While researching for my long ride in 2003, I kept coming across Dutch Oven (DO) recipes in the back of packing books. I was intrigued by these recipes. But since my trip was an ultra-light horsepacking trip, a DO was kind of out of the question. But upon my return, it became my goal to learn and master the techniques of DO cooking.

I'm not so sure about the mastering, but my neighborhood continues to ask me to cook for them often. I have been asked to cook at parties, social gatherings, and group camping trips, and I must say, I have had a blast. Here are some of the recipes I have tried and get asked to cook again and again. And here are some tips to get you started if you are new to DO cooking.

You don't have to buy Dutch Oven specific cookbooks to find good recipes that will work. I like slow cooker recipe books. It is the same because typically all the ingredients are thrown in at once and no heat is lost by lifting the lids to add ingredients. The obvious is that since you are cooking at a higher heat with Dutch Ovens, you decrease the cooking times. But don't be afraid to experiment with lots of recipes and make them work for you.

You can use briquettes or an open flame for heat. I use briquettes mostly because they ensure even heat and make cooking temperatures easier to calculate. When you use briquettes, Dutch Ovens cook so evenly they work great for bread, cakes, cobblers and bread puddings, so pull out the baking cook books too.

A technique to calculate approximate temperature for briquette cooking is to first measure the diameter of your DO. Then, subtract three from that number to know how many briquettes to place under the DO. Use the diameter again for calculating the top, but this time add three to the diameter. In other words, if your DO is 12 inches in diameter, you will put nine briquettes on the bottom and fifteen on top. When you stack your DOs you calculate the tops of each. This simple method will make your DOs heated to about 325 degrees F. Add more briquettes to increase the heat as required by your recipe.

An approximate method for calculating heat for an open fire is the "hand heat test". By holding your hand over the heat of the fire for as long as it is comfortable and counting the seconds, you can estimate the temperature. If you can hold your hand there for up to eight seconds, the temperature is probably less than 250 degrees. Only up to five seconds and you are around 350 and only up to three seconds around 400 degrees. If you can only hold it for two seconds, the temperature is approximately 450 to 500 degrees and probably too hot for Dutch Ovens anyway.

Here are some recipes to get you started.

If you need immediate help, please email garry@dream-adventures.com.