Cooking with cast iron. - best charcoal briquettes

Whether you call them settlers, pioneers, mountain men or cowboys, they use those wonderful pots of iron.The cans were shipped from the West with almost everyone.They are one of the most precious possessions.I read a story where one mule fell off a cliff and people were more disappointed with the loss of the Dutch oven carried by the mule than the loss of the mule itself.In the days of raising cattle, campcook can keep the Cowboys warm, and he cooked delicious food and desserts in the Dutch oven.There is a pioneer monument in Salt Lake City, Utah.It depicts a man pulling a cart with his wife beside him, while the Dutch oven of the family is hanging under the trolley.Today, Dutch ovens are used at home and on camping trips, even on some cattle-raising carts.The special taste is hard to beat.Just need to taste a meal from the oven and people will become addicted.In fact, many people have become fascinated by the International Dutch oven Association (IDOS ).Every fall, IDOS sponsors the Dutch oven cooking contest in Logan, Utah.People in many states organized states.Dutch oven Association.Many of these clubs hold cooking competitions at the World Championships.Regardless of your level of interest in Dutch ovens, you can write IDOS at 1104 Thrushwood, Logan, Utah, and 84321 to learn about other "Dutchers" in your area ", or they may help you form a local group.Just prepare for addiction.Legends abound around the Dutch oven.It is said that their origin is not Dutch.Dutch businessmen find that they are invaluable in barter deals with Indians, and that's how the orvingan mark their national label.We know that early settlers used cast iron kettles, and they carried the oven with them as they moved west in the late 17 th century.These pots are very popular and will soon be produced in large quantities.Dutch ovens have not changed much over the years.Colonial Craftsman Paul Rivell is considered to be the perfect one for today's widely used Camp model.However, one of the most interesting and imaginative stories about the origin of the oven was written by Ted Trueblood and published in the April issue of Field & Stream.It began with an unknown pioneer named Holland olirie.The original idea of the Dutchman was to name it the Orey oven, but then changed it;This is lucky for him, because it is reported that the Dutch government gives him 5,000 shields a year, and the Dutch olirie no longer has to hunt.Legend has it that the Dutch oven turned out to be the two iron pots his wife gave him when she chased him out.The Dutchman soon discovered that he could make anything, from PIE to water beef, by pouring one over the other.The first improvement to be made was made by another pioneer named Beaver Charlie, who went to Pittsburgh and made an oven with an oven at the bottom twice as deep as the lid, with a slightly dome at the topIt was good until Steeljaws newhhouse was tired of eating burnt, top raw food at the bottom.He believes that this can be remedied by releasing the coal on the lid, while keeping the top and bottom cooked.The problem is that the lid is dome-shaped and the coal falls off.Steeljaws decided to travel to Pittsburgh to make him like to go to another oven.He must not have been hurt too much because it took him three years to get on the journey.During the trip, his compass reading was thrown away by the Iron Mountain in Michigan, and finally he came to Tennessee.It was clear that Steele Barles had never been to Pittsburgh because when he walked along the river, he met a small settlement and walked into the comprehensive store in Pittsburgh.Owner, sir.Rocky replied, "No, but I 've been thinking about the name of the place.Pittsburgh sounds good, but my uncle told me that there is a place in the North called Pittsburgh, and I certainly don't want to imitate Yankee people.I think I call it Pittsburgh South."It turned out to be like this.The two talked, and soon, sir.Rocky is casting steel claws in a Dutch oven.Three legs happened by accident.Mr.Rocky injected the toomuch iron to fill the vents on the mold, and Rocky manufacturing, south of Pittsburgh, Tennessee, has been casting Dutch ovens since then.With proper care and treatment, the Dutch oven can last for more than a hundred years.There are two kinds of ovens.The first one is the pattern of Charlie's Beaver.It's good if you like the taste of Dutch cooking, but it can be done without the hassle of open fire and elements.The second one was designed after the oven at the steeljaws newhhouse, with a flat top, a lip on the edge and a threelegged bottom.This is often referred to as the "camp model" and is recommended for use when firing.The size of the Dutch oven ranges from 8 to 22 inch in diameter 12-inch and 14-The most common is inches.There are several companies that produce Dutch ovens, but not all of them produce ovens of all sizes.Not all ovenswill are in the same depth.It depends on the manufacturer.You may have to go around to get the size you want.A 12-The inch oven can easily cook a chicken with potatoes or rice and can feed up to four or five people.Dutch oven taken directly from the merchant shelf with a layer of wax coating inside.This is the protection that the manufacturer gives it.There are two common ways