How To Cook Outdoors With Cast Iron Dutch Oven

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Heat control is the hardest thing to master when learning to cook with a Dutch Oven. Remember to start with moderate temperatures. You can always add more heat if desired or necessary. Be cautious, as most of your guests wont enjoy burned food! High quality charcoal briquettes are recommended. Charcoal Briquettes provide a long lasting, even heat source and are easier to use than wood coals. Briquettes will last for about an hour and will need to be replenished if longer cooking times are required. Group the smaller briquettes and add new hot ones as required to maintain the desired temperature. Rule of thumb: Each Charcoal briquette adds between 10 & 20 degrees. Different types of cooking requires different placement of the briquettes. Here are a few general rules for briquette placement: For Roasting: The heat source comes from the top and bottom equally. This requires twice as many coals on top as on the bottom. For Baking: The heat source comes from the top more than the bottom. Place 3 times as many coals on the lid. For Boiling, Frying, Stewing, Simmering: All of the heat comes from the bottom. All coals are placed beneath the Dutch Oven. Place the required # of briquettes under the oven bottom in a circular pattern so they are at least 1/2" inside the Dutch Oven's edge. Arrange charcoal briquettes on top in a checkerboard pattern. Do not bunch briquettes as they can cause hot spots. To prevent hot spots during cooking, get in the habit to lift and rotate the entire oven 1/4 turn and then rotate just the lid 1/4 turn in the opposite direction. Rotate every 10-15 minutes. If you use wood coals, remember that the flame will be much hotter than the coals! Avoid direct flames on the pot or turn frequently. It is important to remember that these tips are only a guide to help you get started. You will need to adjust briquettes (or coals) according to the recipe and keep in mind that the weather, ambient temperature, and ground conditions can affect cooking temperature. Here is a handy guide for the amount of charcoal briquettes needed for different sized Dutch Ovens to reach a desired temperature level: 8" DUTCH OVEN: 325 degrees - 15 coals ...OR... 10 on top & 5 on bottom 350 degrees - 16 coals ...OR... 11 on top & 5 on bottom 375 degrees - 17 coals ...OR... 11 on top & 6 on bottom 400 degrees - 18 coals ...OR... 12 on top & 6 on bottom 425 degrees - 19 coals ...OR... 13 on top & 6 on bottom 450 degrees - 20 coals ...OR... 14 on top & 6 on bottom 10" DUTCH OVEN: 325 degrees - 19 coals ...OR... 13 on top & 6 on bottom 350 degrees - 21 coals ...OR... 14 on top & 7 on bottom 375 degrees - 23 coals ...OR... 16 on top & 7 on bottom 400 degrees - 25 coals ...OR... 17 on top & 8 on bottom 425 degrees - 27 coals ...OR... 18 on top & 9 on bottom 450 degrees - 29 coals ...OR... 19 on top & 10 on bottom 12" DUTCH OVEN: 325 degrees - 23 coals ...OR... 16 on top & 7 on bottom 350 degrees - 25 coals ...OR... 17 on top & 8 on bottom 375 degrees - 27 coals ...OR... 18 on top & 9 on bottom 400 degrees - 29 coals ...OR... 19 on top & 10 on bottom 425 degrees - 31 coals ...OR... 21 on top & 10 on bottom 450 degrees - 33 coals ...OR... 22 on top & 11 on bottom 14" DUTCH OVEN: 325 degrees - 30 coals ...OR... 20 on top & 10 on bottom 350 degrees - 32 coals ...OR... 21 on top & 11 on bottom 375 degrees - 34 coals ...OR... 22 on top & 12 on bottom 400 degrees - 36 coals ...OR... 24 on top & 12 on bottom 425 degrees - 38 coals ...OR... 25 on top & 13 on bottom 450 degrees - 40 coals ...OR... 26 on top & 14 on bottom 16" DUTCH OVEN: 325 degrees - 34 coals ...OR... 22 on top & 12 on bottom 350 degrees - 36 coals ...OR... 24 on top & 12 on bottom 375 degrees - 38 coals ...OR... 25 on top & 13 on bottom 400 degrees - 40 coals ...OR... 27 on top & 13 on bottom 425 degrees - 42 coals ...OR... 28 on top & 14 on bottom 450 degrees - 44 coals ...OR... 30 on top & 14 on bottom NOTE: For cooking times over an hour additional charcoal may be necessary. Either have another batch ready to go after about an hour and a half or, at about an hour, place unlit briquettes next to those on and under the oven to ignite them. I have already posted a discussion on how to season your cast iron and it can be found here: http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1038184.aspx I have also posted a discussion on how to cook With Cast Iron Dutch Oven and it can be found here: http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1038204.aspx