Camp Dutch Oven for SHTF cooking? Anyone have experience?

[Chris Lang]

These are some good ideas, but how can you cook something without the smell luring unwanted, starving and potentially dangerous drones? When a person gets hungry enough, they will do anything. (remember the Donner Pass folks) I don't know how a person can safely cook anything unless they are way out by themselves. Canned goods, albeit heavy, are the best bet. You can eat them cold with little luring odor. Beans, vienna sausage, sardines and vegetables are what I have hidden..........

 

[Firemedic183]

I use a Lodge Dutch Oven both with Boy Scouts and at home. The food is delicious, there are easy great starter recipes, and it is very healthy for you. It is in my opinion an outstanding bug in, or vehicle bug out tool.

 

[Mykah]

We use dutch ovens with the boyscouts, very easy to use. I think someone already mentioned it but they do a dutch oven class at the wildlife expo every year.

 

[imasoonerfan]

Here is some info from our Troop's website:

http://troop168.net/cooking/dutch-oven-recipies/

http://troop168.net/cooking/dutch-oven-recipies/dutch-oven-cleaning-tips/

http://troop168.net/cooking/dutch-oven-recipies/dutch-oven-seasoning/

http://troop168.net/cooking/dutch-oven-recipies/dutch-oven-storage/

http://troop168.net/cooking/dutch-oven-recipies/dutch-oven-temperature-control/

Temp control is probably the hardest thing to master. Always remember that it cooks WAY faster on the bottom than it does on the top. Really easy to burn something on the bottom. I love to cook in one. Buy local as well. Catch one on sale. Also buy one that is pre-seasoned.

Good luck.

 

[Walrus]

I had to laff about that bit about cookoffs requiring much lies and harassment. Sounds exactly like a chili or bbq cookoff or even eating out at the wagon on the ranch and having to harass the cook for all the grumbling he did.

Dutch ovens are awesome unless you have to pack them around. They're not designed for mobility, to say the least, but they're hard to beat around the homestead. Something I've observed but not done personally is cooking the whole meal in layers of dutch ovens. It takes at least 3 to do this and the caveat about them heating much more on the bottom than the top needs to be watched closely, methinks.

My mom always scrubbed her cast iron skillets and pots. It wasn't until a long time after I learned you weren't supposed to do that.

 

[Deer Slayer]

You should rinse/scrub out your dutch oven ASAP and dry immediately. Do not use dishwashing detergent or you will have to re season it. To season one, you wipe the interior with CRISCO or vegetable oil and bake at 300 for around an hour then turn off the oven and let it cool naturally. You should be careful not to remove the patina from the interior.

 

[imasoonerfan]

Dutch ovens are awesome unless you have to pack them around. They're not designed for mobility, to say the least, but they're hard to beat around the homestead.

There are some that are aluminum but you have to cook at much lower heat or you will melt them. Much lighter but there is a trade-off.

 

[Bhop]

as some have mentioned the Boy Scouts are your source for everything dutch oven cooking. i would contact your local council of scouts and get in touch with the closest scoutmaster in your area. when i was in scouting we made everything from pizza, to biscuits, to cakes and cobblers.

 

[BadgeBunny]

The trick is to remember that you are, for all intents and purposes, baking whatever is in your dutch oven. Try to distribute the coals evenly (top and bottom) so the heat inside the oven is distributed (no hot spots) and a little bit too cool is better than a little bit too hot. You can always cook a little longer if you need to. It's kinda hard to get rid of that burnt taste, even if it's only burnt in a spot. That taste just permeates the whole pot of food.

Follow DeerSlayer's advice on care of your pots and lids. Cast iron is wonderful. It is also finicky about soap and water ... Do not ask me how I know this as it wasn't from reading and it was traumatic. Took me forever to get that pan seasoned back the way it was before I cleaned it "real good"!

 

[TedKennedy]

These are some good ideas, but how can you cook something without the smell luring unwanted, starving and potentially dangerous drones? When a person gets hungry enough, they will do anything. (remember the Donner Pass folks) I don't know how a person can safely cook anything unless they are way out by themselves. Canned goods, albeit heavy, are the best bet. You can eat them cold with little luring odor. Beans, vienna sausage, sardines and vegetables are what I have hidden..........

Check out the "sausage battle" between Finns and Commies during the Winter War. Smell of sausage cooking turned an army!