camp cooking

Place a piece of paper in the oven

very hot oven....dark brown hot oven.......light brown moderate oven....yellow
slow oven...crust

Too Bloody HOT.....black and on fire

from Jack and Reg Absalom, outback cooking in the camp oven

Stick your finger in the coals

If you let out an almighty scream they are hot enough

OR you can buy a digital laser heat guage from Jaycar

Hi Spudnik
The best way is to experiment, but u r better off using less heat on the bottom(dig a bit of a hole to put the coals and oven in that way more heat will be retained) and more heat on top if u r worried about burning things, if u r wondering how hot the coals r or if u should add more put your hand near them and see how much heat they r putting out, and u can never check or stir a stew or the likes to often if u r still in the experimental process!!! is a lot better to take longer than to have it burn and start again. I forgot to mention that the coals on the bottom will cool very quickly if u have not preheated the hole(dirt) and obivously just warming the oven will take a fair amount of heat out of the coals as well.
Good luck.

Mattie

thank you for you help.
pete

Light a good size fire at least 1.5 hrs before
guarenteed to be hot enough

If you are worried about burning the bottom try cooking in a container (tray or tin) and putting it on a trivet in the camp oven. This is a great method for cakes, damper and bread!

Jo

Hi Spudnik,

A good way I was shown, was to always dig an L shape pit in the dirt/sand for the fire. Burn fire in main trench and transfer coals to little part of L when ready to cook. A couple of shovelson the base and coals on top of oven to suit and you tend to get a more consistent result with the camp oven, as the coals tend to be about the same each time.

Cheers
Ian@Mt Dare

we now always use the two hole method for the camp oven after a lot of burnt offerings coming from the camp oven. now we have our normal fire and dig another hole for the oven and carry over some coals and put a bit of wood onit to heat the hole when the woods gone it's right and from time to time we add a shovel or two of hot coals around the oven to keep in the heat.
good luck and enjoy your ovens they are the best to cook anything in- one of the best things about camping.

For what it is worth, my method is to operate a short distance away from the main fire. This allows much greater operator comfort than getting too close to the big heat.

I am a small fire person, not a bonfire operator, so my fires are never un-approachable.

I nowadays don't bother with a hole; just am prepared to back my judgment on type of coals (i.e. what timber is the fuel source. I know that gidgee is best, mulga very good, redgum fine, and so on. e.g a gidgee coal will last for heaps longer than a redgum coal of same dimensions) I have, and plunk the oven on top of a decent heap of red to white hot coals.

Occasionally I might use a wind break, like the drovers' cooks used to do; but usually just another shovel of coals on the bottom knowing, as others have pointed out, that the first few lots of coals will cool down quickly.

I am always cautious about too many coals on top - my enthusiastic mates are a bit too willing, and if one lets them they can ruin a good feed.

If you think the tucker is ready after a long slow cook on coals, and it smells good, is bubbling audibly, pour all concerned another drink, consume same at leisure, & then take a peek.

Enjoy.