Cooking preference, In or Out?

[jdadoug]

You know thats cheating using a liner in the camp oven............. and why?
jdadoug

[Earth Station]

Peach??? who said peach cobbler???? not me! I love apple... and, tell me, how is it cheating?

[dwaynerz]

looking forward to bringing my electric smoker with us this year. it will be a nice addition to my dutch oven/cast iron cookware and our pressure cooker. nothing like making pot roast in about an hour. mmmmmmm.......... nice way to meet some neighbors too.

[Terier]

Originally Posted by jjdcamper

Handbuilder:
I have to agree with you on the differences between Aliner and Flagstaff. Aliner are nice but I think Flagstaff's are better. I started out looking at Aliner's until the dealer showed me the Flagstaff features and the difference in price. I even tried with working with the Aline company rep, but they wouldn't build one to my specs. And if I rember correctly, when you hook up to the water supply, it fills the fresh water tank first and then you draw from that. Which means you have to drain the fresh water tank every time you go camping or you're drinking stale water.
I live alone and camp alone. Sometimes a friend of mine will come for a few days but he always brings his own tent, which he prefers. A lot of open floor space was not a requirement of mine as much as the permanent bed was. Where you have your coffee pot, I plan on putting one of those Sterilite 3 drawer cabinets you see in Walmart. I've had it for years and it holds all my utensils and the top drawer is my junk drawer. All small odds and ends like a tube of super glue, rubber bands, pocket knife etc. I'm hoping my coffee pot will fit between the sink and the wall as there is an outlet close by, between the mattress and the sink cabinet wall. It's there to plug in the heated mattress, which I'll probably never use. Due to the difficulty in making the bed up everyday in a pop up, I have zipped two sleeping bags together. One is a three pound and one a five pound. The three goes on top in the summer and the five goes on top in the cooler weather. With the two zipped together, it more than provides the same sleeping conditions of a full size bed. (I'm getting lazy in my old age.) All I have to do is flip them over to match the weather conditions but with a 20,000 BTU heat pump, I'll probably always have the three on top now. I did put a fitted sheet over the mattress but I couldn't find one that fit properly so it's not tight. For some reason, all the queen size fitted sheets are 14" deep and my mattress is 5" deep. Oh well.
Hard sided should retain the heat & A/C much better than my old camper anyway so I don't anticipate any concerns. Now, if I could only get rid of that stove!
Jim
PS
How do post pictures on this website?

Are you still looking for directions? Not sure since I see you have a pic as your avatar.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...sics-6778.html
See post #7.

[jjdcamper]

Thanks you to all who answered my question on what a Dutch Oven is. I don't believe I ever saw one or if I did I don't remember. My mother may have had one as we did go on picnics in the 40's and my mother always cooked on a wood fire. Judging by the photo Ko777 was kind enough to post for me to see exactly what one looked like, I would guess a Dutch Oven is the fore runner to the modern day crock pot. And if I ever camp near Earth Station, I'll be looking forward to having some of that apple cobbler. It looks delicious and I love apple cobbler. (I'm too lazy to make it for myself.)
Thanks again to all and Happy Camping,
Jim

[Earth Station]

Originally Posted by jjdcamper

Thanks you to all who answered my question on what a Dutch Oven is. I don't believe I ever saw one or if I did I don't remember. My mother may have had one as we did go on picnics in the 40's and my mother always cooked on a wood fire. Judging by the photo Ko777 was kind enough to post for me to see exactly what one looked like, I would guess a Dutch Oven is the fore runner to the modern day crock pot. And if I ever camp near Earth Station, I'll be looking forward to having some of that apple cobbler. It looks delicious and I love apple cobbler. (I'm too lazy to make it for myself.)
Thanks again to all and Happy Camping,
Jim

you would be welcome at our fire for some cobbler and ice cream. buy one and try it....

[dwaynerz]

havent tried to make a cobbler yet, but tried a pineapple dump cake that turned out ok. that was my first attempt at cooking with a dutch oven, and was surprised by how easy it really was. looking to become more adventurous with it this year.

