Stacked DO cooking, need recipies

[dh]

I saw a fellow cooking a meal in three DOs awhile back, he had them stacked one on top of another three high, and sucessively smaler as they got higher. I want to try it, but can't come up with recipies for the top two that would require that much heat on the bottom. I thought about doing a desert on the bottom and frying with only one on the top, but it just wouldn't look as cool. Anybody done this?

[Corwin C]

Stacking is truly an art. I'm definitely not a professional, but ...

I use briquettes with my DO and use double the size in inches of briquettes with 1/3 on bottom 2/3 on top. When stacking, my experience is that you can use a few less briquettes and split about 50/50 (because the heat will be trapped) and that is the bottom heat for the upper DO. Use the same recipies as you would with a single DO. My success is somewhat marginal, but it has all been edible (is anything out of a DO inedible?) When progressing to smaller ovens, put the briquettes on the edge to prevent overheating the upper oven.

Keeping track of rotating the ovens and lids can be a challenge if your up to 3 or more stacked. I once went to a wonderful dinner where the cook had a stack of 5! All 12" ovens. He started the first oven, prepped the second, spun the oven and lid of the first, stacked on the second, prepped the third, spun the ovens and lids of the first two, stacked on the third, prepped the fourth, etc. etc. until he was done. That last set of oven and lid spinning looked like a martial arts review ... truly amazing. Bread, meat, potato, veggie, and dessert ... makes my mouth water just thinking about it ...

[dh]

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to see if I make it work.

[bobhenry]

maybe this will help....



pot dia x2 for total coals is estimated to be 350 degrees

1/3 is stewing or simmering general for foods with high liquid content
2/2 is for roasting the even heat cooks from the outside in
3/1 is applying more heat into the top to eliminate the bottom burn while baking.

you can cook any foods with the 3/1 distribution safely it may take a bit more time but slo-cookin' is good cookin' in my book.

So in the pic a nice dessert on top in bake mode. the center is in stew or simmer mode but with the use of a trivet and a little water in the pot a roast on thick steak cut would cook nicely. The 14" bottom pot is in bake mode so a load of fresh washed and wrapped potatoes or a load of baked beans maybe. However with it being in "bake" mode this pot could prepare anything.

As to pot and lid rotation if your lid is decorated with logo or picture place it so you can read it while you are in position if no markings are on the lids mark the lip of your lids with white chalk directly in front of you. start all your pots with bails right to left at 1st turn rotate clockwise 1/4 turn all bails are now top to bottom however return the lid to its original position where you can read the logo or see the chalk mark. Continue rotating the entire stack the same way each time. Makes stack rotation as easy as keeping track of one pot.

[bobhenry]

The skillful use of trivets, collanders,aluminum foil, parchment paper, and dutch oven liners are all great aids to avoid direct contact with the pot and will help you to avoid burning food that would otherwise be in direct contact with the pot. If you feel when stacking you have too much heat above, a layer of aluminun foil laying in the pot directly covering the food will reflect some of the excessive heat away and back to the pot above. Water baths and the food on a trivet steam and moistens meats and veggies without fear of burning them allowing slightly hotter bottom heat than you may have wanted. I have had steamed broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, steamed in a stainless steel collander in a dutch oven with all the heat on the bottom. It is a real hoot at a gathering when you are setting down eating broiled tilappia and steamed fresh vegatables and hot bread, people seem to be somewhat shocked at our "non-camping" food choices

[Festus]

If you go to the Missouri State Parks website, in the bottom left there is a link for "Ask the Expert". Click on it and it will take you to whatever the monthly topic is, but there is archived material on the right hand side also. Click on the one that says "Something good is cooking" (that may not be the correct title, but it's something along those lines) and there is a video demonstration of stack cooking with a pot roast, homemade bread and a pan of brownies. No recipes, but I think it's a good demonstration. There are lots of recipes on the web, or just download the new cookbook at the top of the TTT page.

Lynn