# Dutch oven cooking without a fire



## unlucky (Sep 2, 2012)

Volcano cook grills makes a flame retardant hood. I've used a metal disk as a heat diffuser on top of a stove, then the dutch oven and then covered with the hood. You don't need much heat for this to work and it is easy to burn the bottom but they work.

Lid Product Page


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## DoStep (Jun 26, 2012)

It's all about generating top heat. Perhaps a hood or shroud around it, but you need a heat source above. Heating rocks up prior to cooking may work, but beware the sedimentary types as they tend to explode, use schist and/or granite. 

Please advise if you come up with something that works...


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## seantana (Mar 5, 2015)

Crank up the blaster and preheat your lid for a while, then cover in sand? Could get messy, but should retain a decent amount of heat.


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

As a foodie and someone who thoroughly enjoys DO cooking on the river I am guessing any creative solution is bound to create uneven temperatures and poor results. I know there are chemical heating tools out there (MRE, trek mates) but I believe you lose a lot of their heat production if the system is not sealed. 

Phillip


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## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

unlucky said:


> Volcano cook grills makes a flame retardant hood. I've used a metal disk as a heat diffuser on top of a stove, then the dutch oven and then covered with the hood. You don't need much heat for this to work and it is easy to burn the bottom but they work.
> 
> Lid Product Page


I've seen one of these used before and it worked great for making a cake.


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## unlucky (Sep 2, 2012)

I've made bread with mine, but the lid needs to be on to create moisture/steam for the crust. with a cake you may be able to leave the lid off. How did you use it???


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## Whetstone (May 17, 2013)

So We just got word today from the Rangers at Corn Creek, Main Salmon that Charcoal cooking is permitted during the ban. Is there conflicting info?

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## Quacktacular81 (Jun 11, 2014)

I have taken to using a "Dutch Oven Dome" by Camp Chef. Looks very similar to the hood of the Volcano grill, but is used with the diffuser plate on a camp stove. Works well enough that I rarely use charcoal any more.


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## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

unlucky said:


> I've made bread with mine, but the lid needs to be on to create moisture/steam for the crust. with a cake you may be able to leave the lid off. How did you use it???


I'm not sure if the lid was off or on.....but the cake turned out great.


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Sounds like I will be eating my words...

Anyone use a thermometer to check temperatures? I have heat diffusers before so I understand their benefit but curious about temp differences between top and bottom of domed device. 

Phillip


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## readNrun (Aug 1, 2013)

So we know what the briquette to temp conversion is but what is the dome conversion? I assume there are instructions with the dome. Folks use the blaster or just a stove?


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## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

*DO feedback*

Would appreciate more feedback on the Camp Chef Dome system.

Not having to carry bags of charcoal on trips would be a really good thing for us DO cooks.

dave


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

seantana said:


> Crank up the blaster and preheat your lid for a while, then cover in sand? Could get messy, but should retain a decent amount of heat.


I can say from personal experience that aluminum DO lids will melt on a burner. And it was a Partner not a blaster. Be careful. With iron you could get it glowing hot and do a decent job without charcoal methinks. 



Whetstone said:


> So We just got word today from the Rangers at Corn Creek, Main Salmon that Charcoal cooking is permitted during the ban. Is there conflicting info?


On the river they do often do this in stages. Meaning no wood fires, to charcoal only to propane only, to you are not allowed to bring matches on your trip. 

When do you go?


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## readNrun (Aug 1, 2013)

carvedog said:


> I can say from personal experience that aluminum DO lids will melt on a burner. And it was a Partner not a blaster. Be careful. With iron you could get it glowing hot and do a decent job without charcoal methinks.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What kind of burner did you put your Al dutch oven lid on? Our Al DO is anodized Al and I'm pretty sure it's melting point is north of 1200F.


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## AlanS (Jun 18, 2015)

carvedog said:


> On the river they do often do this in stages. Meaning no wood fires, to charcoal only to propane only, to you are not allowed to bring matches on your trip.
> 
> When do you go?


I'm the one that called and asked about the ban (I'm on that trip roster). The ranger I spoke with put me on hold to double check the regulation; when he came back to the phone, he said, "No problem, go ahead and use charcoal." He was pretty nonchalant about it, which surprised me somewhat.

We head out for Corn Creek on Tuesday, launch on Wednesday. I'm going to call back on Monday and ask again, just to be sure. I'd hate to get up there and have to re-think menus and such.


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## twmartin (Apr 3, 2007)

I have used Domes over the years with an old set up called an outback oven. They worked really well when the alternative was no top heat, but they don't actually generate top heat and they don't work anywhere near as well as charcoal. Heating the lid as hot as you can might not work and could just burn the crap out of the top of your food.

Good Luck.

Tom


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

Read_N_Run said:


> What kind of burner did you put your Al dutch oven lid on? Our Al DO is anodized Al and I'm pretty sure it's melting point is north of 1200F.


Anodized should be slightly higher melting point. The one we ruined was regular aluminum. We were checking it regularly and it went from looking fine to dripping into the 4 burner Partner in about .0002 seconds. 

YMMV. 

Quick google shows temp of propane burners above 2K.


