# DO questions



## Nubie Jon (Dec 19, 2017)

I use natural lump.... lit with paper and a spritz of vegi oil.... I use a 1:1 top to bottom you really don't need that much, something in the line of 8-10 pieces. I use this same formula while trailer camping.....


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## kengore (May 29, 2008)

I use a circular cake pan to make a mini fire pan for the dutch oven.










You can get them in many sizes at a hobby store, like Joann's or Hobby Lobby or restaurant supply. They are used for layer cakes.

I found two nesting ones that just a bit bigger than my DO. I use one for DO cooking and one for lighting charcoal. I use Kingsford briquettes, exclusively and I go to great pains to keep them bone dry. Inferior brand briquettes or the MatchLight ones burn too fast or inconsistently. 

I light them using a chimney and some waste paper. The two pan system lets me keep a supply of hot coals in one pan and the DO cooking away on the other. I keep a kitchen tongs, heavy leather glove, cheap pliers (lid lifter)
and other essential items in the same kit. The whole mess fits nicely into a 5 gal bucket I shortened to size. (purchase a new bucket + lid, cut off the bottom leaving a 1" rim, then slide the cut off down the inside to the height desired. Seal seam with hot glue. A heat gun or hair dryer will soften the plastic enough to make stuff fit)

other DO tips...
- parchment paper liners make cleanup super easy, if needed at all. Buy them at Cabelas or cut your own from rolls of baking paper found in the kitchen aisle of any major grocery store.
- pre package ingredients in large ziplock bags, use bag as mixing bowl.
- I prefer flat bottom DO's + a trivet. They pack flatter and I can use the DO on my camp stove.
- I really like aluminum DO's for travel. I use the cast iron ones at home but prefer light weight aluminum in the boat.
- linseed oil (flax seed oil) makes the best seasoning. Seasoning works on both cast iron and alum.


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

I usually use the Match Light stuff (brand doesn't really matter) out of convenience. It doesn't always work though, so a bit of starter fluid isn't a bad thing to bring. I'll admit I'm not a big fan of the longevity of the Match Light stuff...seems to turn to ash faster and not burn as hot or as long. Fairly easy to toss a few extra briquettes on if they don't last long enough though. I think Kingsford makes longer lasting ones and higher heat ones that I've wanted to try but haven't yet.

If there is a blaster on the trip, you can use that to start standard charcoal without starter fluid too. Fold it up, bring it over to where you are setting up your DO station and blast the crap out of it till it seems lit.

Best way I've seen to make sure every piece is fully lit, is a charcoal chimney. A buddy of mine has one that folds up and goes in with the rest of the fire tools inside the firepan when it gets packed up. Fill the chimney up, take it over to the stove (blaster or standard both work), light the stove and set the chimney over the burner. Come back a few minutes later and all the charcoal you started is perfectly lit. If you need it ASAP leave it on for a few more minutes....really accelerates the time it takes to have the charcoal ready to cook with. 

Not gonna weigh in too much on how many charcoal to put on/under...but I do know that it will be different based on Aluminum vs. Cast Iron. Every DO and recipe will need it a bit different, so experiment to find out which works for you. Generally do a ring evenly spaced around the whole top plus a few in the middle of the top, and 6-10 underneath depending on the dish. Also, bringing a cake pan or other pan to set the charcoal in so you don't have to break out the firepan or hog it for DO cooking is nice.


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## kengore (May 29, 2008)

A simple home made collapsible charcoal chimney can be fabricated out of some vent pipe. I used two sections of 4" pipe that form about an 8" dia. chimney when split open and assembled face to face.

materials needed...

1) 2 pieces of 4" dia. stove pipe, about 12" long. Open them up at the folded seam and re-assemble end to end to make a 2 piece unit of larger diameter. The seams can be opened and the two sections lay flat

2) Make eight equally spaced holes around the perimeter about 2 1/2" above the bottom rim. I used hammer and nail. Cut some heavy wire to length and thread criss-cross fashion thru the holes to make a platform to hold the charcoal grate. I added air vents along the bottom rim using an old fashioned can opener

3) I bent some stiff steel wire into a spiral shape to act as a grate, open spaces about 3/8" apart and sized to fit snug inside.

