Dutch Oven Stew.

Grandpas Grub

<p />After seasoning the oven & lid, I got this project on the egg.[p]The color of the gravy is lighter due to using chicken broth rather than beef broth. Chicken broth makes a better tasting stew but it is not as rich looking - I tired both chicken and beef both.[p]It had been over 15 years since I used any of my dutch ovens. I was thinking it was all a mystery when using the egg. I found some of my old notes on cooking stews and this was a snap. In those days past I would dig a hole and build a nice fire. Ready the stew and then put the oven in the hole taking some of the burning wood and put ontop of the dutch oven. Then cover the oven burning wood with dirt or sand. 4 or 5 hours later I would dig up the dutch oven and the stew was done.[p]Used somewhat the same idea here other than I wanted smoke flavor and did not use the lid. The egg and lump was my hole with glowing coals.[p]Egg was rock solid grid temp of 300°. 350° when browning the stew meat then reduced.[p]Taste was fantastic.[p]When putting the dutch oven on the grid I would rather have an oven without feet for those of you who are getting ready to buy a new oven. The lid should have a loop in the top for lifting rather than a vertical piece of metal with a 1/2 inch hole in that 'riser'. That way handling a dutch oven & lid inside the egg would be very easy.[p]Potroast & spuds in the dutch oven tomorrow.[p]Kent

Avocados

Nice![p]Putting the Dutch oven in the Egg sure beats digging a hole in your back yard . . .[p]

Unknown

Grandpas Grub,[p]We do many different dishes in open pot Dutch Ovens as well as other large open pot pans. I do need to adjust the liquid in all my recipes to run the open pot but this is my preferred method to cook in the Egg. I figure that if you are going to use the lid, might as well do it in the kitchen oven. [p]Here is my version of hot beef stew about done on the cooker. I use the Spicy Hot V8 juice as my base for my broth.[p][p]This is my Jambalaya ready to go on the cooker.[p][p]This is my low carb stuffed peppers ready to go on the Egg. [p][p]This is some black beans & meat ready to go on the cooker.[p][p]This is an open pot of cabbage and sausage over some pork steaks on the Egg.[p][p]Here is a slab of ribs over my baked beans on the Egg. May have to look close to see the pot but it is right under the ribs and I like the drippings going into the pot for additional flavor for the beans. I use the probe to measure the beans and not the ribs as I want to just keep the beans at a low simmer. [p][p]This is a pot of pinto beans on the cooker.[p][p]This is a pot of Texas Hot Ranch Beans on the cooker. [p][p]As you can probably see, I do all my open pot and Dutch Oven cooking with an indirect setup. [p]Dave [p][p]

Unknown

Old Dave- Great post and timing. We got our first rains of the season in Cal yesterday, so I soaked some beans to cook today. This will be my first Dutch oven cook on the Egg, and I have some questions. Looks like you have some answers, because your food looks wonderful. [p]I'm not using any canned or precooked beans, so timing and liquid is a question. Normally I cook beans covered on the cooktop at a simmer for a couple of hours, giving it a stir every 30 min or so. I add chopped onion, garlic, a ham bone or smoked turkey neck or somesuch at the start. [p]I'm thinking platesetter legs down, D.O. on top of that, lid on for an hour, add some (cooked) rib trimmings and seasoning meat and cook top off for another hour or so, all at about 300 dome. A chunk of local oak for smoke.[p]What do you (or other bean cookers) recomend? I'd like tips and advice.[p]Thanks in advance
Al

DynaGreaseball

Grandpas Grub,[p]Looks great. What kind of wood for smoke?[p]Thanks

Grandpas Grub

DynaGreaseball,[p]I used Pecan chips on this cook. I am going to dutch a pot roast in a few minutes and am going to use hickory.[p]I have noticed that cooking dutch in the egg w/o a lid on the oven I have to be more careful about the liquid content.[p]This stew was great tasting but I do like a little more liquid in the stew. It is an easy correction to make.[p]Tomorrow some on coal searing. The on coal searing really works well.[p]The coal temp is about 900° to 1150° and the dome is only about 450°[p]I did a larger tritip two nights ago for 90 seconds first side and 2 minutes 2nd side and got a great sear. Just a short amount of time on the grid and a great med rare cook.[p]I put some cherry wood chips on the outside area of where I was searing.[p]Direct coal searing is kind of fun too. People look like what in the heck are you doing. But they sure want more done the same way the second time through.[p]Kent