Advice on Camp Ovens

[shadrack]

Hi All,

I am about to buy a camp oven. I believe Furphy is best but expensive and not as good as they were. Which is next best and what should you pay. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Tony

[Luxyboy]

Have you seen these?
http://www.southern-metal-spinners.com.au/

They have some good looking gear

[2iar]

In my very humble opinion, a roast won't taste any different coming from a Furphy or a Kmart job. It's all down to how good you are at camp oven cooking - what ingredients/recipes you use, and how you monitor & control the heat.

Less cost = more beer.

Good luck,
Mike

[Lucky_Phill]

Have a squizz around this site. will definately be helpful and Derek can offer the best advice.

http://www.aussiecampovencook.com/

Cheers Phill

[Derek_Bullock]

Thanks for the plug Phill.

Hi Tony.

Camp ovens are a bit of personal preference I think. Over the last few years I have collected quite a few of them. Have a few old Australian Furphies that I paid a fortune for (just about antiques now) and also imported a few cast iron ones from the states.

At the end of the day it comes down to cast iron, spun steel or aluminum (have never used aluminum myself though) and believe it or not they all cook as good as each other.

The new Furphies are made in China and for a 12 inch one you can expect to pay around $130, yet the one sitting on the shelf beside it for about $27 will cook just as well and is most likely made in the same factory in China.

My own preference for everyday cooking is the spun steel Bedourie made by Southern Metal Spinners. The link to their site is in a post above. I have been using my Bedourie now for over 25 years and whenever I do a demonstration on camp oven cooking use Bedouries just about exclusively.

Check out my website as Phil suggested and you will see a few photos of different types and links to some good sites of further interest. Would suggest you buy a large one to start with. You can cook a small meal in a large oven but cant cook a large meal in a small oven.

Would suggest you buy Jack and Reg Absaloms book Outback Cooking in a Camp Oven. Best advice to anyone starting out in camp oven cooking.

Regards


Derek

[NormC]

As Derek says it is a matter of personal choice. I have two cast iron camp ovens. Both are Chinese / Taiwanese made and were relatively cheap. Both are very good. In my view, you want one with a lip around the lid to make it easy to load up with coals on top. Apart from that, once you season the oven (essential for cast iron), it all comes down to how you use it.

I'm in the local 4WD Club and we regularly have camp oven nights were everyone cooks in their camp oven, then we all share the tucker 'buffet style'. At the club, there is every type of camp oven known to man. They cost between $20 and $200 or more to buy. I believe the type of oven is relatively unimportant. A good camp oven cook will make a great meal in anything and a bad camp oven cook will stuff up a meal in anything. The difference between the two is practice and a willingness to experiment and learn.

Once you get some success in the camp oven you will love it. On our travels (recently spent 16 weeks on the road in Kimberley, NT etc), we cooked in the camp oven at least 3 times a week. When we were out of major towns (most of the time), I cooked all our bread in the camp oven as well.

Essentially, if you can cook it in the oven at home, you can cook it in the camp oven. Meals, bread, cakes, deserts, pizza and anything else.

Go for it and have fun.

[Canoedle]

I had oportunity to see one of the cobb camp ovens in action recently, and have to say I was very impressed with them, a bit expensive, but a lot safer to use than one of the cast iron types. Well worth a look I reckon.

[REEDA]

Bedouries are great!

[griz066]

Got the cheepies from the camping store I use em all the time and they are great

[shubeej]

give trevor a call at outback ovens a call he has a beauty
cheers shubeej

[shadrack]

Hi All,

Thanks everyone for your very useful aadvice. I thought I might let you know where I am at incase there is something else I should know:

I have bought a no name 14" cast iron from the camp store to match my 14" Camp Oven Mate. I washed out and scrubbed with a fibre brush several times with very hot water (no soap), I then filled with water and boiled it to really bring out the gunk and repeated this again. At this stage the inside looked a glassy grey and seemed pretty clean, the outside still a bit underdone due to not being boiled. Problem the 14" is too big to fit in my oven to season it, solution-do it in the "Camp Oven Mate" (gas). Oiled it with olive oil and turned it on to low, after an hour the inside seemed to have a nice coat on it but the outside continues to smoke. Cooked a potato, nice and brown but slight burnt olive oil smell, will wash out again and try another potato. I think this will eventually get me there. Any useful comment?

Thanks
Tony

[Derek_Bullock]

give trevor a call at outback ovens a call he has a beauty
cheers shubeej

Hi Shubeej

Who is Trevor and where is he?

What are Outback Ovens?

Appreciate any further information you have.


Derek

[Derek_Bullock]

Tony

Keep going mate. You need to cook off all that olive oil. Sometimes it takes a couple of goes.

Another thing to do is go to your butcher and get some fatty lamb flaps (they are usually pretty cheap). Cook the guts out of them in the camp oven on a trivet until all the fat comes out. It will splatter all over the inside of the oven. Lamb fat is great for putting a good coating on the inside of the oven.

Cheers


Derek

[cabfisher]

Hi all what is all the cost about ?.
I have had mine a cheep chinese one for so long
It was bought at a shop in Deagon in 1980 when I was living on a yacht and only had a two burner Kero stove and my toung was hanging out for a leg of lamb roast so I paid about $10 -00 and we had a roast dinner that night I still have it and it did not have a ridge around the lid so I welded one on it and it works just fine .
So save your money and buy the cheapest one as there all good.
Well thats my story anyway
Ps oh by the way I have with drawen my boat from sale as I am feeling so much better these days after the Dubbel bi pass Opp 5 month ago so have a happy Christmas & a great new year.
Cheers Harry

[shadrack]

Hi Derek,

Thanks for the tip on lamb fat, it has done the job beautifully. Mate with your brains and my looks we could take on the world. Cooked another potato this time with a bowl of water as the first one was a bit dry, I also wanted to make sure it would still roast and not steam, all OK. Next I will see my master butcher to get some of his very popular spiced lard to roast with.

SEASONED GREETINGS and may all your breads be risen.

Tony