# Anyone cook INSIDE their wood stove?



## wowser (Feb 6, 2014)

I've been cooking inside my stove this year and wondering if it's bad for it. I put a cast iron skillet on top of a bed of coals and get it ripping hot, then throw steaks, burgers, or salmon with the skin on it, close the door and wait just a few minutes. Turn everything over and in 10-12 minutes I have the best heat flashed meal ever. Nice crust on steaks, nice crisp skin on salmon. I use a fireproof glove to get the pan out. Wondering if anyone else does this and if there's any downside like grease getting into the chimney liner and causing a fire.


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## osagebow (Feb 6, 2014)

I have done the same, no worries. I can also fit a pizza stone up front with a nice sized fire behind it.


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## fossil (Feb 6, 2014)

There have, over the past few years, been a number of threads, some w/pictures, about folks cooking inside their stoves.  Some frying like you're doing as well as some baking and some cooking dishes/meals in dutch ovens.  Rick


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## KindredSpiritzz (Feb 6, 2014)

they make these things now days called "ranges" and they come in electric and gas flavor. I swear some you boys get stranger by the day.


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## wowser (Feb 7, 2014)

Range only gets to 400°, wood stove gets a lot hotter with a lot dryer heat. My steaks cook as good as a good steak house. High heat = flavor. If you ever worked in a commercial kitchen it's like cooking with a salamander oven.




KindredSpiritzz said:


> they make these things now days called "ranges" and they come in electric and gas flavor. I swear some you boys get stranger by the day.


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## osagebow (Feb 7, 2014)

wowser said:


> . If you ever worked in a commercial kitchen it's like cooking with a salamander oven.


 Thanks for the French onion soup molten cheese burn flashback..


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## Kosmik (Feb 7, 2014)

A lot of crap collects in the hoods of a commercial kitchen.  
It'll be interesting to see if anything collects if you sear enough steaks, or have errant pieces of cheese.
I'd think things that don't sear/burn would be more friendly.  But maybe since the flue is hot, it gets carried away.


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## Osage (Feb 7, 2014)

Made a grate out of expanded metal that can set above the coals and can close the doors. Have baked pizza, grilled burgers and even tried to bake cookies. Will have to try the cookies thing over again.


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## tcassavaugh (Feb 7, 2014)

most of my cooking trials have been on top of the stove. I've gotten "bit" enough just putting wood in the stove don't think I want to "linger" adjusting a pan, grill or dutch oven. my brother cooks sometimes in his earth stove. he's on a fixed income and helps keep his electric and gas/propane bill down. I save it for emergencies and most of the time I can fire up my Weber or my little Coleman stove. great to you guys that do......protect those arms.


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## David.Ervin (Feb 7, 2014)

Kosmik said:


> It'll be interesting to see if anything collects if you sear enough steaks, or have errant pieces of cheese.


For as often as one would probably cook in the stove, and as hot as it'll get when the doors are closed and the secondaries are blazing, I'd be surprised if one could detect anything greasy after a day or so with something less sensitive than a mass spectrometer, CSI style.


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## ridensnow23 (Feb 7, 2014)

Osage said:


> Made a grate out of expanded metal that can set above the coals and can close the doors. Have baked pizza, grilled burgers and even tried to bake cookies. Will have to try the cookies thing over again.



How did the pizza turn out?  Any tips or tricks? Nothing better than wood fired pizza as far as I am concerned.


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## David.Ervin (Feb 7, 2014)

Come to think of it, some of the best steaks I ever had were cooked in a cast iron skillet over a campfire.  Might give it a go this evening once the fire burns down


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## firefighterjake (Feb 7, 2014)

Yes.


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## branchburner (Feb 7, 2014)

Osage said:


> a grate... that can set above the coals and can close the doors.



For cooking steak or salmon, I use this method rather than a frying pan. I don't know how a steak in a pan could ever be better than one cooked directly over the coals, allowing it to slightly char and imparting more smoke flavor. I know it's a matter of taste, but it seems impossible that a pan can trump a grill.


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## branchburner (Feb 7, 2014)

David.Ervin said:


> 'd be surprised if one could detect anything greasy after a day or so



When I grill salmon, the splatter spots will surprisingly remain visible on the glass for a day or even two... but they do then burn off, leaving no trace.

One of the great things about grilling in a stove is you can walk outside in 20-degree weather and get the smell of summer, coming from the chimney!


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## Dakotas Dad (Feb 7, 2014)

branchburner said:


> For cooking steak or salmon, I use this method rather than a frying pan. I don't know how a steak in a pan could ever be better than one cooked directly over the coals, allowing it to slightly char and imparting more smoke flavor. I know it's a matter of taste, but it seems impossible that a pan can trump a grill.



You get the pan nuclear hot.. trust me there is "char".. I have eaten in some VERY good steak houses in my day, and to date, the best steak ever served to me was done in a skillet that was about 900F.. This why it needs to be cast iron, and of course without a "teflon" coating, as that stuff starts to break down around 450F...


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## branchburner (Feb 7, 2014)

Dakotas Dad said:


> You get the pan nuclear hot.. trust me there is "char".. I have eaten in some VERY good steak houses in my day, and to date, the best steak ever served to me was done in a skillet that was about 900F..



Thanks, I'll try it... it never occurred to me to get a cast iron skillet nuclear hot, but I have the technology!


