There is nothing better than something cooked in a Dutch oven. Dutch ovens were the main pot used when the pioneers came across the plains.
Today Utah has more Dutch ovens per capita that any other state. There are even contests at fairs and trade shows in the summer so that experts can show off their skills. I was the judge of many of these delicious experiences. I never met food cooking in a Dutch oven that I did not like. Here are some tips to get you started.
Cooking in a Dutch oven is much like painting by number. Below I will go through the basics of Dutch oven cooking, and if you follow the basic rules you will turn out the most incredible dishes time after time after time.
Virtually any method of cooking you encounter on a daily basis can be adapted for Dutch oven use — baking, braising, boiling, frying, stewing and roasting.
Temperature Control
Most baking recipes require a temperature setting of 325ºF. An easy method to get a temperature of 325ºFahrenheit within your Dutch oven is to subtract or add the number 3 to the size of your Dutch oven to determine the number of charcoal briquettes to use underneath and on top. Find the size of the Dutch oven you use (see chart below) to know the correct number of briquettes.
Dutch Oven 325° Temperature — Briquette Quantities
Size of Oven Top
8-inch 11 on bottom 5 on the top
10-inch 13 on the bottom 7 on the top
12-inch 15 on the bottom 9 on the top
14-inch 17 on to bottom 11 on the top
16-inch 19 on the bottom 13 on the top
The following example uses the formula for a 12-inch Dutch oven.
* Subtract 3 from 12, which equals 9 — the number of briquettes to place beneath the oven.
* Take the number 12 and add 3, which equals 15 — the number of briquettes to place on the lid of the oven.
With this formula, 9 briquettes go underneath and 15 briquettes are placed on the top of the lid of a 12-inch Dutch oven to cook at 325ºF. One-third of the heat will be underneath the Dutch oven, and two-thirds of the heat will be on top. Heat rises, so you do not need as many coals on the bottom of the oven.
Arrange briquettes so they are evenly spaced under the Dutch oven and on its lid. Also, you always need to rotate your Dutch oven a quarter turn every 15 minutes to avoid hot spots. Replace briquettes with new coals as they burn out.
Temperature control is determined by charcoal briquette placement.
