Camp Ovens

Jim

If you don't want to use a grate just cut a few carrots or spuds in half and rest them on the bottom. Then put your food ontop. Same result

Macka

We've always used ours with a grate on the bottom. It keeps the meat and veg from burning.

Just buy a round cake rack that fits on the bottom.

Mmmm...time for another trip?!

G'day Jim,
in this age of "fat-free" we now use a cake rack in the bottom of ours. Juices fall through but because the lid is on they dan't burn to a crisp... this means SWMBO gets a reasonably low fat meal and I get to make gravy out of the juices.
Blue

We just let juices drop to bottom. Cake rack then meat then veges. Beautiful.

Sometimes we sloosh some red wine over it but it just boils away in the heat! It's more for ambient and imagination rather than flavour!

The wife has just informed me that I sometimes, but rarely, put some vegatable oil on the bottom! Why? I have no idea - I must bebleepat that stage!

Hi Jim,
I often use a grate.
Set a cake tin on top of it for baking or
bake a pizza directly on top of the grate.
No worries, you won't do any damage to the camp oven, just control your fire, as you would anyhow.........

Be careful not to drip any cold water into the hot camp oven, cast iron doesn't like that at all and when you lift the hot camp oven off the coals sit it onto a couple of dry sticks until it's cooled down.

Bon appetite,
Mike

Yep, agree with all the replies, some sort of rack is the go. I made one, 3 legs,triangular with a piece of perforated stainless sheetmetal for the rack. Cake (in a tin) pizza, ducks, roo joint, veges etc. I have (and use) very old ovens which always had 3 legs meaning they are a bugger to transport (legs wear through carry box, tend to slide around etc.) So I had to sacrifice the originality of the "chosen" one by grinding the legs off and making another 3 legged trivet for the oven to stand on in the "cooking pit". This, together with a small damper (or whatever) oven and the rack (wrapped in paper) all fit inside the oven for easy transport. I dont need to mention to never let detergent near your oven for cleaning
Happy cooking (that made me feel hungry!) the kesh

Essentially the same as the replies above.

I have always used a cake rack in the bottom of the camp ovens and then use them as a dry convection oven.

Roast then veges directly onto the top of the cake rack and the juices drop through for gravy making later. No burning of the camp oven but I also add a bit of water/red wine as required to keep some moisture in the camp oven. The roast and veges steam as well as 'dry roasting'.

For baking cakes, bread, damper, puddings etc I put the mixture into a baking tray and sit that on the cake rack. Add coals to the lid for the last 10 - 15 mins to brown the top.

Yep.........time to go bush again!

Cake rack is a good idea. We often put some water in the bottom of the oven to help with the cooking.
Also a cake rack is a good idea for cooking "dump cake". Use a normal round cake tin, dump in a can of fruit of choice, dump in a plain cake mix on top, pour tinned juice over the mix, few dabs of butter and into the oven on top of the cake rack.....just need custard after that...and make sure you are one of the first to get there when it's cooked cos you will not get any otherwise. Cheers

Wolfie has a setup on his web page for dry cooking in a camp oven (bedourie) on his website,

http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~markbee/Mods&Makes.html

Haven't tried it yet, but the principle looks sound.

Cheers

Paj

Hi Jim, another Idear for something different is a pizza. I bought 2 pizza trays and drilled 2 holes on each side about 100mm apart and used an old coat hanger to make a couple of handles to pull the pizza tray out of the oven when cooked. [You need gloves.] A shovel of fresh coals under and one on the lid for 10 min. Make your dough there and they taste great. Fun for everyone.

Jimbo if you get a chance have a look at the Coleman campstove oven very good item for biscuits, cakes all that typpe of stuff.

Baz.

Jim

I cook bread in the campoven. I don't use any racks or trays. Place the preheated campoven on the ground near the fire. Spray on some oil and only pit coals on the lid. Don't put any haet on the bottom or sides. A decent sized road loaf will ready in about 20-30 mins. We have been doing rolls now with the seeds on top and everthing.

Allan

Jimbo,
We use egg rings in ours with a cake tin works a treat.

Rob

G'day There Jimbo
I cook a roast in the camp oven on most trips - and as you can see from the posts above it is a bit of an individual thing.

Here's what I do. This first part is optional - get the camp oven pretty hot over the main fire - or use a hot plate or simply turn over the lid of the oven once it is hot - and briefly roll the uncooked meat around directly on the hot plate. I chef taught me this trick - apparently it sears the outside and helps seal in the juices - seem especially important for hunks of beef.

I put a rack in the bottom of the oven (it is a round cake rack bought from Coles years back). I pour in some water - it will steam and bubble a bit - fill with water till the water is just touching the trivett. Pour in a dob of oil - this will help prevent the water from evaporating quickly. Stick in the meat and cook away in teh usual manner. The water in the bottom combined with the searing seems to help keep the meat moist.

Another trick - which I have not tried (could be an urban myth) - don't pour water in the bottom, but instead stick in a heap of rosmary branches or gum leaves. Put the meat in on a trivett - apparently the branches/leaves smoke a bit and the aroma goes into the meat.

Happy cookin'!
Cheers

Jimbo

To continue on my last reply, I should check my spelling too. I think I was in a rush packing for Xmas at 80 mile beach and why this reply is late.

I use bread maker mix so all you do add is water and yeast. Mix as per instuctions on the pack with luke warm water (to make the yeast work, too cold and the yeast will not activate, too hot and the yeast will die.) Knead the dough and put in a covered bowl. Place in a warm place to rise, this could be the back seat in the sun, on the bonnet of the car after it has been driven, if it hasn't been driven for a while the engine bay is good with the bonnet down.

After the first rise punch it down ( yes, get your fist and lightly punch in the centre to rid the gases in 1 go. Knead the dough again and create the shape you need then let it rise as before in a warm place. I do this in the ever so slightly prewarmed campoven. Once it has risen place your coals on the lid and away you go.

It sounds complicated but once you do it a couple of times you will pick up a couple of tricks. Use plenty of flour on your hands to prevent them sticking to the dough.

Happy baking

Allan