Cooking over an open fire doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite baked and roasted foods. It is possible that your favorite recipes are given an enhanced flavor when using this method. A rimmed lid and feet on the bottom are characteristics of the Dutch oven made for open fire cooking.
DON’T USE METAL UTENSILS
Metal ladles, spoons or spatulas shouldn’t be used on seasoned cast iron. Heavy duty wood or should be used in place of the metal utensils which will mar the seasoned coating.
A COOK’S FIRE
An hour before you wish to begin cooking, build a hot fire using hard wood. Avoid commercial charcoal or resinous (soft) wood as a fuel. Resinous woods are soft, tend to burn cooler than hard woods, and produce much black soot. Not only is this residue bad for humans, it leaves a flammable coating on chimneys, and coats your cookware with soot. 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. Avoid both of these problems by learning to build a good cook fire from hardwood. Check to be sure you’ve gotten a good bed of red hot coals laid. An oven mitt or heat resistant cloth can serve to protect your hands from the heat while a curved piece of iron can serve as your lid-lifter.
PRE-HEAT YOUR DUTCH OVEN
Use a paper towel or clean cloth to wipe the inside of the lid and pot. While you prepare your ingredients, place the lid on your Dutch oven and set it near the fire to warm. Just as a modern kitchen oven would require pre-heating, the Dutch oven will need to be warmed also. A warmed pot will cook more evenly and allows the oil to penetrate the iron. The lid keeps ashes from flying into the pot. 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.
PLACING FOOD INTO YOUR OVEN
Pre-measure and prepare the ingredients. Remember the seasonings. Set the heated oven a safe distance from the fire’s heat. A curved metal rod is useful as a tool to carefully remove the hot lid.
Now add the remaining ingredients to the pot. If you are cooking rice, this is when you would add your water/broth and the rice. The vegetables should be added next. Place any meat on top of grains or vegetables so that it will flavor them during cooking. Keep the food from touching the underside of the lid by not overloading the oven. 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 is safer than trying to arrange the oven directly over or in the fire. Rest the Dutch oven on this small pile and then shovel more hot coals onto 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 procedure is known as banking the fire. By covering the coals, they are ‘banked’ or shielded from oxygen, allowing them to burn slowly and steadily.
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 your shovel to remove the live coals from the top when finished. Remove any remaining ash and dust from the lid using a whisk broom. Use a potholder to lift the pot by its handle. Remove the pot from the hot coals and move it back from the fire. Lift the lid with a sturdy piece of curved metal and set it to the side. Examine your food for doneness. If the food is ready, serve with a wooden spoon. 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. You will soon get the hang of it. Any scorched surfaces will be ignored by those that have been inhaling the aroma of the fire-baked meal. There aren’t often leftovers. You should have some eager diners.
CLEANING AND STORING
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. Reheating your pot by sitting it next to the fire will help remove any stubborn bits of glued on food. Don’t submerge your Dutch oven in soapy water or put it through a dishwasher. This will strip it of its protective seasoning. Re-apply a protective coating of oil to your oven after each use. You will know you’ve done a nice job when you can see your reflection in the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot with its lid for storage.
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