Outdoor Cooking-Cooking with Charcoal in Dutch Ovens

Approximate servings per Dutch Oven Baking Temperatures

by size and or depth

Oven Size Person’s served Slow 250• to 350•

8” 1-2 Moderate 350• to 400•

10” 4-7 Hot 400• to 450•

12” 12-14 Very Hot 450• to 500•

12” deep 16-20 Use this chart to help determine

14” 16-20 the number of briquettes needed

14” deep 22-28 to achieve desired temperatures.

Most recipe’s will be cooked at moderate temperatures.  The general rule is to put for baking is 2/3 of coals on lid, 1/3 of coals below oven.  Ensure that your coals are glowing.

Oven 325• 350• 375• 400• 425• 450•

Top/bottom

10” 13/6 14/7 16/7 17/8 18/9 19/10

12” 16/7 17/8 18/9 19/10 21/10 22/11

What is a Dutch Oven?

A Dutch Oven is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid.  Dutch Ovens are usually made of seasoned cast iron but can also be made of cast aluminium or ceramics.  The use of cast iron pots is attributed to an English brass foundry owner named Abraham Darby.  He wanted to create less expensive kitchen pots than the cast brass pots that where most commonly used.  A visit to a Dutch Brass foundry in 1704 gave him some ideas about the possible casting methods for iron.  In 1707 he finally achieved his goal and obtained a patent for casting iron cookware derived from the Dutch process.  The term “Dutch Oven has been with us for over 300 years.

There are many style of Dutch ovens.  Some have small legs and flat dished lids.  These are ideal for cooking with charcoal.  A regular Dutch oven can be used by setting it on stones and turning the lid upside-down or using a frying pan as a lid.

Recipes

Basic Biscuit Mixture

This recipe is great for camping or to have on hand at home.  It is perfect for savory and sweet biscuit, dumpling, pancakes, and cakes.  Keep in the fridge and use cup for cup of flour in your regular recipes or approx. 1 cup flour to 1/3 cup of milk.

9 cups flour Mix all the ingredients together and blend to resemble

1/3 cup baking powder course meal.  

1 tsp. salt

1 lb/454 grams shortening

For camping mixture, add 1 cup of powdered milk.

Cinnamon Pinwheels

2 cups biscuit mix Blend all the dry ingredients together, blend in butter

¼ cup sugar coursely.  Add milk and mix lightly.  Spread dough out

2 tsp. butter with your hands.  Sprinkle with raisins and brown sugar.

¼ tsp. nutmeg, ¼ tsp. Cinnamon Roll up and cut in slices.  Place in 10” Dutch Oven and bake 

1 egg for 20 minutes at moderate heat. 14 coals top/ 7 bottom

¾ cup milk

Brown sugar

Raisins

Corn Bread

¾ cup yellow cornmeal Mix dry ingredients together.  Beat milk and egg together,

1 cup flour add to flour mix, stir in melted butter.

1/3 cup sugar Spoon into Dutch oven and bake for 25 minutes at

3 tsp. baking powder moderate heat.  14 coals top/7 bottom.

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 tbsp. melted butter