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Charcoal chimney starter: Tool to light charcoal briquettes more quickly.
Lid lifter: Tool to remove a Dutch oven lid without dumping hot coals or ashes into the pot.
Long tongs: Tool to move hot coals safely.
Heavy-duty pot holders/leather gloves: To protect hands when handling hot cookware.
There is a variety of cast iron cookware available to create all types of meals and desserts.
Cooking Methods
Oven & Stovetop
Use the stovetop and/or oven of a standard gas or electric range and set temperatures as indicated in recipes. Cookware to use: skillets, griddles and kitchen-style Dutch ovens. If using a glass cooktop, follow the manufacturer’s directions and be sure the bottoms of the pans are perfectly flat and smooth. Lift the cookware to move it; do not slide or drop it. To use a camp-style Dutch oven in a standard kitchen oven, straddle its three legs over the rungs of the oven rack. Pull out rack and carefully lift the pot to move it.
Cast iron cookware can be used inside in the oven and on the stovetop, just as well as outside on the grill or over a campfire.
Grill & Campfire
On a campfire, burn wood or charcoal briquettes to produce heat (coals), or use a gas grill with a grate or burner. Control the cooking temperature by the number and placement of hot coals, the distance of a grate above the heat and the placement of the cookware. Add fresh hot coals as needed to maintain the cooking temperature until the food is done. Rotate the cookware every 10 to 15 minutes to avoid uneven cooking or burn spots. Cooking on a grate usually requires a little extra time.
Skillets: Place a skillet on a grate directly over hot coals or gas grill heat. For a lower temperature, slide the pan to one side, away from the heat (indirect heat). Use skillets with or without a lid.
Griddles: Place a griddle on a grate directly over hot coals or gas grill heat; move it to the side to reduce cooking temperatures (indirect heat). For griddles to perform well outside, they need even heat.
Pie irons: Place a pie iron directly on hot coals or on a grate. For a lower temperature, move it to the side or hold it above coals. Flip the iron for even cooking.
Dutch ovens: Place a Dutch oven directly on hot coals or on a grate, or hang it over a fire. To rotate, lift the pot and turn it ¼ to ⅓ turn in one direction before setting it back on the heat. (Setting the legs back into vacated spaces between coals makes this easy.) Turn the lid ¼ to ⅓ turn in the opposite direction.
The number of coals you use and the way you place them will determine the cooking temperature inside a Dutch oven. Experiment with your own gear to find the methods that work best for you. The pointers on pages 33–35 will help you get started, but remember to monitor cooking and adjust the heat up or down as needed.
Pay special attention to the food when cooking over an open fire to avoid uneven cooking and burn spots.
Dutch oven pointers
Camp-style Dutch oven (three legs): To boil, fry, brown or sauté food, use the Dutch oven without a lid. Set the pot directly on a spread or cooking ring of hot coals so all the heat comes from the bottom. The legs hold the pot slightly above the coals to avoid burning. More coals equals more heat.
To bake, roast or simmer food in a Dutch oven, you need heat from both the bottom and top. Top heat promotes browning. Arrange some hot coals in a cooking ring underneath the covered pot and place more hot coals on the lid, either in rings or scattered evenly. For general cooking and most baking, place about ⅓ of the coals in the ring under the pot and about ⅔ of the coals on the lid. (Avoid placing any coals under the center of the pot or baked items may burn.) For roasting, split the coals evenly between the bottom and top. For simmering, place more coals underneath than on top.
Kitchen-style Dutch oven (flat bottom): Place this Dutch oven on a grate over hot coals (or gas grill heat) or on a gas burner.* It may also be hung over a fire on a hook or tripod by the long wire handle. To use this Dutch oven directly on hot coals, you’ll need to prop it up on rocks or bricks to lift the bottom off the heat.
*A propane burner may be used like a stovetop burner.
Coals: How Hot & How Many?
To cook at 325°F, double the diameter of the Dutch oven you’re using (measured in inches) and use that number of standard charcoal briquettes.
▪ For a 10" oven, use 20 coals (10 x 2)
▪ For a 12" oven, use 24 coals (12 x 2)
Hotter? Every time you add two more hot coals, the temperature in the Dutch oven increases by about 25°F. So to cook at 350°F in a 10" pot, use about 22 coals; to cook at 400°F, use about 26 coals.
Cooler? Every time you remove two hot coals, the temperature goes down by about 25°F. So to cook at 300°F in a 10" pot, use about 18 coals.
If you don’t want to count coals, use this quick method for any size Dutch oven: For 325°F to 350°F, make a ring of touching briquettes underneath the pot (leave space for legs). Make another ring of touching briquettes around the outer edge of the lid. To adjust the temperature up or down, add or remove coals as needed, maintaining evenly spaced rings.
| FOLLOWING THE RECIPES | ||
| If it says… | It means… | |
| 24+ hot coals | Start with 24 hot charcoal briquettes, but light extras to complete the cooking. | |
| About 24 hot coals | Use about 24 hot charcoal briquettes to complete the cooking | |
| Cook on a grate | Start with the grate 3" to 4" above heat and adjust it up or down as needed for correct cooking temperature | |
| Medium heat | Use medium setting on a gas grill, or judge by holding your palm above the fire for 4 seconds at about the position the food will cook (2 seconds = hot heat; 6 seconds = low heat) | |
This temperature conversion chart tells you about how many coals you need to reach a certain temperature in your Dutch oven. Refer to the next page to determine how the coals should be arranged depending on the way you’d like to cook your food (roasting, baking, etc.).
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