4) I then fashioned a handle out of bent wire and a section of 4" long piece of scrap wood. I drilled a hole thru the center of the wood, length wise. Slipped this over the middle of two 14" long pieces of wire and bent the ends out to look like this >=< Next I added a 1/2" long 90 degree bend to the 4 ends,
these will be used to attache the handle. Adjust your bends so the wire forms
two bi-pod supports, one top & bottom.

5. This whole mess is assembled with some big hose clamps acting as tension rings. The 90 degree bends at the end's slip under the hose clamps to attach the handle


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## 90Duck (Nov 19, 2012)

*cheap alternatives*

I use a metal automotive oil drain pan for the DO to sit in while cooking, balanced up on three rocks. Fresh briquettes can be fed in out of the adjacent fire pan. I prefer regular briquettes with some starter fluid to get it going. I also use a homemade starter chimney made out of an old Folgers coffee can. You remove the top and bottom, then use one of those little openers that makes a triangle shaped puncture to make a series of vent holes around the bottom. The can can be flattened for packing and reopened again numerous times - I've used the same one for years.


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## Panama Red (Feb 10, 2015)

Metal oil pans from Tractor supply. 20-25$ ea. Don’t buy a 3 leg trivet if your DO has 3 legs cut them off with a angle grinder w/ cut off wheel and get a 4 legged trivet. I’ve seen to many leaning towers past the point of no return. Pizza, French Toast bread pudding, lasagna, fruit turnovers, chocolate cake skip the DO liners and buy a roll of parchment or waxed paper clean up and transition to desert is quick and easy.


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## [email protected] (Jun 1, 2010)

Temperature vrs. charcoal bricks chart. This is a good starting point.
I also lift and turn the DO 180 degrees and set back down to kind of even out the cooking if you have a breeze coming from one direction and do the same with the lid. I do most my baking in cake pans so I can take out a batch of biscuits, corn bread or whatever and start a new one in a manner of seconds


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

I'm simpler than most of you, I light coals on the grate over a fire. If no fire then I use lighter fluid, but there is usually a fire going. I set my DO on aluminum foil on the ground. Never used liners, but I can see bringing parchment paper from now on - that might be handy, though I wonder if you loose some of the flavor transfer from the dutch's seasoning?


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## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

I use kingsford and tiki fuel. Not the kind of tiki fuel you get at home cheap-o, but the kind you get from the diesel pump. I use the lid from my fire pan to cook them on and put rocks or wood under the lid to get it off the ground so you don't scorch the soil. On big trips we will stack a couple of 12"er with the main dish in them, then stack a couple of 10"ers next to them, full of desert fixins. Fire pan lid holds them all, right next to the fire pan that I started the charcoal in. Once done cook'in, I pour all the ashes on the lid back into the fire pan....along with the hot coals. Of coarse, everything is kept on the fire blanket. 

The guru that taught me about Dutch ovens, gave me this simple formula for how many coals to use. Diameter of oven x 2 = number of coals to use to make the oven 350 degrees. Add or subtract coals at 12 1/2 degrees per coal. Put 2 more coals on the top than you do on the bottom from the total number of coals you use.

Example 12" dutch oven at 350 equals 24 coals. Put 10 coals on the bottom and 14 on top. For an 10" Dutch oven, it's 8 on the bottom and 12 on top.

Spin lid seperate from the oven on the coals for more even cooking temps. Half a turn each every 20 minutes or so. 

No peeking until you can smell it cooking. Remember, each peek adds time to the finished product.

