Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

OK, so we were on our way home from Ohio to Maryand after Thanksgiving, and I had it in the back of my mind that we should stop at the Wheeling Cabelas and buy a real DO. I say real DO because our first attempt at dutch oven cooking resulted in our buying a Lodge DO with no feet and a curved lid. It's been great for cooking pot roast and corned beef on/in the kitchen stove at home, but it's not what you'd want to use for the campsite.

When we stopped in, I bounded upstairs and picked out a 9-qt, 12" DO. It was the second smallest unit, but still it seems massive. I also picked up the green tote bag for it, and a lid lifter.



When I got it home I realized that it was a Cabelas' branded DO and not the Lodge one I thought I was buying. Oops. So, first question:

1. Is this going to be OK? It seems to be level, and the lid seems to be a tight fit. I would have rather bought US manufacture though. I think I read somewhere on here that Cabelas' DOs are Chinese-made.

When I removed the DO from the box, there is this somewhat sticky white residue all over it. I washed it in hot water (no soap) and some of it is gone, yet it doesn't seem completely clear of it.

2. Is this OK?

3. What is the small notch on the DO's edge? Defect?

4. Do I need to apply some oil and bake it before first use?

5. When I cook with it with charcoal, do I need to cover the lid with glowing coals, or just a dozen or so briquettes? It seems silly that only a relative handful of coals will cook everything properly, but every time I've seen it used, they didn't cover the lid for it to get hot.

Thanks in advance. -Gary

digimark wrote:..snip...

1. Is this going to be OK? It seems to be level, and the lid seems to be a tight fit. I would have rather bought US manufacture though. I think I read somewhere on here that Cabelas' DOs are Chinese-made.

When I removed the DO from the box, there is this somewhat sticky white residue all over it. I washed it in hot water (no soap) and some of it is gone, yet it doesn't seem completely clear of it.

2. Is this OK?

3. What is the small notch on the DO's edge? Defect?

4. Do I need to apply some oil and bake it before first use?

5. When I cook with it with charcoal, do I need to cover the lid with glowing coals, or just a dozen or so briquettes? It seems silly that only a relative handful of coals will cook everything properly, but every time I've seen it used, they didn't cover the lid for it to get hot.

Thanks in advance. -Gary

I am not an expert, and not familiar with Cabela's brand DO. Others will chime in.

1. As long as the casting is ok, and not to rough it should be ok. I can't tell from the picture, but is looks like it needs to be seasoned to start with.
Lodge brand now comes pre-seasoned.

3. The notch is for a temperature gauge, some people even use the electronic wired probes. You don't have to lift the lid to poke it every time you want to check if it is done.

4. If it is not pre-seasoned, yes you do.

5. As a beginner, I used to count, place, and space the number of coals according to a chart. Now I just put enough coals to form a ring around the edge of the entire lid, and place the proper number of coals under. Seems to work for me. You need to become familiar with your brand DO, I have a Lodge.



You may want to refer to the temperature chart for the Cabela brand to become familiar.

Also, try http://camp-cook.com/

One of the members here runs that forum.

http://www.dutchovendude.com/campfire-cooking.shtml

Lots of real good info a must read for newbies ( me too) I learn a bit more each time I re read it.

There are different loading techniques for baking vs roasting I learned that lesson with burnt bread and cobblers. Very very few on the bottom and a bunch on top to bake.

To clean your new oven or any dirty one with stuborn gunk just fill with water and take it to a full rolling boil then dump and clean immediatly with hot water and a scrub pad.

I really think you will be very happy with this oven I purchased a sportsman's warehouse model and they look very similar. They are smooth interior and a nice heft to the castings.

For baking there are dutch oven liners. A preformed parchment liner
( think of a really big muffin paper.)

And if ya want a good lifter p.m. me





A pork roast or a big meat loaf is a good 1st bake and will help season the D.O. even further.

If anyone is looking for the best lid lifter, the ones bobhenry sells is tops! No more bending down, or balancing a lid in the air!

digimark wrote:When I removed the DO from the box, there is this somewhat sticky white residue all over it. I washed it in hot water (no soap) and some of it is gone, yet it doesn't seem completely clear of it.

I purchased one that Meijer had for sale late this past summer just to get started and see how I would fare. That one also had this coating on it. The coating is wax they dip the units in for shipping so they don't rust (I think). One thing you need to do before seasoning is heat the thing up in your grill and burn off the wax, wash it out with soap and water and repeat the process IMO. There were a few areas where the wax had not completely been removed and the first time I used it; well, there went the seasoning. Just one opinion from a non-expert.

Good luck, they sure are fun.

Thank you for the advice -- it's exactly what I needed. The box said the DO was pre-seasoned, but I'm going to treat it as un-seasoned after the wax is removed.

To confirm -- I should use soap on the first cleaning to make sure the wax has completely burned off/removed before seasoning? I know you generally don't use soap.

I'll give it a try this afternoon or tomorrow, depending on the snow accumulation.

digimark wrote:Thank you for the advice -- it's exactly what I needed. The box said the DO was pre-seasoned, but I'm going to treat it as un-seasoned after the wax is removed.

digimark,

If it says it is pre seasoned I would not treat as it has a wax coating. Mine looked like bare metal and you could scape your nail across the surface and pick up the wax. I did just get a second that was pre seasoned and it was black with no residue so I am not really sure what you have. I would hate to see you mess with it if its ready to go for ya. Keep us posted.