We have 2 iron Dutch ovens, a 10" and a 14". Have cooked many above ground meals, including about 7 deep dish pizzas one night for the youth group at church. Took to long for young people that are use to dialing Domino's! We have very successfully cooked meat loaf and chocolate birthday cake. Unsuccessfully, pineapple upside down cake!
The way we do it, charcoal briquettes and purchased lump charcoal are way too easy (AKA cheating). We use wood harvested from the forest around us, both dead fall and cut. Much harder to regulate the temperature.
We currently have two approx. 2 gallon coffee boilers for heating water and use an 1950's "Dripulator"(camp fire powered Bunn type) to make coffee. When I was a kid my dad had 3 - 5 gallon boilers for water, these were from an old African Safari hunter that had out lived his last hunt and sold off his equipment. On safari you always had one boiling, one cooling and one for use. water was ALWAYS cooled then reheated if cooking or washing water was needed (never understood why). They produced 60 to 75 gallons of boiled water a day, from the African rivers and lakes. I am happy with state park shower houses!
Ivan