Here is an easy desert you can make. Take a Hinds Super Moist cake mix. Substitute the oil or butter that the recipe on the package calls for, with sour cream. Mix all ingredients and pour into the dutch oven. Take a can of your favorite pie filling and pour it in the middle and lightly stir it into the mix. Put the coals on the oven using my formula above. In about an hour....or when you can smell it.....get out a tooth pick and check to see if it's cooked. Eazy Peazy A 10" Dutch oven is the perfect size for one cake mix as described above. Good luck.

Favorite cake and filling combo's are.
White cake mix with strawberry or cherry filling
Chocolate with strawberry filling
Lemon with red raspberry or blackberry filling
Spice cake with apple...great for mornings too.


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## Willie 1.5 (Jul 9, 2013)

Aluminum DO for the river.

Elevated oil drip pans. I carry two in a 16" DO case with ovens, trivets, tongs, etc.

Kingford briquets, watch discount grocery stores for good deals. All briquets are a little different, at least while learning I would recommend sticking to one brand. 

Diameter of oven x2 = total briquets. 1/3 on bottom 2/3 on top.

Collapsible chimney, set on a burner for lighting.

'Ove Glove' for handling hot stuff, be careful with them when wet.

I no longer turn lids and ovens, I dont think it's necessary most of the time. Also I don't peek much anymore either, it slows things down to much. 

And remember anything you do in the oven at home can be done in a DO


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## jwburdge (Apr 9, 2014)

All good advice. I like the idea of a collapsible chimney for packing purposes. I was considering the cake pan for the bottom but wasn't sure how well it would hold up to direct contact with the coals. Chimney + blaster seems like a pretty easy staring solution. I have an 8" cast with 3 feet. I haven't used it much at home and I plan on doing some trial recipes before I take it out and cook for a group. I am definitely not going to cut the feet off. If needed I can build a secondary support out of steel. I am going to weld up a simple stand to place the lid on when hot and could probably do something similar if the 3 feet seem too unstable. I'm going to do a little search to see if I can't find this collapsible chimney....


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## T.O.Mac (Jun 6, 2015)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HEJC90S/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is the collapsible chimney I use...I find that I get much more even charcoal. it fits in a smallish stuff sack inside my cook kit.


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

About 15 years of DO river cooking. We do something in the DO at most dinners & some breakfasts.

DO of choice - GSI anodized aluminum. I own a 12 inch with legs and a 10 inch without legs. They nest together perfectly and go in a zippered & padded DO carry bag. My river buddy owns a 14 GSI anodized, plus a 12 & 10 regular aluminum. For big groups we sometimes use them all. Mostly we use the anodized. They cook evenly & clean up easy.

Charcoal - Kingsford Matchlight. Works fine. We just figure in a few extra coals for longer cooking times.


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## Whitewater Worthy Equip (Dec 11, 2013)

If you store your charcoal in a rocket box stay away from the match lite variety as it will eat the gasket over time. It is very easy to get coals going by building a very small fire and putting your coals on your fire pan cooking grate.


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## [email protected] (Jun 1, 2010)

*Corn bread

*Pack dry ingredients together in a zip lock bag. Combine eggs, warm milk, honey and melted butter. Stir together the wet and dry ingredients lightly. Pour into well-greased 9" square pan (optional). Bake @ 425°F for 20-25 minutes till golden brown.

1 cup flour, 1 cup cornmeal, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, 1⁄4 cup honey, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1⁄4 cup butter.

If carrying milk is a problem I substitute powdered milk and hot water.

For fun you can put slice of red/yellow/green pepper in bottom of cake pan and use the leftovers in salads. Jalapenos are fun or a small drained can of corn.


