Cooking Hints
& Tips
How many
briquettes do I use to get the right temperature for my
Dutch oven?
A
technique to calculate approximate temperature for briquette
cooking is to first measure the diameter of your Dutch oven.
Then, subtract three from that number to know how many
briquettes to place under the Dutch oven, and use the
diameter again for calculating the top. This time add
three to the diameter. Example - if your Dutch oven is
12 inches in diameter, you will put nine briquettes on the
bottom and fifteen on top. This simple calculation will make
your Dutch oven heated to about 325 degrees F. Add more
briquettes to increase the heat as required by your recipe.
How will
I know when I need to renew the briquettes
You can guage when the
temperature of your Dutch oven has dropped and you need to
replace the briquettes by a simply holding your hand for a
few seconds about 3 inches above the briquettes on the lid.
If you can hold your hand for more than a 8 seconds then the
temperature is probably less than 250 degrees. If you
can only hold your hand there for up to 3 seconds then the
temperature is probably around 350 degrees. If you can
only hold your hand there for up to 2 seconds then the Dutch
oven is probably too hot (around 450 - 500). If this
is the case, you may need to remove one or two briquettes to
reduce the temperature.
Can I
cook with my Dutch oven placed directly on the ground?
Placing your Dutch oven
directly on the ground will make it difficult to maintain
the heat. The earth is cool and will draw any heat out
of the Dutch oven. If you need to place your Dutch
oven on the ground, it is best to make a shallow hole, then
place a small amount of campfire coals or briquettes to heat
the soil before removing them, placing new hot coals or
briquettes, and then place your Dutch oven on top of them.
The shallow hole acts as a slight wind break if it is a
windy day.
What is
the three up, three down rule?
It is always best to place
more coals or briquettes on the lid of the Dutch oven.
Many seasoned Dutch oven cooks follow a simple three up,
three down rule. Measure the diameter of your Dutch
oven and add 3 to estimate how many briquettes to place on
the lid. Take 3 away from the diameter measurement and
this is the number you need to place under the Dutch oven.
For example - you have a 12
inch Dutch oven. 12 + 3 = 15. Place 15
briquettes on the lid of your oven.
12 - 3 = 9. Place 9
briquettes underneath your oven.
This should give you an
approximate oven temperature of 350° F. Each two
additional coals will give you about 20° F more heat
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