Camp Oven Tips

A delicious roast meal cooked in the camp oven

Cast iron camp ovens are a great way to cook a variety of food including breads, roasts, stews and casseroles. With these helpful tips you are well on your way to cooking that perfect meal.

• Always keep an eye on your camp oven. There should always be someone monitoring any fire.
• If steam is forcing its way out around the lid, the fire is too hot or you have a poorly-seated lid. Re-seat the lid or remove some coals.
• Line the camp oven with aluminum foil to minimize clean-up of sugary desserts.
• Use a trivet in the bottom of the camp oven to cook damper, scones or cakes.
• Wait for your fire to have hot coals rather than yellow flames. Cooking over a flame is less efficient and gets soot all over your cookware.
• Use hardwoods in your fire for hotter, longer-lasting coals.
• A bit of vegetable oil rubbed in the oven will really help minimize food sticking.
• Cut bacon strips in half. The shorter pieces can more easily be moved around for even frying.
• A natural fibre (not plastic) whiskbroom is great for brushing ash off the lid before opening your camp oven.
• Always clean and dry your camp oven after use. Letting it sit wet or in water or rain will turn it rusty.
• Make sure you have food or water in your camp oven before placing it on coals, unless you are monitoring the preheating. An empty oven can burn off the seasoning easily.
• Dropping a camp oven will break or crack it. It’s easier than you think!
• Pouring cold water into a hot camp oven or putting cold food in it will destroy it.
• Use wooden or metal utensils to scoop out food. Plastic spatulas touching the camp oven sides can melt.
• A great alternative to camp fire coals is heat beads They are easier to control, hold their heat longer.