to remove it.The first is to heat the ovenand lid with a traditional oven or open fire.When the oven is warm, wipe the interior with paper towels, sacks and even old bath towels.Following this method, apply a thick layer of vegetable oil to the inside of the oven.The oil fills the metal pores and protects the oven from rust.The second method is to clean the oven with warm water and detergent.Then heat the oven and apply the oil.This also helps to "heal" the Dutch oven.Other methods include cooking your first three or four meals with a lot of grease or oil.Another way is to oil the oven and place it in the kitchen oven at 200 degrees F.About six hours.Re-Refuel the Dutch oven every two hours or so.There are several ways to clean the Dutch oven.The easiest way is to enlarge about an inch of water in the oven and then heat it.Cover the lid and let the water boil, then throw it away and wipe the oven clean with a rag or paper towel.Apply a new layer of oil to the oven and lid.If you try this, many seniors will probably argue with you.Traditionally, once all the food is removed, wipe the oven as clean as possible.The main idea here is that the oven is not only cleaned, but the "seasoning" oil in one meal will also come out to enhance the taste of the next meal.It doesn't matter if you cook basically the same food in a pot.But if you eat a stew and then a cobbler, then the chance to taste the stew in the cobbler is great.You should avoid messing up a Dutch oven with soap, as the soap particles may get into the pores and then come out the next time you cook, so that your food has a taste of soap.If your oven is rusted, scrape it with a thick steel wool pad or electric brush to remove rust as much as possible.Then heat it again like a new oven and coat it with a thick coating.You may need to let the oven cool and then repeat the process once or twice, but soon your oven will be as good as the new one.Since hot coal is on top, it is better to have some kind of tool, or even a stick, to remove the lid.A pair of pliers is good to use, or something made by yourself.The idea is to keep the lid level when removing it so that there is no ash falling into the food.Sometimes it helps to put the lid down when you want to deal with the food.It's not a good idea to put it on the ground or on the rocks.You will almost always get the inside of the lid dirty and when you change it you really don't want to put it in your food.An easy way to prevent this is to use two blocks 1/4Inch plywood or even cardboard.Cut about 4-inches by 8-Inches, there is a transparent half in the middle so you can put these pieces together to form a 4 inch high | x.You can put a lid on this to keep it level so that there will be no coal falling off and it will stay away from the ground and keep it clean.When your oven is not in use, store it where moisture and dirt are most unlikely to reach.It is better to put a paper towel in it to absorb any moisture and keep Lida cans and let the air flow, otherwise the oil inside will deteriorate.The idea behind the Steeljaw oven is that no matter what cooking, hot coal can be placed on the top and bottom, and cooking will be more even.There are some different cooking methods here.Choose the product that best suits your needs and enjoyment.Cooking on open fire is the way everything starts.But the fire is not really used. coal is used.After the fire burns enough hot coal, shovel a little bit.Put Dutch wine on coal and shovel more coal on it.Keeping the fire will produce more coal, but keeping it a short distance from the oven, because it will release more heat on one side, resulting in uneven cooking of the food.Keep in mind that charcoal coal balls can also be used.By adjusting the number of blocks accordingly, the heat can be increased or decreased.There are three variations in the heating position, and the type of food you cook will determine where you want to heat.Bottom heating: for liquid dishes such as stews, soups and peppers, you want the bottom heating most.For a 12-You might want to put 18 charcoal coal balls at the bottom and 6 at the top.This food is what you will make when you want to use a cooking tripod.You can hang the oven on the fire or on the coal bed without worrying about heating the top.Even heat: minimize the heat when you cook meat and vegetables.But keep in mind that your food is placed at the bottom of the oven so it gets more direct heat.Because of this, you will actually put more coal on the top.Make your oven 350 degrees F., Take the size of the oven plus two of the top coal balls and two of the bottom coal balls.For a 12-Inch oven place 14 pieces of coal balls on top and 10 pieces on bottom.Get on fire: to cook a cobbler, cake and bread, you need to put most of the heat on it.For a 12-Inch oven put 16 pieces of charcoal coal balls on top and 8 pieces on bottom.You may need to do some experiments.I used only 12 tops and 5 bottoms to cook cookies and the result was very good.Pay close attention to coal.They can cool quickly and have to be re-placed, especially for food that takes hours to cook.Dutch ovens can also be folded together for easy cooking.The coal at the top of the lower oven will also provide heat up to the bottom of the oven.Several ovens can be stacked in this way and a complete meal