Cast Iron Collection & Fire Cooking

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My oldest daughter went State Park camping early this summer, asked to borrow some cast iron. For a couple of reasons, Dad said NO! Now they want to do it again, but more preperation this time. Dad will most likely buy her a starter Lodge skillet as an early B-day present. She is sooooo lucky.

Try a beef roast in the dutch oven, just a bit of oil to start it, brown it a bit, let it simmer for a while, add cubed potatoes, carrots and onions, add some gravy mix and cook to your doneness, good eats and easy.

I only have a picture or two of what I'm going to describe now, but this is one of those events in my heritage that I wish I could snap my fingers and be tele-ported back to the 1930's and 1940's to see my Grandparents and their clan/crew/friends camping in the hills in Somerset County PA at someones cottage in the woods. I can just imagine all of those shall I say Dutch Heritage ladies in their long skirts whipping up some good PA style cooking, most likely in cast iron and lots of fire cooking. I remember them having scrapple and paunhaus (sp?) for breakfast and most of all I have lost Grandma's recipe for Sugar Pie, not shoe fly, but Sugar Pie. That was one of my treats.

I'm getting hungry.

Ganglin, my 20" is #1 cast iron for me, but due to its size, it only comes out for larger get togethers. But its strange how we can tie something to our past. This is not the first 20" Lodge skillet that I have been around. The 1st one was owned by BSA Troop 186, Westlake OH that I was a member of and we even owned our own trailer and later a 1960 vintage Ford Econline van to haul our gear around in. Troop 186 is where I got my taste for outdoor cooking, and I still working at it.

Thanks to: Mr. Mitchell SM, Mssrs. Hamilton, Wallace, Early, Down ASM and many others.

Learning about making fires, handling an axe or hand axe, saw and sharpening a knife have been life long skills, not to mention knowing a few knots that I used monthly.

Sorry for being a bit off topic and rambling.

[Ganglin]

Sorry for being a bit off topic and rambling.

Nothing off topic about good food and good memories. The only 20" I've ever been exposed to belonged to an aunt. She lived at the end of a long country road - when the blacktop ran out you went another 2 miles. We lived in "town" but would go visit them. She made biscuits in that puppy - still using a wood fired stove into the 1970's. Those biscuits would fluff up to over 3 inches - served with churned butter and homemade jam or apple butter. I can't seem to reproduce them - but I can still taste them.

So appreciate your jogging another good memory. I will be adding an old 20" to the collection as soon as we luck across one in an antique store. Happy cooking...

[dnrtheil]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

Good for you, dnrtheil! They look delicious, and I love your tripod/grate thingy. I want one of those at some point in time. Have seen people grilling steaks on them, which look like they would have to be delectable over an open fire.

Now you need a Dutch Oven.

Maggie

The tripod is a store bought item (Meijer, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.), the legs are shock corded together and are in three pieces, pretty inexpensive, but does a great job. Steaks are great over an open fire, just toss it on the grate which is adjustable for height. Dutch oven is on it's way, my mom found a used one for me.

Derek

[mouth012006]

I have quite a few pieces myself of cast iron and have never even used a piece....I have some dutch ovens that we have never even got around to trying yet....but hopefully now that I will be having a small break in school that will change and we can start some out door cooking soon.....anyway I will be purchasing this set up from the dutchstream rally....it looks like a way cool thing to use for sure!!! Check out the dutchstream thread also, James has a cool website link for his dutchoven stuff too.

[GCinSC2]

Ganglin,

Gahana is just south of OH's Amish population and Lehman's Hdwe. in Kidron probally sold a bunch of these while they were in production. If you can find one, it's worth a serious consideration. IIRC, mine was about $60 and I chose the ground interior rather than as cast. But I would not turn down an as cast, matter of fact, might prefer it to ground. We have made blueberry pancakes in it and told the kids they were frog's eye's, well, guess what they are still called today?

Mouth012006,

That's a major setup and would look fantastic, I visualize that at re-enactment type camps and a bunch of natural canvas tents and a stack of KY Long Rifles somewhere. The only suggestion that I see for that type of setup, it will take a large fire area and wind might factor in, but you see it at festivals a lot. We have done very well at State Parks using our own 24" truck rim as a fire ring, blocks wind, carries a grate, good height and safety. I'm not sure what the style is called, but it does not have a web in the center for lug nuts, it would be a split rim type I think.

We have also done deep fried chicken in the biggest Dutch oven, get it up to heat, monitor temperatures and enjoy.

One simple addition that is pretty easy to make is a fire poker. I used some 1/2" rebar, heated up the end and made a 90 degree bend with a 2-3" "blade" then I wrapped nylon rope around the other end and fashioned a handle, wrapped the rope with black tape and I don't know how many years this poker has lived outside and how many cords of wood it have been used on. It is a requirment to be able to move and control your fire with these rigs. When I had welding available, I made one but made a loop handle.

Next weekend, backyard time, campfire and menu TBA.

dnrtheil,

Good looking setup also, adjustability is nice.

What's for dinner, I'm getting hungry again! Linda, (better 1/2) what's in the fridge?

[Lily&Me]

Now, that is a very nifty set-up, Kevin & Monique!

We are planning on getting to the DutchStream rally in 2011 and see some of these specialty items in use.

Maggie

[bertro]

Hello all;
I have had and used my dutch oven for 15-20 yrs and love it. Here are a coulple of pic of a pineapple upside down cake made at the MI rally a few years ago.
Robert

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bertro,

That is what it's about, looks great.

