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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Ultimate Dutch Oven

This is the Ultimate Dutch Oven, by Camp Chef. I don't have this one; I have its larger cousin, the ultimate turkey roaster, which is discontinued. It's intended for outdoor use.

This pan is marketed as the "outdoor microwave", since it cooks faster due to the center convection cone. The lid can be flipped and used as a griddle. It has a bottom rack for smoking or catching meat drippings, and a top rack for cooking food above your main dish.

I regret that the ultimate turkey roaster does not have a top rack, which would expand its usefulness. It just has a bottom rack.

The turkey roaster also has a domed lid, that can be used as a pot. I tried my 12 inch lid as a cover, but it wasn't quite big enough.

A Lodge 13 inch lid would possibly work*, or I can just use my 15 inch skillet or pizza pan as a cover.

*UPDATE: I tried the 13 inch lid. It doesn't fit with a perfect seal, but it does fit.

I pondered for a week, what I could possibly do with the turkey roaster besides cooking turkey. It's essentially an outdoor oven, so just about anything. It can roast ribs, brisket, chickens, ham, and roasts.

It can be used as a steamer for seafood, as well as a smoker for other meats.

Even though it doesn't have a top rack, there's no reason you can't just put your potatoes and veggies alongside the meat. After all, it is large enough to roast a turkey.

Of course, any one pot meal can be cooked in this. One recipe is for "ultimate veggies", which is roasted veggies with cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and shredded cheese mixed in.

I'm thinking you could bake breads in it too, but you might need coals on top for that.

You can use the rack and lid as a makeshift charcoal grill.

I would say that the ultimate turkey roaster is very similar to "The Big Easy", a contraption marketed as an "oil-less infrared turkey fryer". Which really isn't a "fryer" at all; It roasts the turkey outdoors.

I've considered the ultimate dutch oven, since the turkey roaster is large and cumbersome. But the ultimate dutch oven has legs, which wouldn't work on my electric stove. Otherwise it would be perfect. And the top rack would be nice, too.

But, I definitely don't need another pot.

5 comments:

  1. Great post thank you, I bought a Lewis and Clark commemorative Ultimate Dutch oven years ago, it has two racks in it,no number on it but it measures 12inches across, I bought my parents a ultimate turkey cooker years ago, but they have never used it, I'm hoping to get it back since they don't have interest in it, I have a foundry, and could cast more racks to fit up the cone, I could make additional ones if you or anyone else is interested.

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    1. Why not make the oven itself? it's been discontinued.

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    2. Brian, that is a great idea to make a top grate. My 1st DO was the 14 inch Ultimate Dutch oven. I got it at cabelas I think in the early 90's. I also have the Ultimate Turkey DO. It's in the garage and I need to reseason it this spring over a campfire. I had it in a rummage sale but wouldn't budge on the price cause I really didn't want to part with it. This Saturday my DO group is having our Hearts are Healthy DOG, I'm looking for ideas for my 14 inch. Just to show it to everyone. A lot of people have never seen them before. BTW great find at the store, I'd have done the same thing.

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  2. Update: I've had an exciting week for a cast-a-holic I found an aluminum ultimate Dutch oven and an aluminum ultimate inhancement pack still sitting on the bottom shelf at a local army/navy surplus store, I called Denene Torgensen and she said they are discontinued, that's probably the last one, I nabbed the pair, I'm going to hard anodize them, went back two days latter and they had found two more cast iron ultimate's and put them on the shelf, ta da! I'm the proud owner of four ultimate's with one dome and griddle and in the middle of all this I bought with my safety bucks from work a CAMP CHEF oval golden Spike commemorative Dutch oven with the two locomotives 🚂 on the lid and a LODGE Sportsman's charcoal oval grill, the two were made for each other! Two LODGE trivets fit perfect in the Oval Dutch oven, I've died and gone to heaven, or early Christmas! Something like that!

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