30.10.07
Posted in BBQ recipes, Events, General Discussion at 5:47 pm by admin
Camp oven cooking has become Sizzle’s ‘flavour of the month’… but given the tangible groundswell that has been steadily building around this style of cooking, we think it’s one that’s here to stay.
Back in September, the Heat Beads® company supported the second annual Redesdale Camp Oven Cook Off at Redesdale Tavern, in regional Victoria.
Around 50 teams of up to five people entered this year’s cook off, chasing the glory of being crowned camp oven cooking champions. (See event photos above - click on an image to enlarge.)
Basic ingredients and Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes were provided… but chefs and imagination were definitely BYO! Starting from a level playing field, teams had until 4pm on the day to whip up a feast (of their invention) fit for the esteemed judging panel.
Hundreds of spectators turned out to watch the challenge unfold, also sampling offerings from the market stalls of local producers and wine-makers and enjoying live entertainment.
And, the next camp oven cooking event on the Heat Beads® radar is happening this weekend!
The Great Victorian Camp Oven Festival is being held over the weekend of November 3rd & 4th, 2007 (at Gordon Street Reserve, Heyfield).
As well as a variety of camp oven cooking competitions, including best damper and best main meal/specialty dish, there’s something for all the family, from live music and entertainment, to carnival and helicopter rides. Visit the event website for more.
To get you in the mood, we’d like to share with you another delectable camp oven cooking recipe from ‘The Camp Oven Cook’, Derek Bullock. As you’ll see from his website, Derek’s doing his bit to promote camp oven cooking in Australia!
Chocolate rum and raisin muffins
(Makes six large muffins)
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped raisins soaked in a ¼ cup of Bundy rum (do this the day before if you can)
1¼ cups self-raising flour
¼ cup of cocoa powder
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup chocolate chips
1 egg
½ cup melted butter
½ cup milk
Method:
Mix flour, cocoa, sugar and chocolate in a large bowl. In another bowl mix together the beaten egg, melted butter and milk. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well but stop as soon as it’s combined. Spoon the mixture into paper muffin cups that you have placed in a muffin tray. Place tray on a trivet in a preheated camp oven and cook for about 20 minutes.
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23.10.07
Posted in BBQ recipes at 10:40 am by admin
Here’s a simple, yummy recipe to get you started with your camp oven cooking over Heat Beads® briquettes - a method that passionate camper and cook Derek Bullock explained in this previous Sizzle post.
Italian-style damper focaccias
Ingredients:
Two cups self-raising flour
Two teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
Milk
Half cup grated tasty cheese
Half cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
Good sprinkling of Italian herbs
Sliced black olives
Method:
Mix flour, baking powder, salt, tomatoes, cheese and herbs together in a bowl. Mix in enough milk to make a soft wet dough. Divide into four portions and place on a well-greased and floured tray. (I use a pizza tray as it fits just nicely in the Bedourie.) Sprinkle some sliced olives on top and place on a trivet in a preheated camp oven and cook for about 35 minutes.
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Posted in Did You Know?, General Discussion at 10:36 am by admin
This week’s guest blogger is ‘The Camp Oven Cook’, Derek Bullock. Derek’s website is a goldmine of information for campers, and here he shares his inventive camp oven cooking method.
Over the years, a growing number of camping grounds have disallowed the lighting of fires - meaning it’s near impossible to make a fire for coals for the camp oven. As such, I seek to teach people the art of cooking in a camp oven using Heat Beads® briquettes as a source of heat. It really is very simple and with a bit of initiative you can be baking and roasting even in a caravan park.
Firstly, you need something to place your camp oven and Heat Beads® briquettes in when cooking. I use an old electric frying pan - easy to look after and takes up little room when packing. You can usually pick one up for a few dollars at a garage sale. The one I have is a large old round Sunbeam. Both my twelve inch Bedourie and my cast iron camp ovens fit in it perfectly. (This method is suitable for all types of camp ovens.)
If using the Bedourie I first place a trivet in the frying pan to sit the coals on, and to help circulate the heat. Because the cast iron oven has legs there is no need to do this.