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

Well if you didn't have a granny that cooked dutch oven lunches while you were out catching trout for dinner in eastern Idaho mountain streams and beaver ponds to show you the ropes and/or didn't attend boyscout camp then get some dutch oven learning from Cowboy Kent Rollins, but use your fire pan and aluminum dutch oven on the river:

https://www.youtube.com/user/krollins57/videos?disable_polymer=1

please not, link maybe disturbing to vegetarians

Regarding type/style/brand of dutch ovens or charcoal, it all works. I have used match light, not match light, firewood I brought, firewood I found on the river, it don't matter much as long as you attend to the proper heat distribution. I also use metal oil pans. I have an oil pan that has fire and extra coals going in case I need to add or take away heat from the dutch oven for things that may take a long time to cook. The biggest thing to note for baking, the hot air space is what cooks what is inside from the top down, not the coals from the bottom up. So if in doubt put extremely few coals on the bottom and load the top. And make sure to not fill up your DO too full, so you have a good air space for the baking and so things won't burn on top.


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## followthebubbleline (Mar 16, 2009)

*Firepan for DO*

I've used these no-fuss dog bowls from Walmart for DO cooking for years. Supper cheap, galvanized steel, and large enough for a 12" DO. Heavier material than the cake pan.


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## LSB (Mar 23, 2004)

followthebubbleline said:


> I've used these no-fuss dog bowls from Walmart for DO cooking for years. Supper cheap, galvanized steel, and large enough for a 12" DO. Heavier material than the cake pan.


Thats what I use. I also drilled a few holes around the lip of the pan and put rings through them. So I can cam strap the DO through the lid handle into the pan and put it in a drybag and not worry about the feet poking through.


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## kanoer2 (Mar 5, 2011)

Sausage Spinach Pie

375F 1.25 hr
10" DO
Feeds 6 with salad-bread side

1/2 lb sausage cooked
1 box chopped spinach- well drained
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 c ricotta cheese
3 eggs
salt & pepper to taste

quality pie crust top & bottom

Mix above together, put in zip-lock bag, freeze at home

lightly spray DO with Pam or such, line bottom with crust, pour in thawed contents of zip-lock bag, top with remaining crust.
Bake
Enjoy!!

Easily doubled to feed larger group in a 12" DO

C


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## [email protected] (Jun 1, 2010)

Chocolate Upside Down the River Cake

Cake:
I cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2/3 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts (optional) in a zip lock bag. Mix with 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 Tablespoon veggie oil. You can substitute 1/4 cup powdered milk and 1/2 cup water. Stir and pour into 9 inch greased cake pan.

Frosting:
1/2 cup brown sugar,1/2 cup white sugar and 4 Tablespoons of cocoa mixed in a zip lock. Sprinkle over cake batter. Pour one and one quarter cups of boiling water gently and evenly on top (do *not* stir).
Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 
　
While it is still hot, place a platter over the cake and carefully invert the cake. Scrape out any topping remaining in the pan and spread it over the inverted cake.


If not using a cake pan double the recipe for a 12" dutch oven.

Serve warm, whipped cream optional.


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## ozzmith (May 29, 2017)

We use the "optional" aluminium lid for the NRS "The Firepan." Standard Kingsford, mound and lighter fluid technique. The lid has enough space for lighting additional briquettes if using one DO or space for two DO with reserve briquettes in the firepan proper. Tongs for briquette handling and welding gloves for all around handling. No observable strain in the lid.

Important note: wet welding gloves offer little to no thermal protection and are slow to dry out. Keep them safe. They do fine wherever the charcoal is. Welding gloves are also quick to shed when you underestimate their dampness. A quick flick of the wrist sends them flying off.


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## MontanaLaz (Feb 15, 2018)

California Chicken

Prep at home, freeze, and drop in with the butter

Fillet chicken breast so that it can be rolled and spread it flat.

Fill with a mix of spinach, (diced) sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and gorgonzola

Roll, salt-pepper, and freeze

Pull from cooler, put in DO, and add a stick (or two) of butter depending on how many you are feeding.

Butter and Gorgonzola melt down to make the sauce.

It is amazing and comes out as a gourmet meal. You slice the rolls and it is as visually appealing as it is tasty.

I made this DO wonder for my Mother-in-law (before she was technically my MIL) and I think it may be one of the biggest reasons why I am her favorite


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