Hi all.

Thinking about trying my hand at Dutch oven cooking and looking for any insights or advice.  It seems that everything I come across says to get a Lodge brand 12 inch oven.  Are there other brands that are as good?  What are good resources for getting started?

C

I have a Lodge 10 12 and 18 They are hard to beat. Season them right and you will have a lot of fun.

I would say go with Lodge. Camp Chef ovens are imported and while many people use them, I like the finish of the Lodge ovens better. Cabelas brand ovens are made by Camp Chef, if I am not mistaken.

My first oven was a Lodge 12". I now have them in 8", 10" standard, 10" deep, 12" deep, and just got a 14' standard. The basics are the same regardless of size, it just depends on what you are cooking on what size you use. A 12" is a good starting place.

Deep ovens work best for stews, soups, or any "tall" food. The standard depth ovens work great for bisquits, pizza, dump cakes, etc.

I visit campcook.com quite often. Folks are really helpful there. I am fairly new to it as well, but it gets addictive pretty fast.

One thing I like to do is take my sander to the inside of any new cast iron.  The antique stuff is always smoother.  If you find an old Grizwold or Wagner it will have the inside milled smooth and the lid will fit like a bank vault door.  The new stuff is certainly adequate but a little customizing certainly helps.  If you buy old stuff, just try to find one that comes with the original lid.  Cast iron will drive you batty trying to find a matching lid after the fact.  None of the new lids fit any of the old pans that I've found.

I have a Camp Chef and really like it. However, I am rather new and it sounds like Brian has way more experience than I so I would heed his advice.

The only thing I can say is I have a 10" and since my family is only 4 people that is the perfect size for us when we camp.

Good luck.

No matter what you get it will be great fun.

I also prefer Lodge but camp chef is good too. There is another brand Maca, that has more size options and they are pretty good. A friend has a 22" one of these and He will do a whole turky.

I got a cheap one for 13$ I dont remember if it was Wally World or Academy, but I find it makes good peach cobblers 13" variety....

Good luck finding a Griswold these days. Especially one with an original flat lid and not rounded replacement lid.
I prefer Griswold over any other brand, believe I have every skillet, griddle, and bread type pans they made. Been looking hard for various size Dutch Ovens. Really hard to find.
Be sure to get a flat lid for your dutch oven if you intend to use it for campfire or charcoal cooking, hard to keep coals on top if using a rounded lid. And as Dave said get the best fitting lid possible and then make it fit better.

QuoteDeep ovens work best for stews, soups, or any "tall" food. The standard depth ovens work great for bisquits, pizza, dump cakes, etc.
 

Just got my first cast iron camp oven.  (Lodge 12", deep.) I'm really pleased with the way it cooks stews, etc.
Will a deep oven work for making cobblers, biscuits, and stuff with a little adjustment?  Like putting a few more coals on top, or whatever?
Thanks!

I have both Lodge and Camp Chef. Beware once you get started it can turn into a whole other side hobby. I started with one 10" and now have maybe 4 skillets and 4 ovens.

I'm still learning too.

One of my favorites is the camp chef pizza pan. Awesome home made pizza on days like today (snowy and 12 degrees out).

I think this forum here is a great resource. Do a search and you'll find all sorts of recipes and links.

Will a deep oven work for making cobblers, biscuits, and stuff with a little adjustment? Like putting a few more coals on top, or whatever?

Yes a deep oven will work for cobblers and pretty much anything a shallow oven will. Just think of your dutch oven as a miny oven like the wife uses. I even put my dutch ovens inside of my stove if I don't want to mess with the briquetes. I just like using cast iron to cook with.

I have used them for years. One thing I would recomend more than anything is that dutch oven cooking is not a race. Slow cooking is the key from prime rib to cobbler.
I think Lodge is the best quailty they cook more even than the other brands IMO.
The aluminum liners do make clean up easier on cakes and cobblers.
Good luck and good eating!

Some day I will own a Lodge 10" standard, just because of the "made in USA" aspect. I have a 12" deep Wenzel that I won off a prize blanket and it works just fine.

some great info here thanks

I have two or three different brands and I can't really tell a lot of difference in them. Main thing is seasoning it right. Can't beat them for cooking in my book.

Old cast iron (Griswold and Wagner brands) is hard to beat. Pre-1970 is preferred. It is also hard to find and expensive when you do. Lodge is #1 in my book when discussing todays campfire dutch ovens(three legs and flat top). I own and use a #10; #12; #12 deep; #14; #14 deep; and a #16. All made by Lodge. Good stuff and a real show stopper when you have friends over for a cook-out. As "twitchstick" said low and slow is the way to go. Pay attentin to your heat and have a good time.  

can your fire or coals be too hot,, when you set up your dutch oven can you leave for the time it takes to cook everything? wondering if I can set one up in my back yard and then hunt for the morning and have everything ready for lunch but the fire or coals is sure to die down... never tried one.

there is a method to dig a hole and then add coals and then the oven.  The number of coals is different than open air cooking.  It acts sort of like a crock pot, I dont have the particulars for you but that might get you started in the right direction.

C