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Upon a request from HenryJ I am starting this topic.
There is nothing difficult about cooking with a dutch oven. They cook just like a normal oven you would have in your kitchen, except the source of heat is different. There is an approximate number of coals, if you decide to use charcoal, that will come very close to the temperature in your kitchen oven....with adjustments for outside temperature & wind. I personally don't use charcoal every time. The embers from a good fire work just fine.

One of my favorite aspects of using the dutch oven is being able to sit around the campfire after a long day of hunting or fishing & enjoying the smell that seeps out of the oven while your dinner is cooking.

For the beginners that are interested in using this awesome tool check out PapaDutch's website. This is the most comprehensive site I've found for recipes and it is an excellent source for beginners.
http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/

Is there a seasoning or preparation procedure for the oven?

I think I have seen aluminum versions? Is cast iron preferable?

How do you store it? Is rust a problem?

What size would be the best?

Packing briquets may be a good idea, as sagebrush fires are not known for the coals. How many do you think would be needed to make dinner?

Fill us in on a typical dinner you might make. What do you prepare before? What and how do you prepare it at camp?

A great way to cook camping is wrap in Aluminum foil potatoes, carrots, ground beef into balls (size of small meat balls) and a teaspoon of margarine, place on hot coals from fire for 20 minutes and presto you will have a single serving meal. Also don't forget to add spices

I prefer cast iron ovens with legs. The aluminum are okay...require less heat, but are more prone to burning your food and the iron ovens tend to leave the seasonings of past meals behind for flavoring.
The advantages of iron:
More even heat distribution
Holds heat longer
Well seasoned pot is non-stick

I would suggest a 12 qt. This size will accomodate most dishes just fine.

Most ovens are now offered pre-seasoned. If your oven is not preseasoned OR if rust forms then put it in your kitchen oven on about 350-400 degrees F. Put the dutch oven inside, upside down, on the middle rack and put the lid in too; you can put the lid on top of the oven's legs. After the oven has warmed, take the dutch oven out, let it cool a little and apply vegetable oil with a rag to every inch of the oven, inside, outside & lid. Put it back into the oven to warm up again and repeat one more time. Do not apply too much oil...kind of like shining your shoes, except there is no buffing.

The most common problem with first time users is too much heat. A typical dish required to cook at 350 degrees F will require roughly 24 coals for a 12 qt oven. A general rule of thumb for dutch ovens is the following: to produce about a 350° heat is to take the size of the Dutch oven in inches, double the number, and use that many total briquettes. Ignite the coals, then put 1/2 the coals under the oven, the other 1/2 on top. Every 15 minutes I rotate the oven 90degrees and leave the lid in the same direction....or in other words, rotate the oven and leave the lid in its original position.

Store the oven in a dry area. Try to avoid a moist area. This will prevent rust. This only applys to the iron ovens. After cooking wipe the oven clean with hot water & rag. Use an aluminum or plastic scrub brush to remove leftover food. DO NOT USE SOAP. This will ruin your seasoning. During the life of a dutch oven, you should only have to season your oven once. For long term storage take a paper towel and lay it across the oven. Put the lid on and allow some of the towel to extend out.

You can make your meal as elaborate as you want. For first timers, I would recommend one of my favorite meals, baby back ribs I like to marinate the ribs in a ziplock bag a day or two before I plan on cooking them with a rub. When I'm ready to cook them, I add a 12oz bottle of my favorite yeasty beverage to the oven, add the ribs, a little BBQ sauce...put the oven on the heat, enjoy the another yeasty beverage and one hour later....

Another favorite of mine is pizza. 1 or 2 containers of cresent rolls, dependng on your crust thickness preference...I like to use those pop out cylindrical containers, jar of pizza sauce, cheese & toppings of your choice. Lay the cresent rolls on the bottom of the oven, pour on the sauce, add the cheese & toppings and put it on the heat for about 10-15 minutes. I prefer to put 1/3 of the coals on the bottom and 2/3 on top for this. I want to cook from the top down...to avoid burning the crust.

I'll share some other recipes I've used in another post. I hope this post helps.

Great stuff!

I keep picturing it as a pot to cook in. That needs to change. It is an oven for the campfire. A portable camp oven. Hence the name

Cast iron can be very different. There are different qualities. Iron content, porosity, thickness, weight, etc.
I am no expert. Cheaper is not always best. However there may be no noticeable difference.

What does one look for in terms of quality?

Is there a design difference (handles, hooks) ?

Keep the recipes coming. That pizza sounds like a cool dish the kids would love!

I came in here thinking it was going to be a big joke about farting under the sheets.

I'm dissappointed!

rick wrote:A great way to cook camping is wrap in Aluminum foil potatoes, carrots, ground beef into balls (size of small meat balls) and a teaspoon of margarine, place on hot coals from fire for 20 minutes and presto you will have a single serving meal. Also don't forget to add spices

Hobo dinners, we make them all the time in the summer. you can throw in any vegi's green beans, corn, etc.........and it's deeeeeeelicious!

rick wrote:A great way to cook camping is wrap in Aluminum foil potatoes, carrots, ground beef into balls (size of small meat balls) and a teaspoon of margarine, place on hot coals from fire for 20 minutes and presto you will have a single serving meal. Also don't forget to add spices

We do that here at home on the grill. Delicious.

As far as quality goes, I believe that most of the brand name dutch ovens out on the market are probably pretty good. I personally would recommend Cabela's. I would not buy an oven from walmart or equivlalent. If the oven walls are too thin, they can crack.

I've never looked into the design of the handles or hooks. I like the metal handle on the oven to pick it up off the fire. My old oven did not have the metal handle. I had to use the fire gloves, not fun. I use an old fire poker from a fireplace set to remove the lid.

I do a lot of dutch oven cooking and one of my favorite tools is my lid remover. A quick google didn't turn up a picture but it is a 3 foot long tripod hook thing..... kind of .. and stuff... I think I need a picture. Anyway it lets you pick up the lid and actually tilt it 90+ degrees to dump coals off of it. It also has a big hook for picking up the oven itself.


***Edit***
found a web site with a pic.
http://www.mairdutchovenlifter.com/

Jigg wrote:I came in here thinking it was going to be a big joke about farting under the sheets.

I'm dissappointed!

Me too