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05-04-2016, 10:32 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Metro St. Louis Area
Posts: 1,248
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Cast Iron Dutch Oven Fryer??
We are heading out later this month after the kids get out of school for a 4 day trip. They have recently taken to Fish....catching and eating. I have wild dreams of lugging stringers of crappie back to camp for dinner (not likely) and frying them up like we used to do years ago. Question, anyone ever deep fry with their dutch ovens? I debated on getting one of those propane burners and pots for crawfish boils and what not for home use.... but it feels like just something else to pack and take camping. Opinions?
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05-04-2016, 11:15 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: crete,il /texas
Posts: 498
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I think it will work fine, it may take a while for the oil to recover temp between frying,375 is ideal, a large cast skillet might work better , because of a larger heating surface, either way it sounds good !! Fresh caught fish over a wood campfire. Enjoy
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05-04-2016, 11:49 AM
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#3
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Southwest Alabama
Posts: 9,850
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Your cast iron dutch oven will do fine with most any heat source. I use mine over gas, wood, charcoal, etc.
Where you can't turn the heat up or down with wood/charcoal, you can move it around which accomplishes the same thing.
Breaking from tradition, I use an infrared thermometer to keep an check on the oil temp when frying.
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Salem 29RKSS Pushing a GMC Sierra 2500HD!
Gotta go campin!
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05-04-2016, 01:15 PM
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#4
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Boondocking Only
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 360
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Pic
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05-04-2016, 01:35 PM
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#5
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 15,266
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Only done this with trout, but should work for you. Clean fish wrap in bacon and aluminum foil. Few minutes on each side on hot coals ( depending on size of fish). No additional weight or pot/pan to clean.
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2015 Freedom Express 248RBS
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05-05-2016, 11:47 AM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: DE
Posts: 56
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We take the grands and friends flounder fishing in Rhode Island first week in June. Our dutch oven is frying fish for lunch and dinner. I have small red cones for "NO GO" zone for running kids. Works great!
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05-05-2016, 11:48 AM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 89
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Excellent idea!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ryand
We are heading out later this month after the kids get out of school for a 4 day trip. They have recently taken to Fish....catching and eating. I have wild dreams of lugging stringers of crappie back to camp for dinner (not likely) and frying them up like we used to do years ago. Question, anyone ever deep fry with their dutch ovens? I debated on getting one of those propane burners and pots for crawfish boils and what not for home use.... but it feels like just something else to pack and take camping. Opinions?
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We have done fried chicken many times in the cast iron dutch overn over the "turkey" fryer propane cooker. Corn oil tends to be very stable for this kind of cooking, just use common sense / caution to avoid any unwanted fires. Happy eating!
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TV - 2007 Tundra Dbl Cab
2014 Rockwood Roo 25RS
Nights camped 2014-27, 2015-28, 2016-31
Nights camped 2017-16, 2018-6, 2019-10
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05-05-2016, 01:33 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 301
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Admiral_Roo2
We have done fried chicken many times in the cast iron dutch overn over the "turkey" fryer propane cooker. Corn oil tends to be very stable for this kind of cooking, just use common sense / caution to avoid any unwanted fires. Happy eating!
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I have found that peanut oil works really good, it doesn't burn as easy.
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05-05-2016, 02:03 PM
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 89
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Deadly for us
Quote:
Originally Posted by Myrle
I have found that peanut oil works really good, it doesn't burn as easy.
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I agree, it's probably the best all around frying oil but one of my sons has a deadly allergy to peanut protein so we choose corn oil over some of the other non deadly choices and it has served well. Works great to ramp up the dying campfire when the cooking is done also!
__________________
TV - 2007 Tundra Dbl Cab
2014 Rockwood Roo 25RS
Nights camped 2014-27, 2015-28, 2016-31
Nights camped 2017-16, 2018-6, 2019-10
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05-05-2016, 02:35 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Southern, IL
Posts: 3,272
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ryand
We are heading out later this month after the kids get out of school for a 4 day trip. They have recently taken to Fish....catching and eating. I have wild dreams of lugging stringers of crappie back to camp for dinner (not likely) and frying them up like we used to do years ago. Question, anyone ever deep fry with their dutch ovens? I debated on getting one of those propane burners and pots for crawfish boils and what not for home use.... but it feels like just something else to pack and take camping. Opinions?
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I have do have the big pot for seafood boils but only bring it when I am planning a boil. You will want and certainly remember to bring it after paying for the shrimp and lobster tails…
For my normal travels, I carry a short propane burner and a 20lb bottle in a milk crate. They both travel well in the bed of the truck. Under one of the TT booth seats, I keep the shallow fryer pan and pan strainer.
The propane burner, pan and strainer may or not be used on a trip but are there if the desire arises.
I always use the 20lb bottle and a two piece gas tree with my Coleman stove and lantern. Those little bottles are damn pricey.
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05-05-2016, 03:47 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Wisconsin/Florida
Posts: 1,905
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If the crawfish boiler is anything like a turkey fryer, they are very dangerous. It also takes a lot of oil. A good cast iron skillet will take less oil and you just flip the fish over for the second side.