The number of briquettes is something you might like to play with. Generally nine under the oven and 14 to 17 on top will give a heat of about 180 to 200 degrees and that is a pretty good heat for baking. You can see the number of briquettes clearly in the photographs. A good idea is to light about 30 and then experiment with different numbers top and bottom.
A good little investment I made that only cost a few dollars was a small oven thermometer. This photograph shows it sitting in my cast iron oven with a temperature of about 180 degrees (you can click on the photos to enlarge):
Okay, you have your Heat Beads® briquettes, an old frying pan, a Bedourie camp oven and a trivet… you are ready to begin.
Place the briquettes on the trivet in the frying pan and light them up. Here I am using Heat Beads Easy-lite - no firelighters are required, just light with a match.
Next, wait for the briquettes to ash over. This will take about 40 minutes. Remember that the briquettes need to be covered in a light-coloured ash:
Once the briquettes have ashed over, place the required number on top of the oven, leave the number you want under the oven in the frying pan and place the extras to one side:
Put the camp oven on top of the briquettes in the frying pan and leave it to preheat like you would the oven at home. It’s as simple as that!
The good thing about using a frying pan is that you can cook just about anywhere with it. The legs on the frying pan keep the heat off whatever it is standing on - as the photos show, I have even used it on my glass-top patio table.
Give it a go yourself to see just how simple it actually is. And stay tuned to Sizzle for some of my delicious camp oven recipes!
www.aussiecampovencook.com
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18.10.07
Posted in BBQ recipes at 10:19 am by admin
These sweet and juicy char-grilled dessert recipes are making us long for luxurious summer days… clear blue skies, cool grass, hot sun beating down and the occasional refreshing breeze.
As desserts are often overlooked when it comes to BBQ-ing, trying out the following recipes over a hot Heat Beads® BBQ will have your guests most impressed with your BBQ finesse!
Simply top with ice cream, and you’ll have capped off your backyard BBQ perfectly.
Recipe for ‘Fruit kebabs with chocolate sauce‘
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Recipe for ‘Grilled pineapple dessert‘ - this one causes your BBQ to flare-up - quite a spectacle!
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Tutti frutti!
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11.10.07
Posted in Fun Things at 5:46 pm by admin
We’re sure these artists had BBQ-ing on the brain when they cooked up these hits!
Set the scene for your BBQ and have guests primed to appreciate your gourmet delights.
We think they’ll get you, as the cook, fired up as well! There’s tunes to complement every step of BBQ fun, from getting the barbie started and letting it heat up, to grilling and finally serving.
If you’ve got a favourite BBQ song to share, leave us a comment.
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05.10.07
Posted in Did You Know?, General Discussion at 5:41 pm by admin
John Ryan – BBQ fanatic, member of Kansas City BBQ Society, and enthusiast of Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes – reports from Kansas City, the BBQ capital of the world.
I’m fortunate to be in Kansas City right now, when ‘American Royal’ is on.
American Royal is a bit like a traditional ‘royal show’ (such as the Royal Melbourne Show), featuring live entertainment and music, food and drinks, horse shows, rodeo, livestock… and the 28th Annual American Royal Barbecue.
On from 5-7th October, this is a state championship BBQ contest with a difference – a $125,000 prize up for grabs, as well as automatic entry into the World Series of Barbecue championships (world championships), for the winner.
As you can tell from the prize money, they take their BBQ-ing very seriously over here – there’s over 400 teams competing this year.
I’ll be there, along with Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS), which sanctions the event. KCBS is the largest organisation of BBQ enthusiasts in the world, with over 8,000 members worldwide. A non-profit organisation, KCBS is dedicated to promoting and enjoying the art of the BBQ.
Since I’ve been in Kansas City, I’ve been sampling BBQ fare as well as doing a lot of BBQ-ing of my own. I brought my Heat Beads® company hat and t-shirt with me, so I’ve been getting lots of attention and questions about the briquette-style fuel source (pure wood is more common here). There is a distinction made when smoking meats here; it’s mostly cold smoking followed by cooking over a medium-to-low heat, with a basting period between the two, and another basting period after the cooking and just before the serving.
It makes me hungry just writing about it…
Stay tuned for more after the contest.
John Ryan
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