Have you done any Camp Dutch Oven stacking cooking? I have seen pic's of it, but I have not done it lately I have several cookbooks that show stacked meals.

Maggie,

Seeing is one thing, eating another and buying then doing, we'll thats the heart of it all.

Too much up in the air for us to get to the DutchStream rally this year, but next year, we can plan on it. I'm working on it.

Time to eat!

[bertro]

No GC I only own this one, I really like it as it has been well seasoned. Mostly roast with the fixings,Chicken & dumplings and the pineapple cake is all that comes out of it. I was told long ago when I started with it to stay away from tomatoe based dishes in it so I have never done it. That is a very nice collection of cast iron you have, Is any of it old griswold ware?
Robert

[GCinSC2]

Robert,

Sorry, no Griswold's, either Lodge or 1 unmarked. I seem to remember the tomatoe issue also, but I think if you do your cooking, don't overheat, remove and clean promptly I would do it, but going on Lodge.com would be a good place to check.

One thing that I really enjoy also is at home, using the smaller skillets (all but the 20") in the oven as Pizza Pans. One thing that I do is slide the finished pie out on to a cutting board to cut and not cut up in the 400 degree cast iron. The molten cheese hits it and instant extra cleanup compared to slide it out, wipe it down.

Gary

[Jim & Susan]

Gary, thought you might get a kick outta this pic.

The DO was a gift from Susan for our 26th anniversary this year. The skillet was a gift from her sister and b.o.l last Christmas. Yes, we are a Scouting family. In fact, Susan is at camp this week with the girls. Thanks for the memories!

Jim

[Jammer]

I don't have any photos but I use cast iron cookware every day. I have a single piece of iron cookware in the traylah -- a very old Griswold frying pan with the tin plating on the outside -- and four frying pans of various sizes in my stick house. Three are newer ones from Lodge.

I also have an older Griswold dutch oven and a Lodge muffin pan and a biscuit pan.

The Lodge items, especially the muffin and biscuit pan, I have had to machine with a die grinder. Straight from Lodge they have too much texture from the casting process and stuff sticks. After some careful work with the die grinder, they perform much better.

Fry pans will eventually wear down without being machined from the action of cooking and cleaning utensils but the muffin and biscuit pans never will.

[Lily&Me]

When researching a very old cast iron piece I picked up this past year, I found this forum which was interesting and helpful. Some fascinating old pieces here!

Griswold and Cast Iron Collectibles' Forum

Maggie

[GCinSC2]

Jim & Susan,

I'm not sure if I could put that BSA Logo over a fire, I just might want to hang it and admire it.

But I think if it could talk, it would say, get me off a this wall, I'm tired of just hanging around and lets get some BACON GOING RIGHT NOW!

That's really nice.

Scouting, summer camp at Camp Firelands, MANY weekends at Camp Belden, The Belden Trail, being a SM at my old Troop during the 75th BSA Anniversary, watching a Tenderfoot make his first one match fire on a COLD winter campout, Klondike Derby time, seeing my Dad as a volunteer at Ft. A.P. Hill VA. National Jamboree, Yak Stew, sending 1st time campers in search of Horizon Line and Perforated Flour for Hotdogs, watching another T-Foot soap the inside of a pot instead of the outside prior to cooking, a Baker Tent at -6 degrees, Order of the Arrow, a star fire at parents night at summer camp, lashing skills, knife and axe skills, all of the Flag Raising and Lowering ceremonies oh boy this is another thread altogether.

Be Prepared.

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

Gary, thought you might get a kick outta this pic.

The DO was a gift from Susan for our 26th anniversary this year. The skillet was a gift from her sister and b.o.l last Christmas. Yes, we are a Scouting family. In fact, Susan is at camp this week with the girls. Thanks for the memories!

Jim

[Lily&Me]

Superior National Forest, bacon and biscuits, this morning.

Maggie

[GCinSC2]

Maggie,

Was that really necessary?

Now all I can think about is BACON!!!!!!!! Maybe this weekend, we'll see. It's been a bit hot here to sit around the campfire. That ring looks like it would be pretty tough to steal, HEAVY LOOKING.

Thanks,

[Lily&Me]

Bacon cooked outside just tastes better.

That was one of the best fire rings, ever. In the ground, so the forest is protected but you can still see and enjoy the fire, with a grate on a hinge to be over the fire or not. Perfect for cooking over. They're not all so hospitable.

Maggie

[funkill]

I've had two - yes two - el'cheapo dutch ovens. Both bit the dust after first use. My cousin has hinted she'd get me my grandfathers but nothing yet ...

Anyway - here's my only *consistent* fire cooking. Kinda like a dutch oven. I've only done turkeys this way. Started as just a Thanksgiving thing but it's so easy and the turkey is sooooo good that I do it almost every time I camp. I've since found a smaller drum - but it still looks like crap. I've tried spraying olive oil on it to keep it from rusting but I need to be more vigilant.

[GCinSC2]

funkill,

I see it ain't a cast iron thing, but I bet some of us would like a bit more detail on the setup and technique. Looks like a center support, sitting on tin foil, covered and radiant heating from adjacent coals, please fill in the rest and maybe consider a new thread with Turkey Techniques.

That looks real interesting and DIFFERENT!

Maggie, I couldn't agree more.

I fuss a bit about the condition of a fire pit at camp, it really bugs me to see or have one that was a garbage burning fire instead of a cook fire and kept clean of debris. I carry a small Army folding shovel just to clean out a trash fire ring.

[Lily&Me]

It's not a cast iron thing, but it is a FIRE COOKING thing! Looks yummy, too.

Cooking over fire is so primal.

Maggie