[Courtenay]

Okay all you Dutch oven cooks, could you post some of your tips and tricks, and your favorite dishes? Tell us more. How do you make this work for you? Are we talking about an all-day process here? Learned any great shortcuts? Thanks! Courtenay

[jjdcamper]

Yes, I'm with Courtenay. I camp alone and now that I know what a dutch oven is, I'm trying to decide if I want, or should have one. For instance, if you put a chicken thigh and some cut up vegetables in one, does the chicken get crispy like in a frying pan or does it resemble foods cooked in a crock pot? Do you use water or cooking oil? It takes a good 30 minutes for charcoal briquettes to burn down to a usable condition so how much longer will it take to cook the chicken? I found a Lodge 3 quart Dutch Oven that comes with a lid that hold briquettes. The center of the lid is recessed for that purpose, so I'm assuming that it cooks from the bottom and from the top and should cook quickly. But, like Courtenay, a few tips and tricks from you experienced users will know the answers to our questions, and I sure would appreciate some help. I do carry a small charcoal grill but I don't want to spend half a day to cook one meal.
Thanks in advance as I know you kind campers will respond,
Jim

[AquaMan]

We cook in a Dutch oven all the time. Generally I don't add anything to chicken but seasoning. I put a whole chicken in, season, add lid and charcoal, then walk away. Couple hours later, the chicken is perfectly roasted and falls off the bone. The legs and wings DO fall off, so be careful pulling it out. As for charcoal, get a Weber charcoal chimney. 2 pieces of newspaper, and a match. That's all it takes, will be ready in 10 min. Breakfast is my favorite, as well as my kids'. Another favorite is dark chocolate forest cake.

[jjdcamper]

ttrost65:
Since I'm new to this Dutch Oven thing, I have a question: Do you put the Dutch Oven on top of the Weber Chimney or just use it to light the briquettes and then dump the briquettes into your charcoal grill? (Thanks for the prompt reply.)
Jim

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by jjdcamper

ttrost65:
Since I'm new to this Dutch Oven thing, I have a question: Do you put the Dutch Oven on top of the Weber Chimney or just use it to light the briquettes and then dump the briquettes into your charcoal grill? (Thanks for the prompt reply.)
Jim

The chimney is just to light the charcoal, then you add the lit charcoal under and on the lid of your oven, depending on how you want to cook. You can control temps by the number of briquettes you add. I usually do mine on the ground, in or near the fire ring.

[Earth Station]

Here is a chart to help with temperatures:

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by Earth Station

Here is a chart to help with temperatures:

Attachment 24159

Thanks for adding that. I was looking for it, but couldn't find. There is also a method for estimating temp by how long you can hold you hand 12" over the oven. Counting the briquettes is better!

[Earth Station]

Originally Posted by ttrost65

Thanks for adding that. I was looking for it, but couldn't find. There is also a method for estimating temp by how long you can hold you hand 12" over the oven. Counting the briquettes is better!

We also use coals from the fire (have a special shovel to sift ash out) then we use the tire temp thingy -- this takes more patience and LOTS of practice. We have over cooked and undercooked doing it this way. Counting the briquettes is almost foolproof!!!

Oh-- I can't wait for a campfire!

[jjdcamper]

Originally Posted by ttrost65

The chimney is just to light the charcoal, then you add the lit charcoal under and on the lid of your oven, depending on how you want to cook. You can control temps by the number of briquettes you add. I usually do mine on the ground, in or near the fire ring.

ttrost65:
Thanks. Now I understand. You've been a big help and I appreciate it.
Jim

[FloridaPhil]

We also live cooking outside. First and foremost we enjoy being outside when camping and socializing. However, the second benefit cookies g inside the camper leaves the smell of whatever you cooked in the cushions, fabric. Although...cookies are great for the oven and kids inside.

[Courtenay]

Thanks all. Very helpful. Now about those recipes? Also wondering about that photo of a lining for baking in a Dutch oven. What do you use to line it? Is this to keep it from sticking? Or for easy cleanup? Courtenay

[Earth Station]

Originally Posted by Courtenay

Thanks all. Very helpful. Now about those recipes? Also wondering about that photo of a lining for baking in a Dutch oven. What do you use to line it? Is this to keep it from sticking? Or for easy cleanup? Courtenay

I bought a box of them at Wal-Mart --- you can also use parchment paper. It does make it a bit easier for cleanup.... sometimes it helps to remove food when it is done. I use them occasionally. You can get recipes with a google search, pinterest search, or just use your normal everyday recipes for the oven. If you are on facebook there is an awesome group "Cast Iron Cooking" and there are many recipes/photos there. I haven't grabbed a "normal" pan in months.....

[Courtenay]

Thanks. Great resources on the web. Check out You Tube. We'll have to give Dutch cooking a try. C