Camp Cooking

Camp oven cooking is part of Australian outback history. Over the ages shearers, drovers and bushmen have used the camp oven.

There are various ways and means to feed yourself and the family when camping and part of the enjoyment of these trips is to sit around a campfire at night and cook up a nourishing meal.  From simple methods such as wrapping potatoes in alfoil and placing amongst the coals, jaffle irons and the old fry pan or hotplate to camp ovens, camp smokers and LPG barbeques. 

What better to do it in than in a camp oven.

A look around your local camping store, BCF (Boat Camping & Fishing) store or web sites such as Aussie Disposals will usually provide a good variety of items available.

Camp Ovens / Dutch Ovens

What is a camp oven?

A definition of a camp oven is a metal pot with a heavy lid, used for baking over an open fire; Australian equivalent of the dutch oven.

Camp ovens can be made from cast iron or spun carbon steel.  They come in various sizes such as 10 inch, 12 inch, 16 inch etc or are measured in volume capacity such as 7.5 litre, 12 litre or 4.5 quart, 6 quart, 9 quart etc . 

The shapes can be round or oval.  Some camp ovens have a flat lid surface suitable for placing hot coals for the cooking process.

Some brand names for camp ovens are Bedouri, Coleman, Camp Chef, Furphy and Hillbilly’s BushKing and BushRanger.
 

Preparing Your Cast Iron Camp Oven

A camp oven must be seasoned before it is used. Being of cast iron, this material is porous, and the inside of the oven has to be treated to seal the surface.