Hal Harris, here is the heat system that I use in camp oven cooking from the book Cow Camp Cookery, but keep in mind that the heat output of charcoal (or wood) and coals varies widely between brands and vary during the life cycle of the live coals: Judging The Temperature Of The Coals Hand Judging the temperature of the coals can be done by carefully hold your hand about 4 inches over the coals, palm down. Count the number of seconds you can hold your hand in that position before you the heat becomes too much to take. Time Temperature Degrees 2 seconds hot – high 500 3 seconds medium hot 450 4 seconds medium 400 5 seconds low 350 6-7 seconds very low 250 Many Dutch oven cooks swear by a system of counting charcoal briquettes that go on top and underneath the oven. This works well if you if you are using briquettes or “heat beads’ as the Aussies call them, which are consistent in size and density. It does not work well for the chuck wagon cook that uses real wood instead of charcoal. I rely on a combination of the two methods. You will also find a difference in the heat output between different brands of charcoal. Here are some general rules that I try to follow: For Baking you want to have more heat on top to prevent the bottom from burning, place three times more coals on top than you do under the oven In Roasting the heat levels should start out equal - put an equal number of coals on the lid and underneath but adjust as necessary. I often roast a turkey in a 20 inch oven. About half way through the process, I move coals from the center of the lid to the outside edge to prevent the breast from burning. Stewing or simmering – you want most of the heat on the bottom. Place one-fourth of your coals on the lid and three-fourths under the oven. Frying – you want all the heat underneath the oven.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 06:08:14 +0000
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