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Chili in a Dutch Oven

Baby j
Baby j Posts: 148
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Just wanted to double check that you can cook tomaotes or tomato juice in a cast iron dutch oven. Rechecked Serv-Safe book and it said not to use zin, cooper, and aluminum to cook or store tomatoes in. Wanted to know what the forum thought.

baby j

Comments

  • Baby J....In an Enameled Dutch oven, it's fine. But not a good idea in a standard Cast Iron DO... :blink: . It will likely remove any seasoning from the cast iron, and it is also a reactive surface. If you don't have enameled CI, use stainless. (You can always unscrew any plastic handles, and return them after the cook....) Just my two cents. :)
  • hornhonk
    hornhonk Posts: 3,841
    I cook my chili in a stainless pot. Never in a cido.
  • Baby j
    Baby j Posts: 148
    I've got the meat, onions, garlic, peppers, and beef stock in the CIDO right now. Tomatoes are still in the bowl. I may just cook everything but the tomatoes in the DO. And then finish in a regular pot of a crockpot.

    Thanks for the help.
  • hornhonk
    hornhonk Posts: 3,841
    Are you using any spices? There are a lot of great chili recipes that don't even use tomatoes.
  • I'm glad you asked this question. I've been using my cast iron dutch oven on the Egg a lot lately and was looking forward to doing a batch of chili. I didn't realize it would be an issue.
    Knoxville, TN
    Nibble Me This
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    For what it's worth I do it all the time. I have read of the possibilities of losing the seasoning and the CI imparting an "off" taste, but have never experienced either.

    Cooking in the CI is fine for me, but I never store it in there.
  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
    Provided your DO is properly seasoned, it's perfectly acceptable to cook things like chili or stews that have tomatoes in them.

    What is not advised is to store the chili in them, like parking the leftover in the fridge overnight. That is when acetic foods damage the seasoning.
    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    Certainly of subject of contention.

    I am planning a tomatillo based dish for Eggtoberfest and will be borrowing a Large CIDO from a friend who is extremely knowledgeable about everything CI cooking. I asked him a similar question and he didnt think it was a problem either.
  • fiver29
    fiver29 Posts: 628
    I've been cooking chili in a DO for almost 10 years and it still has the seasoning. I've never had any issues. FWIW
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Strongsville, Ohio

    Yes.  I own a blue egg!  Call Atlanta if you don't believe me!
    [I put this here so everyone knows when I put pictures up with a blue egg in it]

  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    Folks were makin chili long before they had stainless steel.I cook everthang in a CIDO.I have never had a problem. :) If you're nervous about it take the stone crock out of a crockpot and put it on your egg.I've cooked stuff like that before. ;)Oops!Wrong spot,but I ain't repostin it. :blush:
  • Chalk me up to the group that cooks in CIDO with tomatoes a lot and I don't experience any issues.

    Like others have mentioned, I only cook in the DO, never do I store which is where I think the chemical issues come into play.
  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    Agreed, and I have been guilty of doing storing it for 4 days. It did remove a couple of spots but not real bad, no off taste noticed. I still use it with tomateo sauce but remove whatever I'm cooking and not storing in the D.O.

    Cheers,
    Bordello
  • DrZaius
    DrZaius Posts: 1,481
    I have been using CI cookware since I was a wee lad in Boy Scouts. I have never had any issues with cooking anything in CI. Just take care of CI like you should and you will never have seasoning issues.
    This is the greatest signature EVAR!
  • Ok gang. Have not posted before but thought this was worthwhile. i read a great deal of what everyone had to say on this topic because I was getting ready for an attempt. Took what you all had to say and just jumped in.
    I lit my egg and put the grate back on. While the egg was heating up I put the dutch oven on and closed the lid. When it reached 300 degrees I took two pounds of ground beef and browned it in the dutch oven. Took it off the grate, added a couple chunks of wood and put on the plate setter. Grate back on, dutch oven back on the grate add all the ingredients.
    3 cans roasted tomatoes, 3 cans dark kidney beans, 3 cans light kidney beans, three cans of chili beans, some chili seasoning and what ever other spices you desire. Close the egg, crack the top vent, crack the bottom vent, get about 225 and leave it alone for 4 hours. Awesome smoked chili. Took it right out of the dutch oven and it was still beautifully seasoned. Best chili I have ever made.
    Egg on.
  • NorthPilot06
    NorthPilot06 Posts: 1,179
    Welcome and thanks for sharing your experience!  And kudos on using the search feature =)
    DFW - 1 LGBE & Happy to Adopt More...
  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,314
    edited October 2018
    I use my cast iron dutch ovens quite frequently. As long as it's a thick fatty stew you're typically ok during cooking. I wouldn't cook anything soupy like a red wine/stock braise for extended periods. Also try and avoid letting food sit in cast iron overnight like you may for stainless, it will remove seasoning and possibly rust. Even grandma's seasoning that's been on for half a century. 

    Yes, they made due without stainless before the advent of better metals but they just dealt with rust. These days I'd rather just throw a stainless or enameled dutch oven on the egg for beans and stews. Lately I've using a very cheap cast aluminum dutch oven I picked up at a latino market. It comes to temp much faster than cast iron. 
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
  • Noted. Never cook tomatoes with Cooper.



    (I am only 9 yrs late with this lame joke.)