can be cooked at a time.The only downside to this approach is that in order to check the contents of the lower oven, the entire stack must be removed.Dutch oven cooking is not limited to outdoor cooking.The common kitchen oven is a good source for Dutch oven cooking.Prepare food like outdoors.Pre-Heat the oven to 350 degrees and place it in the Dutch oven.The indoor and outdoor time is basically the same, and the cooking time of one hour is equivalent to one hour.Don't forget, we can also use a wood-burning stove.Place the oven full of stews or beans on top and cook slowly with low heat, which will bring a pleasant aroma to any family.There are homemade bagels here, which is really a special enjoyment.An easy way to cook is to put the oven on the stove.Just put your food in.Put 15 to 20 minutes there.Now, take out the Dutch oven and cover it, and of course, just wrap it with an old thick quilt or blanket and wrap it in a bag.You can be in 3-So four hours.The sleeping bag will keep the heat long enough for the food to cook and then keep it warm until you are ready to eat.You may want to try this when you are ready to go camping.Start cooking with a stove at home.When it reaches the boiling point, you can pack the car with all your gear, but for the Dutch oven, it is enough to leave the room.Just as you are ready to leave, wrap the Dutch oven in a blanket and sleeping bag and put it in the trunk of your car.You can set up camp and relax when you arrive at camp as dinner is ready and waiting.If you have a camp model and want to fry something, remove this id and put the Dutch oven upside down so the legs are on top and put the coal on the oven, put the Upside Down lid on the leg or put the Upside Down lid on a pair of bricks.Keep in mind that the "outside" factor plays a role in the temperature.For example, high altitude, cool places reduce the temperature of the oven, so more heating and cooking time is required.On the other hand, direct sunlight and a strong breeze actually increase the heat.If you cook outside and the temperature says "cold", then when cooking, put a piece of tin foil on the top of the Dutch wine to help keep the heat.Almost any kind of food can be cooked in a Dutch oven, and the best thing is that anyone can cook and succeed.Here are a few recipes to try.But keep in mind that anything you make at home can be cooked in a Dutch oven.Baked potatoes (12-Oven in inches) 3 pound baked 1/2 glass of water 5 pounds potatoes, sliced 2 onions 1 bell pepper (optional) your favorite seasoning sprinkled on the meat.In the open oven, there is Brown barbecue on each side.Add water and cook in a covered oven for about 1 hour.After baking for an hour, add the potatoes, onions and whatever else you want.You can fill the oven.Cover for another hour and cook again.Chicken and Rice (12-Inch oven) 2 chicken flour your favorite seasoning 2 cups of rice 1 can of cream chicken soup 1 can of cream mushroom soup 2 cans of water skin and wash chicken pieces.Flour is mixed with seasoning.Add1/2-An inch of oil at the bottom of the Dutch oven.Totally brown chicken house.Remove excess oil from the oven.Mix soup and water in the oven and add rice.Put the chicken back in the Dutch oven.Cover on a small coal bed and cook for about 1 hour or until tender.Biscuits 3 cups flour 5 teaspoons baking powder 5 tablespoons cooking oil 1 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon salt mix all ingredients.Roll on a flat surface, cut out, and put in the oven.The cover is baked on the back cover for about 15 minutes.The biscuit production is about 25 pieces.Note: bread is the hardest.You may need to do several experiments in order to make it right.Give the oven about a quarter of coal every 10 minutes.Do the same with the lid.This will prevent your food from cooking uneven due to cold spots.Pineapple-Under Cake1/4 cups of butter, melted 1/2 cups of brown sugar 1 can of pineapple slice 1 yellow cake mixed with 1 egg line Dutch oven and tin foil.Add butter, brown sugar and cream to the Dutch oven.Place the pineapple slices in a mixture of butter and sugar.Mix cake powder and eggs in a separate bowl.Pour the batter on the pineapple, cover it and bake for 30 minutes.Test the cake with a toothpick to make sure the cake is finished.Open the oven about every 10 minutes.Do the same with the lid.Apple crispy 8 apples 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup sugar 1 cup flour 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup melted butter line Dutch oven, tinApple's skin, core, and slices are placed at the bottom of the oven.Add cinnamon and brown sugar in a separate bowl.Sprinkle apples with half the mixture.Mix sugar, flour, eggs, salt and baking powder and sprinkle them on apples.Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon and brown sugar mixture on it and pour the melted butter on it.Cook for 40 minutes.Here, you can also rotate the oven on the coal in about 10 minutes to avoid cold spots.Source: some of the best sources for Dutch ovens and other cast iron products are your local hardware or sporting goods store.You can also contact the following manufacturers for product information.Lodge Mfg.Co., P.O.380 boxes, 37380 boxes in South Pittsburgh, Tennessee and MacaMfg boxes., P.O.Utah spring, 885, box 84663.