Dutch Oven in a WSM - Okay?


 
Jerry N.

Jerry N.

TVWBB Emerald Member
I'm thinking about doing the pot roast from this sight (Stogie). The instructions call for a disposable aluminum pan. I was thinking I could just use my dutch oven (Calphalon). Does anyone think that the smoke will cause any damage to the dutch oven? Does anyone think it will be very difficult to clean? If it's too hard to clean I'll just use an aluminum pan, but if not, seems like the dutch oven is the way to go.
 
Well, I frequently use my antique cast iron Dutch ovens in my smokers, and it helps with the seasoning.

I have no idea about one of them fancy "Calphalon" Dutch oven's, though. My best guess would be that if there is no plastic, you wouldn't ruin it, but it might not look so pretty.

BOB
 
Jerry, I'm not familure with the Calphalon DO so no help here. If it's just plain CI like a old time DO I see no harm, but something tells me with the name Calphalon it might be kind of fancy? I'm lazy so I use them awsome foil pans whenever I can cause they go in the trash when the cook is done. No muss no fuss.
icon_biggrin.gif
 
Jerry,

Like others above have said, I'm not sure what type of dutch oven you're using...so I'll just assume that it's one of the painted, enamled ones (like Le Creuset, et al). I've used my le creuset in the wsm for braising, and the smoke does stain the paint a bit (even if not using smoke wood, I've found there's still a stain). But, it's really easy to get off with Bar Keeper's Friend cleaner. If you don't have BKF, ajax or something similar would probably work too. I've used both to clean the outside of my dutch oven, and haven't had it mess up the paint or scratch it at all. FYI, it does take some elbow grease too...But it will come off.
 
I went for the aluminum pan. Being lazy was more appealing for this cook. I'm going to keep an eye out for a case iron dutch oven to use for this though. I want one I don't care too much about and that I won't use in my regular oven.

For those who commented, Calphalon is anodized aluminum. It's nice cookware, but I wouldn't exactly call it high end. It is pretty much a non-stick surface though.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jerry N.:
I'm going to keep an eye out for a case iron dutch oven to use for this though. I want one I don't care too much about and that I won't use in my regular oven.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Click me
 
Thanks for the link. That's what I'm talking about. For under $20, I'd be good to go. Heck, the aluminum pan was $3. Doesn't take too many cooks to break even.
 
Jerry N, I just made Stogie's recipe this past weekend, and the results were wonderful. First time I had made chuck roast and it was a crowd pleaser to say the least. Was just as good or better the second day, the fat had congealed and was easily removed before reheating.
 
Don't go for the cheap Chinese iron dutch ovens. They have poor casting, uneven wall thickness, and the lids don't often fit right. Get Lodge brand cast iron dutch ovens and skillets and they'll last you the rest of your life.

Steve
 
If I was looking to do any real dutch oven cooking I would have gotten a Lodge, but all I really wanted was a pot I could throw in the smoker without caring about what it looks like afterwards. The cheapo will work fine for my purposes. After all we are talking about a replacement for a disposable aluminum pan here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top