7 Basics on Dutch Ovens:
(The #1 tips will make a lot of people very uncomfortable)
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of Selecting the right camp or outdoor Dutch Oven, we need to first understand the basics.
#7. If it’s not cast iron it’s just a pot: The Dutch oven is all about temperature control. Aluminum is terrible at this so making a Dutch Oven out of it is like a screen-door on a submarine. So yes its heavy and the ultra-light packers are going to stop reading this right now, but really even an aluminum (Dutch-oven-like) pot is too heavy to pack. If your cooking for a large group with hungry football boys in the mix (like I did last weekend) you are going to get a work out lifting a #14 just accept it and buld those shoulders. (Hint: once loaded with food a 14 inch deep is truly heavy get help if you need it)
#6. A Dutch oven the most versatile outdoor cooking tool; use it that way: So you have your Dutch oven and you’re ready to make the ideal Dutch Oven Dish… um… ok… That’s a stew right? No a roast, BBQ ribs, or is it Jambalaya (my fave) wait no it’s a casserole… You are right it’s all of those. Truly you can do everything on a Dutch Oven. The equation looks like this:
Dutch Oven + fire and/or Coals = X
If your oven is over a “kickin hot” fire it will brown, toast, sauté, and caramelize, and this is crucial to really tasty food and is the key thing that separates the good from the great in many dishes. If you have a mellow scoop of coals you can slowly rise bread and then toss coals on the lid for golden brown tops. If think about the temperature you can literally make anything in a Dutch Oven. Download our free outdoor cook booklet for more ideas and tips on this. (hint putting a fork or a little twig under the lid will help browning up breads as it reduces the steam.)
#5. Size matters: One of the best outdoor meal strategies is the “one dish meal” but if this is the plan you are going to need to follow this basic formula to make sure each person in camp is well fed. Each person is going to need 1.5 to 1.75 inches of diameter of your Dutch oven. A group of 3-4 needs a #8 a group of 5-6 will need a #10, and a group of 8-9 = #14 round to the nearest size, and also remember that how deep your oven matters. Deep ovens can be rounded down.(Hint: see section #4 for deep vs. Regular Ovens)
#4. Wait don’t buy one yet! There are both Deep and Regular Dutch Ovens: Yes I will admit I bought my first Dutch Oven before I knew this, and yes I probably would have rather had the other one… but I love both deep and regular ovens now. The textbook answer is: Regular (shallow) Dutch Ovens are for baking and Deep ovens are for stews.” But I don’t agree with that, at least not totally. Like I confessed above I got a regular or shallow Dutch Oven when I would have rather got a deep, but as I considered my mistake, while touching up the seasoning on my gas grill, I decided that my regular was more versatile and easier for some types of dishes than a deep one. I was right they really are great for most of what I really like to cook. The main advantage of a shallow Dutch Oven is that the coals on the lid are closer to the top of the food (generally) and better for top-down baking, but like I mentioned above, one of my best outdoor cooking strategies is the “one-dish-meal” and these are basically casseroles with yummy zones of flavorful food with a pastry top and the regular (shallow) Dutch Ovens are the champs for this category. That being said if you are stewing up a pot of hearty chili for a bunch of people a deep dutch oven is the a slightly better choice, but if you are doing large cuts of whole meats like roasts you will need the deep oven and probably the little spacer thing to keep the meat off the bottom.
#3. The Lid Is More Than You May Think: If you are a pro chef or a super-genius you may have noticed I said something really wrong above; the part where I said “you can do every kind of cooking with a Dutch Oven.” The superbly astute will see the high sides of a Dutch Oven would make griddling up pancakes (for example) totally impossible, and you would be right to point that out. BUT I would humbly ask you to consider the equally humble lid of your Dutch Oven. The poor guy is abused and neglected. The lid seems great to stack coals on and all too often just tossed to the side when the poor lids job is done. The bottom of the lids on my favorite brand (Lodge) are gently cupped and obviously are made from the same great cast-iron so I keep it well seasoned and use it as a griddle for pancakes, quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, and one of our cookbooks featured dishes “Bacon-wrapped Stuffed Trout” The lid is a great tool and make you feel like MacGyver.
#2. Running Like A “Well-Seasoned” Machine: Seasoning is crucial to your success with a Dutch Oven , and you are going to be surprised when you see just how easy it is. Cast iron is porous, and these tiny holes are a great strength and a potential weakness of all cast iron cookware. It is just this simple; oil them up with a liberal amount of cooking oil, and you need to do it when the oven is hot. You don’t want to burn the oil so like 200-300 degrees would be as hot as I would go. Oil up a paper towel and rub down every inch of your Dutch Oven. Remember to do the outside as well as the inside
Hint: I use coconut oil to season my Dutch Ovens it seems to work better for me but I am not sure why I suspect it’s because of its melting point, if someone can tell me why definitively OutdoorInfoHub.com will send them something cool for free.
# 1. “Cleaning” Your Dutch Oven: This is how it all goes terribly wrong… Yes you do need to clean it but this means doing everything to clean it other than using soap or detergent. OK calm down, take a deep breath and relax. You can get your Dutch Oven very safe and clean just follow these simple rules.
· Never use soap, it will cut the oil seasoning soap in not your friend here.
· First scrape (buy a cheap effecting scrapper here) if the food is fresh and soft this is easy and you will get 99% clean right here. If the food is stuck-on and deeply attached (sign of poor seasoning BTW) you should soak it for an hour in warm water to soften the food.
· Next wipe out with a damp cloth to get residue or liquids off the surface.
· Heat (over the die coals if you have them) then wipe out with damp cloth again.
· Finally, once your oven is “hot-ish” wipe all over with your oil of choice (coconut oil)
· With a properly seasoned Dutch Oven this process takes no longer that washing out a pan normally and will maintain your naturally non-stick cast iron surface.
· If your Dutch oven starts to smell rancid it’s not a big deal. Just mix water and white vinegar 1 to 1 and fill to the top let set overnight 4-8 hours then pour out wipe down with rag and start re-seasoning process.
