g'day,

I'm new to camp oven cooking, and due to the fire bans etc I am looking for a reliable source of fuel.

I am interested in trying your heat bead method, however I have a question, how long does one 'set' of beads last?  I would imagine cooking a leg of lamb you would need to recharge them, so you would need to be thinking 40mins ahead to keep up the heat? yes?? no?

(Tried email but it said I had public address no idea why.) ???

Very good site.

Rgds

Ron

Hi Ron

I find that I can get around an hour fifteen minutes when I use the amounts on the attached photo.

Unless you have an extremely large roast I doubt you will need to recharge.

Cheers


Derek
http://webzoom.freewebs.com/campovencook/foccacia%20008-small.jpg

G'day Derek,

I followed your amounts for a joint of beef weighing .9kg, but it didnt work, it went cold before it was cooked. I tried to add extra coals, hoping they would 'catch' from others but failed to light

In the end we sat it on the bbq to finish it off.


I actually went 1 extra, 10 bottom, 15 top, so not sure what went wrong there?

My oven is the sort camping world sell, its unbranded, but its still fine as we have used in fires ok.

So aim to try again next weekend with more coals yet again, if that doesnt work, will need to go to gas.

Hows your gas work research going?  I thought bout buying the attachment from Southern Metal spinners but they dont take credit cards  >:(  so will take ages to get money order to them and goods back, will try to source elsewhere.

Rgds

Ron

Hi Ron

You must have an exceptionally big oven.  The photo below should give you an idea of what you need.

Cheers


Derek


http://www.yy2.com/image.pl?image=CAMPOVENCOOKINGINAUSTRALIA/heatbeads.jpg

Derek,

What does that page come from?

:)

Hi All

Some time ago I was lucky enough to meet up with a bloke who had taken the time to experiment in depth with using heat beads for camp oven cooking and he was good enough to let me have the following information and I am happy to share.

HEAT CONTROL USING HEAD BEADS

Heat control is hardest thing to master when learning to cook with a cast iron camp oven and here are a few tips to help you on your way

Using heat beads provides a long lasting even heat source and are the easiest to use in camp oven cooking.
Its important to remember that these tips are a guide only to get you started and you will need to adjust your beads according to the recipe and understand that the weather - temperature and ground softness can have an effect to the actual cooking temperature and times used.

Note
- A strong wind or breeze will raise the temperature
- High humidity will lower the temperature
- Direct sunlight will increase the temperature
- Shade will lower the temperature
- Higher air temperature will increase the temperature
- High altitude will lower the temperature

Various recipes and dishes require that you have correct placement of heat beads at the oven and below is a general guide that works well when cooking the following

a: Stews-Soups-Chilli and other liquid dishes require more heat on the bottom than the top
b: Meat-Poultry-Potatos-Vegetables require even distribution of heat on top and bottom
c: Bread-Damper-Cakes etc require most of the heat on the top and little heat on the bottom


HEAT BEAD TEMPERATURE CHART (NOTE THAT THESE NUMBERS ARE APPROXIMATE)

Temp                      10"                                                12"
F                       Top                 Bottom                 Top               Bottom
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
300                 12 beads          5 beads              14 beads              7 beads
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
350                  14                   6                       16                        8
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
400                  16                  7                        19                        10
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
450                  18                  8                        21                        10
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Each Heat bead will add about 20 degrees

Place the required number of beads under the camp oven in a circular pattern so that they are at least 1/2" inside the ovens edge and arrange the beads on the lid in a checkerboard pattern try not to group the beads too close together as they can cause hot spots
To prevent any hot spots occurring lift and rotate the oven a 1/4 turn every 10-15 minutes and then rotate the lid in a 1/4 turn in the opposite direction

Hope you find this of assistance
Cheers Furphy

gees furphy yer getting preety tecnickel now arnt you  cheers wazza ;D

I'm with you Wazza,

I thought you just kept eating raw meat till you got it right  ;D ;D ;D.  Looks like my chances of having a proper meal might have just increased....thanks Furphy.

Hi Mark anytime although you will find that Derek has a lot of this type of information anyway hope it helps just play around as your camp oven thickness can effect as well thats why its good to check again and again until you get it completly right although the chart will get you as close as is possible
Bugger it just enjoy yourself and anyway whats wrong with raw meat if you cant see it It may enhance your reputation ;D ;D ;D ;D

Cheers Furphy

Folks

This is the best way I know of making sure you have the right heat in the camp oven.  $4.95 in KMart.  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

---

Re thermometer, Derek, you've gotta stop giving away these secret tips, I need every edge I can get. I also use a digital timer, many might say an unnecessary extra but as a senior citizen I find it saves that, "Did I put that on at 10 to or 10 past ?" They are also at K Mart for about $4.95.
Rob

Hi Derek PD
Bought one of those Tuesday and I agree there is also one that has a spear on it that you push into the meat and leave it in your food in the oven while its cooking But gee dosent it take the fun out of it
Cheers Kel

http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/LodgeBakingTempChart.doc This is the temp. chart I use and works very well.      
Generally speaking each briquette will produce about 10° - 15° F. worth of heat on a moderately warm day with no wind. However, do not use these numbers to try and formulate how many briquettes you should use to generate internal oven temperatures. Instead, use the general rule of thumb to calculate the number of briquettes to reach 350° F. and then add or subtract briquettes to reach the temperature you desire. Why shouldn't you use the heat values to determine temperature? The answer is, other factors such as the amount of metal used to manufacture the oven, the size of the oven (volume), and the amount of free airspace inside the oven affect the final internal temperature the oven will reach when using a set number of briquettes. The more metal, volume of food, and internal air space you have to heat up, the more heat will be required to bring your oven to the desired temperature.

Other factors such as ambient air temperature, humidity, altitude, and wind all influence how much heat is generated by burning briquettes. Cool air temperatures, high altitudes, shade, and high humidity will decrease the amount of heat generated by briquettes. Hot air temperatures, low altitude, direct sunlight, and wind will increase the amount of heat generated by briquettes. Also note that in windy conditions briquettes will burn faster due to the increased air flow around them, so they will not last as long.

Heat placement around the Dutch oven is crucial to yield the best cooking results. Briquettes placed under the oven should be arranged in a circular pattern no less than 1/2" from the outside edge of the oven. Briquettes placed on the lid should be spread out in a checkerboard pattern. Try to avoid bunching the briquettes as this causes hot spots.

The number one question I am asked is "How many briquettes should I put on the lid and how many should go underneath the oven?". The answer is "It depends on what you are cooking".

For food you wish to simmer such as soups, stews, and chili's; place 1/3 of the total briquettes on the lid and 2/3 under the oven.

For food you wish to bake such as breads and rolls, biscuits, cakes, pies and cobblers (rising); place 2/3 of the total briquettes on the lid and 1/3 underneath the oven.

For food you wish to roast such as meats, poultry, casseroles, quiche, vegetables, and cobblers (non-rising); use an even distribution of briquettes on the lid and underneath the oven.

The golden rule of Dutch oven cooking is "go easy with the heat". If the oven isn't hot enough you can always add more briquettes, but once food is burned, it's burned.

This is the web site for the info on where to put the charcoal briquets(heat beads) http://papadutch.home.comcast.net

Shiiit I just use about 2 handfulls, then listen to the sizzle, to much sizzle pull some off, not enough sizzle add more. ::)
Trev
Aus

Bobkat, your a bloody legend. Thanks for that little chart, it's a beauty.  ;)
Regards,
Ned

Thanks for all that info. I'm sure going to make use of all that.

Heather  8-)