Boots and Roots

Let’s talk more about FOOD! 

Last week, we talked about how to build a fire for cooking, and I gave you a recipe for an egg in the middle.  I also mentioned that you can also cook with a Coleman-type camp stove or backpacking stove, and included links to a couple products.  This week, we’ll learn a bit about cooking in a Dutch oven, as well as some other DIY methods that are just for fun—but could come in handy either in a smaller space, if you don’t have a patio or backyard, or are just bored, and happen to have a box and some aluminum tape lying around. 😊

First, there are 2 different kinds of Dutch ovens—the enameled kind you put on your stove or in your oven, and the kind with legs and a handle for hanging. This kind is usually found in the camping section of your local big box store. 

There are also different sizes of Dutch ovens: 

4 qt, 10-in is big enough for 2-4 people

6 qt, 12-in (shallow) is big enough for 4-6 people

8 qt, 12-in (deep) is big enough for 6-8 people

You can use a Dutch oven directly over fire (live fire, white-hot coals—yes; big, roaring fire—no), or on a camp stove, if you have a way to keep it balanced.  But cooking over coals is probably the easiest and most versatile method. 

Here is what you need to use a Dutch oven over coals:

• Dutch oven—of course!!
• Charcoal
• Charcoal chimney
• Tinder of some kind (leaves, pine needles, newspaper, paper towels, or similar—you’ll need to add a little bit of cooking oil of some kind to the paper, if you use newspaper or paper towels)
• Pan/tray that can handle high heat (disposable aluminum pans work just fine)
• Lighter or matches
• Tongs for moving hot charcoal briquettes
• J-hook, oven mitts, or heat-proof gloves to remove the Dutch oven lid.
• Heat-proof surface to cook on—concrete patio or driveway, deck, dirt
• Parchment paper

Steps:

1. Take materials outside!
2. Pour briquettes into the top (the deeper end) of a charcoal chimney
3. Set up some tinder (for charcoal chimneys, I usually take a few paper towels, and spray them with some olive oil or other cooking oil, or smear some coconut oil on them) and place in the aluminum baking dish or on cookie sheet
4. Place chimney into aluminum baking dish or on cookie sheet, on top of tinder
5. Using a match or lighter (preferably one of the long-tipped ones), light the tinder through the holes in the bottom of the chimney
6. Wait for briquettes to burn down to white-hot coals. 
7. While you are waiting for your coals to be ready, prepare whatever you are going to cook in your Dutch oven
8. Once coals are white-hot, pick up chimney and set aside.
9. Place Dutch oven in baking pan or on cookie sheet.

From here, the number of coals you use on top and/or bottom depend on what you’re cooking or baking.  It’s also a matter of personal preference, to some degree.  Are you more comfortable cooking at a lower temperature, for longer? Or a higher temp for a shorter amount of time?

Again, this is not a skill you want to try out for the first time when you are in a stressful situation.  Unless you’re really bored with everything else.

Here is a handy temperature guide, to determine how many briquettes you need on top and bottom of your Dutch oven.  Scroll about halfway down the page for a downloadable and printable version.  This chart will tell you how many coals you need if you want to cook something at a specific temperature.  So you can take any regular recipe you would cook in an oven, and be able to convert it for your Dutch oven.  A general rule of thumb is 25 degrees per briquette.

Here are a few recipes to get you started:

Breakfast: Mountain Man breakfast

Dinner: Nachos

Dessert: Apple Cobbler (a classic)

Just for fun, here’s a super-easy bread recipe as well.  Bread tastes AMAZING when baked in a Dutch oven!

In addition to cooking over an open fire, or using a propane or butane stove, there are a few other options:

1. Esbit stove (perfect for 1 person—terrible for a family to cook on!)
2. Buddy stove (fun for kids to make)
3. Box oven (super fun, and super easy!!  We make these with AHG—they are fun to cook brownies and pizzas in!)

Basically, to make a buddy stove, you empty a can of chicken or tuna, wash it, fill the inside with some kind of paper—most people use carboard, and place it inside the can in a spiral, but you can also use newspaper or some other kind of paper, crumbled up and shoved inside, filling it up as much as possible.

Next, you’re going to want to take the can and put it inside or on top of something that can get messy, like a box, or newspaper, or something.  Melt crayons, paraffin wax, or candles in a double boiler, pot lined with foil, or pyrex lined with parchment paper.  You’ll need 4-6 ounces of wax of whatever form you use.  Once the wax is melted (you may need to melt in batches, and that’s ok), pour it carefully over the cardboard or paper until it soaks in.  You’ll want to add plenty enough wax to soak the cardboard, but you don’t want to quiiiiite cover the cardboard.  You need to leave just enough to light to get the stove going.

Now, this stove will only burn for maybe an hour or 2.  Also, it doesn’t get hot enough to boil water for purifying, but it’ll warm up cold soup, and you can warm up your hands a bit.

The box oven stove is way less messy to make, since you don’t have to melt any wax.  It’s also a fun family project.  With the coals, estimate about 35-50 degrees per briquette, since the box is closed.  For American Heritage Girls, we’ve had fun making cakes, brownies, pizzas, nachos, and even enchiladas in our oven!

Well that’s it for this week!  Work on practicing those skills, and enjoy the delicious fruits of your labor!!