Cast Iron Cooking

[Bushmoose]

I'm posting this here in the "Off Topic" as there doesn't seem to be anywhere else suitable? If it belongs with "recipes", then which one? Hunting or fishing? There's no outdoor cooking or even a camping section that might cover it?

Anyway, I bought this beauty cast iron pot last year to add to my small collection of various dutch oven's and frying pans I have. So far I've made some awesome biscuits and a couple stews with it, using charcoal. My next little project is to build a heavy duty tripod to support it and try a few things over an open fire bed of coals. There's tons of recipes out there, just wondering if anyone else has experimented using cast iron over a fire? Large dutch oven.jpg Lets hear some stories?

[Deer Hunter]

My parents used to bake beans in those. They would dig a hole and place cast iron pot in it then cover with dirt and build a fire over it. That’s a long time ago so I don’t remember all the details but remember eating good beans. I should try to find the recipe they used and try it.

[johnjyb]

We used to have an old one at the camp, I remember doing a venison roast in it kind of beside the fire doing an indirect heat slow cook, worked well.
John

[Bushmoose]

My parents used to bake beans in those. They would dig a hole and place cast iron pot in it then cover with dirt and build a fire over it. That’s a long time ago so I don’t remember all the details but remember eating good beans. I should try to find the recipe they used and try it.

Yes, my mom told stories of her dad doing the exact same thing. Bury the pot and a fire over top. Maybe I'll give that a try?

[Jerryklimczuk]

Cast iron pot on a tripod over a fire is a must for every outdoorsy or foodie person to try at least once in life. Man we have cooked many things in the cast iron pot as well as a hanging grill over a fire.

Beans are always an easy start, work your way up to stews, assorted meat and vegetable melanges and if you get adventurous a fruit cobbler in the pot for dessert.

I saw a guy who made a tripod out of pipe and fittings which allowed him to twist the cast iron pot out from over the fire to serve or add ingredients without having to lean over the fire, much nicer than chains hanging down. I happen to be a pipe fitter so thats on the to build list.

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[Bushmoose]

Cast iron pot on a tripod over a fire is a must for every outdoorsy or foodie person to try at least once in life. Man we have cooked many things in the cast iron pot as well as a hanging grill over a fire.

Beans are always an easy start, work your way up to stews, assorted meat and vegetable melanges and if you get adventurous a fruit cobbler in the pot for dessert.

I saw a guy who made a tripod out of pipe and fittings which allowed him to twist the cast iron pot out from over the fire to serve or add ingredients without having to lean over the fire, much nicer than chains hanging down. I happen to be a pipe fitter so thats on the to build list.

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I sort of have an idea of what you are talking about, but it'd be nice to see a sketch. Thanks!

[newbiehunter]

Tripods are ok for travel for their weight, but a small chimney made out a beer keg is much better for backyard imo.
Its much more efficient in terms of heat energy transfer so less wood being used, can be used on windy days and safer in terms of fire handling, if you got small kids running around and you can move it around even with fire burning inside(if a wind direction changes or rain starts etc..)

Final thing looks like this:
signal-2022-06-20-213120.jpg

General considerations:
Made my from "Half Barrel Keg" for 20L pot. The key thing is a diameter vs height.
You should have "at least" half to 3/4 of your pot fit inside the keg walls in order for it to be heated from multiple directions.

If the pot fits very tightly to walls of the chimney, cut the groves in the chimney walls - so that air/heat flows upwards is established when the pot on it
signal-2022-06-16-194639_004.jpg

Need to leave about 14-16 in space between the bottom of the pot and the plate where wood is burning. Higher distance will use up more wood, lower will limit the amount of wood you burn at the same time:



Approximate Steps:
1. Cut to keg's top cover off
2. Then cut side walls of this top part in order to use it as a "double bottom" plate
3. Drill/cut holes through the plate to allow to air flow
signal-2022-06-20-213135.jpg

4. Drive a few bolts about 4 inch from the bottom of the keg. Those will hold the plate in place.

signal-2022-06-16-194639_002.jpg

5. Cut the side door and mount back on stainless steel hinges

6. If you want to get fancy, you can also attached an air duct with on the opposite side from the door in order to control the amount of air while the door is closed. Not necessary, but allows you more to control of the temperature inside. The key here is the cold air is sucked "under" the plate, so difference in air pressure creates an upward draft and is distributed across the whole burning surface more or less evenly (otherwise wood away from this entry point does not burn as well)

signal-2022-06-16-194639_006.jpg

7. Also very nice to make "water drain" whole right at the bottom of the keg, so it drains water from the rain, if left outside.

[newbiehunter]

Few more pics:
signal-2022-06-21-150143.jpg

signal-2022-06-16-194639_001.jpg

signal-2022-06-16-194639_005.jpg

signal-2022-06-20-213139.jpg

[newbiehunter]

In terms of recipes, there is a guy on youtube who specializes is middle eastern cuisine made in cast iron or on charcoal BBQ by name of "Stalic Khankishiev"

My personal favorites are Uzbek plov (bit more advanced recipe takes longer to cook):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBiKA6SjGyw

or more simpler one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60u6jlguz70 (just enable english sub-titles)

Hopefully this helps a bit

[Bushmoose]

In terms of recipes, there is a guy on youtube who specializes is middle eastern cuisine made in cast iron or on charcoal BBQ by name of "Stalic Khankishiev"

My personal favorites are Uzbek plov (bit more advanced recipe takes longer to cook):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBiKA6SjGyw

or more simpler one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60u6jlguz70 (just enable english sub-titles)

Hopefully this helps a bit

Some good info there, thanks. We north americans tend to tend to limit our culinary skills, but it's always interesting to see how others from distant lands and cultures prepare their food. And thanks for the pixs.