Simple beer batter recipe:
4 heaping tablespoons of flower
4 heaping tablespoons of corn flower
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 tablespoon of baking soda
Garlic powder to taste
Salt to taste optional
Italian seasoning or Mrs Dash optional
1/2 can of beer approximate (can substitute milk, condensed milk, or water)
Mix dry ingredients together in appropriate size dish (about the size of a pie plate) and add the beer until the mixture drips off the fork easily. Wash the fish and then tamp off excess moisture with paper towels. Heat the oil in a pan or fryer. Flick a drop of water on the oil and when the water starts to pop, the oil is hot enough. Stand back so you don't get splashed. Dip the fish in the batter, drain off the excess, place it in the oil and fry until golden brown. With a fry pan, you will have to flip it to brown the other side. Remove the fish and place on paper towels to remove the excess oil and serve.
Most recipes do not include the baking soda, but the backing soda will brown quicker and the fish does not have to be overdone. We do all of our fryer cooking with canola oil. And we never use salt. Cooking time is 4-5 minutes.
Note: If you use an electric fryer, set the temperature to 400 degrees. It takes a liter of oil and can be reused. When the light goes out, the oil is hot. You can cook 3-4 pieces at a time. By the time you have the last piece in fryer, the first piece will be about ready to come out. You may also have to turn the fish to equally brown on both sides. Keep rotating through until all the fish is done. It doesn't take long in a deep fryer.
Fries are pretty simple. Cut up precooked potatoes (skins on) and brown them in oil like American fries.
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05-05-2016, 07:03 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Brookfield, WI
Posts: 218
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ryand
We are heading out later this month after the kids get out of school for a 4 day trip. They have recently taken to Fish....catching and eating. I have wild dreams of lugging stringers of crappie back to camp for dinner (not likely) and frying them up like we used to do years ago. Question, anyone ever deep fry with their dutch ovens? I debated on getting one of those propane burners and pots for crawfish boils and what not for home use.... but it feels like just something else to pack and take camping. Opinions?
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I have deep fried fresh caught fish in my dutch oven and it worked just fine. I also have one of the aluminum pot with a basket in it that I use on a propane camping stove andthat also works great. The dutch oven is heavy and adds a few pounds to your camper! good luck and enjoy!!!
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Dave & Elaine
Brookfield, WI
2021 Rockwood, 2509s, pulled by a 2020 Ford F150 XLT, Super Cab, 3.5L Eco Boost, with 3.55 axle. Electric 10-speed auto trans w/tow mod. Heavy Duty Tow package & integrated trailer brake, 11,700 lb. tow capacity, payload is 1916 lbs. and 145” wheel base. Equalizer 4 point W/D hitch.
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05-12-2016, 08:24 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 409
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Use it on camp chief all the time. Also get a potato slicer great fries
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05-12-2016, 08:39 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Between Pickles Gap and Toad Suck, AR
Posts: 6,070
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Cast iron is great to fry in. The deeper the better, less splatter. Don't wash it, just dump the old grease, wipe down with paper towel, voila.........done.
Crappie is why I live. The rest is just gravy.
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"Next to prayer, fishing is the most personal relationship of man" Herbert Hoover
"American by Birth, Southern by the Grace of God"Lewis Grizzard
FROG AR-0019-242
2016 GMC Denali 3500Dually--2017 CC 36CKTS
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05-21-2016, 05:14 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: West Valley City, Utah
Posts: 551
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Another plus about deep frying in a cast iron dutch oven is that all that oil keeps the oven well seasoned. Won't rust that way. We use our for that all of the time.
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2014 Chevy Silverado
2011 Rockwood Roo 233S
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05-21-2016, 05:49 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Live Free or Die
Posts: 415
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Dutch ovens work great as a fryer. Back when I was a Scoutmaster I would hold a one day event every September for the new scouts who had just joined the troop and had little or no outdoors experience. I would have older scouts work with them on things like knot tying, firebuilding, map & compass and other outdoor skills. While they were working on that I would get the charcoal going, dump a large can of Crisco into the dutch oven and get it heating up. I would bring half a dozen cans of Poppin Fresh dough biscuits too. Pop open the biscuits, cut each one into quarters and roll them into a ball. Once the Crisco melted and was hot, carefully drop the dough balls into the fat and let them fry until golden brown. Out of the fat and into a paper bag that had a couple cups of sugar and cinnamon in it for a quick shake. Voila, donut holes. I'd pass them out to the new scouts as a demonstration of something you can cook and enjoy without having mom's stove and oven. None of them ever turned their noses up at them and I never had to take any home...even if I wanted to.
As others have mentioned, using the dutch oven as a fryer helps to season it and keep the seasoning with the heated oil in it.
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2015 Forester 2301 - Chevy
Skip & Deb
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06-04-2016, 04:55 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 110
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Frying in the dutch oven can be fun and add to the recipes for camping. You can get a nice frying basket made just for dutch ovens. I got mine at Bass Pro shop. We made deep fried bacon and cheddar macaroni and cheese balls at a recent Scout Campout and took the first prize in the cooking contest. mmm some beer battered fried halibut might be appropriate this weekend.
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