Terry Lewis - Dutch Oven Cooking

I believe to have a success with anything; you need to start with quality equipment and ingredients. It is no different with Dutch oven cooking. I use Dutch ovens from Camp Chef and Lodge because they are the best quality, and I prefer Kingsford charcoal to use for cooking. As far as ingredients are concerned, use only high quality products for the best results.

Most Dutch ovens come seasoned and ready for use. All you have to do is wash them. Over time, with continued use, your oven will build up a better coating or season. Right after cooking is the best time to clean your oven. I wash mine with water and a little soap, but do not scrub the coating away or you will have to start over with the seasoning process. Heat the Dutch oven in your house oven or over a camp stove or coals to get it completely dry. Wipe it down with a little oil or cast iron conditioner. I use a conditioner sold by Camp Chef that I really like.

Learning to control the heat is one of the trickiest parts about cooking in Dutch ovens, but once you do, you will have great success. In this cookbook I have provided the number of coals to use for each recipe. Always place the bottom coals in a ring shape underneath the oven. The heat goes to the middle, so until you have some experience, dont put coals in the center of the ring. The top coals should be in an evenly spaced pattern around the lid of the Dutch oven. A good rule of thumb for the amount of coals needed is to use twice the number of coals as the oven is in inchesfor instance, using a 12-inch oven, you need 12 coals for the top and 12 for the bottom, or 24. But you dont put them on that way; you put two-thirds of the 24 on the top, or 16, and one-third on the bottom, or 8. You may need to tweak this formula as you become practiced, but it is a good starting point. For most recipes, the baking temperature is about 350 degrees, and this formula achieves that temperature. You can raise or lower the temperature by adding or removing 1 coal for approximately every 20 degrees you need to adjust.

It is easy to spend a lot of money on tools for Dutch oven cooking. Before you go out and buy a bunch of equipment, I recommend that you find someone who cooks with Dutch ovens and ask about which tools they like. If you can attend a Dutch oven competition or gathering, you can see many different tools and how they work. This way you wont buy something that isnt going to work for you. Its like test driving cars. Below is a list of items that will get you started on your way to successful Dutch oven cooking.

Other than making sure to grease the oven prior to use, my favorite tip for Dutch oven cooking is on how to remove a beautiful pie from the oven. Here is how you do it:

Place double layer strips of parchment paper across the bottom of the Dutch oven, extending over the edges of the rim by a couple of inches, in an X pattern. Make your pie as directed in the recipe, and when it is time to remove the pie from the oven, find a friend to help. Each of you grab two legs of the X, and working together, carefully lift the pie out of the oven and place on a serving platter or lid of the Dutch oven. After it has cooled a bit and is stable, you can gently pull the parchment paper strips from under the pie. This works like a charm!

Thoroughly grease Dutch oven and warm over 68 coals.

Combine soup mix, cheese, and 2 tablespoons dressing mix in a large ziplock bag. Cut dough into 1-inch pieces and drop into bag. Gently toss to coat pieces in the seasoning mixture.

In a large bowl, carefully mix dough, pepperoni, and pizza sauce together and then spoon dough mixture into the Dutch oven. Sprinkle remaining dressing mix on top of this mixture and pour butter on top of that. Cover and bake, using 8 coals underneath the oven and 16 on top, for approximately 20 minutes. Bread should be browned on the top when done.

Mix together all ingredients, beating well for 30 seconds. Pour into greased Dutch oven, cover, and bake, using 8 coals underneath the oven and 16 on top, for 3035 minutes or until corn bread is golden brown.