes to add some cheese and sour cream to hers.

[ByDesign]

If it has bacon in it, I'm there !!!

The Boss and I tried "Bacon wrapped Shrimp" cooked over charcoal. We haven't nailed it yet, but the two times we've served it it was gone !

[barrelslime]

That sounds good

[barrelslime]

Guess Im in a cooking mood. Put on a pot of ham n beans. Will have cornbread and made a apple coffee cake for desert. cant wait till supper time.

[barrelslime]

Got a new toy. The table is a 2 burner cooker that doubles as a dutch oven table.

[Hondopatrick]

Been meaning to tell you... I picked up a vintage Lodge 10" Dutch oven and 3 Griswold CI skillets... 2ea 10" and 1ea 8". Today I'm going bird hunting but tomorrow is Pineapple upside down cake in the DO... man I can't wait!

[barrelslime]

Originally Posted by Hondopatrick

Been meaning to tell you... I picked up a vintage Lodge 10" Dutch oven and 3 Griswold CI skillets... 2ea 10" and 1ea 8". Today I'm going bird hunting but tomorrow is Pineapple upside down cake in the DO... man I can't wait!

are you dove hunting? Its been pretty good this year in IL

[Hondopatrick]

Yep, my son and I went dove hunting. Rained all afternoon but the birds kept moving and we were able to put 17 in the bag...

[barrelslime]

Good luck on the cake.

[SmokerBill]

Hey barrelslime,

I just pulled my old 8 inch dutch oven from the garage. It's been sitting around unused for over 30 years and it got kind of rusty. Any tips on how to season it? Should I sand off all the rust first? (the inside is more rusty than the outside)



Does the "twice as many briquettes as the width, 1/3 under, 2/3 over" rule apply to everything you cook in a dutch oven, or do some foods need more or less charcoal briquettes? Is wind or weather a factor when using your DO?

Thanks,

[Hondopatrick]

Bill, is that an old Lodge dutch oven?

[SmokerBill]

I wish. No, it's just an old no-name dutch oven. Only markings are an 8 on the top and the bottom, and a little "3". Lid seems to fit well, so it should be ok.

[barrelslime]

Bill use a scotch pad and LIGHTLY rub the oven inside and out. Fill the oven in Coke a cola. Let it set half hour. then pur the soda and some fresh soda in a vessel to submerge the lid and outside of the oven. The soda will remove the loosened rust.
Remove and wash with a little mild soap and water to remove any rust particles. Now wearine rubber gloves, remove from the water, rinse and IMMEDENTALLY wipe down with mineral oil. or vegetabel oil. Mineral oil is best. Completly lightly oil the oven inside and out and the lid inside and out. Remember to wear rubber gloves so you done contaminate the clean metal with sweat and oil from your hands that will cause rust. Now Heat up your oven to 400 degrees. Put the UNCOVERED oven and lid into your stove for an hour. After that remove and let it cool, for 15 minuets. then reoil ithe lid and oven. Its hot so this can be hard to do and a little messy. Let it completly cool, add another light coat of oil and bake again at 400 for an hour. When done let it completely cool and its seasoned. You can add another light oil, but I find if it sets it will get smelly and sticky if you use spray oil like PAM. Dont use that stuff, like I said I prefer Mineral Oil. If kept in a dry enviroment It shouldnt need any additional oil.
HEre is a chart for temperature control. http://www.socaldos.org/dutch_oven_chart.htm

[barrelslime]

Here's my cornbread from yesterday. I used a parchment paper liner and it worked great. NO CLEANUP

[SmokerBill]

Thanks for the tips! I never considered using mineral oil, but it makes sense. It wouldn't go rancid like vegetable oil can.

Cornbread looks great, too. Parchment paper looks like the way to go. Did you use that with the upside down cake too?

Have a good one,

[barrelslime]

negative on the cake. Didnt need it for the cornbread, it would have slid right out, I just wanted to try the liner, it was a gift from a friend.