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## seantana (Mar 5, 2015)

carvedog said:


> Anodized should be slightly higher melting point. The one we ruined was regular aluminum. We were checking it regularly and it went from looking fine to dripping into the 4 burner Partner in about .0002 seconds.
> 
> YMMV.
> 
> Quick google shows temp of propane burners above 2K.


The theoretical max temp of a propane flame is about 3600F, but that's an adiabatic measure assuming zero heat loss to atmosphere and a perfect gas mixture. In reality, you're likely seeing flame in the 600-1500F range from a blaster, depending on the setting. 

This site has a bit of a breakdown of tests on open flames, and they noted: "In a related study, Ingason and de Ris [10] found typical flame tip temperatures of 400°C for burner flames of propane, propylene, and carbon monoxide fuels."

Temperatures in flames and fires

I'm probably reading that wrong and missing something, but given the variability in air temp, wind, etc, I'd say that a low BTU burn to heat an anodized DO lid should be fine, just don't leave it on the flame for an hour.


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

If I remember right, when my wife accidentally warped our cast iron skillet on the glass top stove in our house, it wasn't unusual to generate heat in excess of 650F from such a setup with no food in the utensil. Never knew that until last year. 

Good to have a vague range of temperatures a gas stove can theoretically create. 

Phillip


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## richjz (May 23, 2012)

I've used two dutch oven lids for one dutch oven for cakes and breads on a Partner stove with good results. You heat one up before you start and then place it on top and then start heating the second. When the lid is to temperature you swap. Keep swapping until its done.


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## yesimapirate (Oct 18, 2010)

propane torch?

Weed Dragon- Garden Torch Kit - Walmart.com


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## PhilipJFry (Apr 1, 2013)

what about using Lava rocks like they use in some gas grills. heat the lava rocks in place of the charcoal. (might have to replace them while cooking with some you have set aside heating) just a thought. not something I've ever tried. I do know those rocks hold their heat for a long time (at least the ones in my fancy weber grill do)


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## Quacktacular81 (Jun 11, 2014)

okieboater said:


> Would appreciate more feedback on the Camp Chef Dome system.
> 
> Not having to carry bags of charcoal on trips would be a really good thing for us DO cooks.
> 
> dave


We have used it to cook pizzas, potatoes and cobblers on our Camp Chef Explorer stove with great results. I haven't had a chance to give it a try on my new Partner 2 burner, but I think it might work even better as there is better control of the heat (read smaller flame).

I think the diffuser plate is necessary, as I have still burned the bottom of a few pizzas while using it. 

The dome traps heat from the burner and allows the oven to absorb the heat pretty evenly. The second and later pizzas tend to come out better as the oven is pre-heated and cooks the toppings better before the bottom is burned. 

I find that the "warm" setting on the Explorer stove works well for the actual cooking phase once the oven is hot.


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## Dr.AndyDVM (Jul 28, 2014)

I've used the camp chef dome once. It worked. Make sure the legs of the oven fit on your diffuser. It worked okay. I never used it again because I love cooking with charcoal. 


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## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

Thanks Gents for the DO Dome feedback.

This gives me the incentive to try this gadget out.

dave


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## rivh2o (Jan 17, 2013)

Currently there are no restrictions along the riv, just talked to rangers at North Fork, regarding open flames, fires, and charcoal are okay. So far no problems with having matches either. Keeping my fingers crossed heading up for a trip Sept. 12.


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## shoenfeld13 (Aug 18, 2009)

Ruby Horsethief has a fire restriction that includes charcoal. I bought a Camp Chef dome, but I have a GSI anodized aluminum dutch oven. Will the heat be too much and not dispersed enough for the aluminum?


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## readNrun (Aug 1, 2013)

shoenfeld13 said:


> Ruby Horsethief has a fire restriction that includes charcoal. I bought a Camp Chef dome, but I have a GSI anodized aluminum dutch oven. Will the heat be too much and not dispersed enough for the aluminum?


I say if you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen.

But seriously, the melting point of that dutch is probably close to 1300F and you are not cooking on a blaster. Remember the goal is to keep the inside of the oven around 300-400 depending on what you are cooking. So, unless you are looking to melt some sand...you should be fine.


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## unlucky (Sep 2, 2012)

I was cooking bread in the dutch ovens at 450 to 500 degrees - no problem. I also stuck an oven thermometer in the vent at the top of the dome to help monitor temperature.


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## ppine (Jul 1, 2015)

Cooking with charcoal is usually allowed during fire bans. That is the only time I would cook using a DO with charcoal. Other heat sources do not sound very feasible.


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## readNrun (Aug 1, 2013)

ppine said:


> Cooking with charcoal is usually allowed during fire bans. That is the only time I would cook using a DO with charcoal. Other heat sources do not sound very feasible.


Not in this case. No fire, no charcoal - so we were seeking other options.


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## ppine (Jul 1, 2015)

If even charcoal is not allowed, I would leave the DO at home.


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## readNrun (Aug 1, 2013)

ppine said:


> If even charcoal is not allowed, I would leave the DO at home.


Yea - well...we have a group of some new rafters (and a large group) so leaving the DO at home would fundamentally change almost every meal, so we are bringing it and using the dome. It seems from this discussion, folks have had success with it so it's just another option for trips when this occurs.

But thank you for your advice.


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