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Feb 7, 2014)

As a chef, yes it can be done, I have an insert and 2 outdoor pits, I cook on both outside, I have not yet tried the insert, if I were to try, I would start with potatoes wrapped in foil twice, personally I would stay away from fatty items such as salmon and prime rib steaks, they let off a high degree of fat and could, idk, could start a fire down the road, in my opinion it is asking for trouble. These stoves are not meant for cooking, but  cooking can be done, just do it safely, I'm sure you Could even bake a cake if you had the proper technique and temperature..... But nice thread, keep it going...


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## firefighterjake (Feb 7, 2014)

For the chuck eyes . . .

Coated the cast iron with olive oil. Plunked in steaks. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Placed on hot coals. Flipped over in about 2 minutes (yeah, it was that quick and hot). Cooked for another 2 minutes. Removed . . . using the thickest hearth glove I had . . . and even then it was plenty warm.

There was some grease splatter on the "glass" . . . but it burns off in the next burn.

Great tasting steaks . . .


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## tcassavaugh (Feb 7, 2014)

...... maybe we should start a sub-forum "cooking with wood" .....looks like there might be a lot of interest certainly some good ideas for sure.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Feb 7, 2014)

Usually when restaurants burn down, it is  due to neglecting to clean the hoods that collect the airborne grease and soot,  if your gonna cook steaks, salmon and burgers, I'm sure a chimney sweep company is not capable of removing the grease from your pipe, only degreaser and hot water does that...just saying.....


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## firefighterjake (Feb 7, 2014)

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> Usually when restaurants burn down, it is  due to neglecting to clean the hoods that collect the airborne grease and soot,  if your gonna cook steaks, salmon and burgers, I'm sure a chimney sweep company is not capable of removing the grease from your pipe, only degreaser and hot water does that...just saying.....


 

True to a point . . . electrical and arson fires are also right up there.

However, cooking a few items now and then in a woodstove is a bit different than the sheer volume of items running through a typical restaurant in terms of grease-laden vapors.


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## Dakotas Dad (Feb 7, 2014)

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> Usually when restaurants burn down, it is  due to neglecting to clean the hoods that collect the airborne grease and soot,  if your gonna cook steaks, salmon and burgers, I'm sure a chimney sweep company is not capable of removing the grease from your pipe, only degreaser and hot water does that...just saying.....



Of course it's a matter of buildup.. Pat's in Louisville cooks a couple hundred steaks a NIGHT... I do a few a YEAR... and I am betting the inside of my stove is WAY hotter than the inside of any range hood. The grease and splatter IME, burns right off, doesn't hang out and build up..


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## coaly (Feb 7, 2014)

KindredSpiritzz said:


> they make these things now days called "ranges" and they come in electric and gas flavor. I swear some you boys get stranger by the day.



Those newfangled ranges um............. replaced wood !

Only heat source for my house, oven thermometer goes to 1000 f.
  Stable 350* with normal wood fire before turning oven on. Leave oven door open at night when more heat is needed.  Put one of these in your kitchen, and your current stove collects dust. Mine hasn't been lit in 2 years. Oh yeah, now it heats my water too. AND we cook on it in the summer. Bypass lever puts unwanted heat up the stack instead of heating 900 + pounds of stove with raised grate providing flame under pans.





She now prefers wood, including making her own fires, over the commercial Garland gas range in background !


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## Dakotas Dad (Feb 7, 2014)

It has a bypass for the summer? Always wondered about that. Good to know. 

Oh, and good looking stove. The family I got the Manny from was getting rid of it because they were tired of cooking on/in the manny and was getting a real wood cook stove, I actually think this very same model.


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## branchburner (Feb 7, 2014)

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> I would stay away from fatty items such as salmon and prime rib steaks, they let off a high degree of fat and could, idk, could start a fire down the road



I'm not sure where having a fire from this grease within your stove or flue is a problem. The amount of grease that would remain unburnt and allowed to build up, rather than exit with the smoke, could only be a small fraction of the creosote that builds up with even normal stove use. A flue that sees daily temps up to 1000f is a lot different than a range hood and exhaust system. For cooking the occasional (or even daily) steak at home, I can't see anyway the risk of a problem would be significantly greater than zero.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Feb 7, 2014)

branchburner said:


> I'm not sure where having a fire from this grease within your stove or flue is a problem. The amount of grease that would remain unburnt and allowed to build up, rather than exit with the smoke, could only be a small fraction of the creosote that builds up with even normal stove use. A flue that sees daily temps up to 1000f is a lot different than a range hood and exhaust system. For cooking the occasional (or even daily) steak at home, I can't see anyway the risk of a problem would be significantly greater than zero.


Ok, I guess I am wrong, but I do know that High fat foods are more likely to cause grease fires and these units that we are talking about were created to burn wood for heat and they can still be dangerous if not done correctly, so I wanted to bring that up, cook all the salmon and ribeyes you want. Bon Appetite....


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## Dakotas Dad (Feb 7, 2014)

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> Ok, I guess I am wrong, but I do know that High fat foods are more likely to cause grease fires and these units that we are talking about were created to burn wood for heat and they can still be dangerous if not done correctly, so I wanted to bring that up, cook all the salmon and ribeyes you want. Bon Appetite....



MmmMmmm rib eyes.. the only beef I buy. and even that rarely. Really the only meat I buy actually. 

Now I know that for dinner is going to be some venison kabobs done in the stove..  

Cave man style!


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Feb 7, 2014)

This is my cave man style.....


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## Dakotas Dad (Feb 7, 2014)

Why do you have to tie your rock down? If you do a little more work on it's training, it WILL stay were you tell it too. At least that has worked for us. 



And good looking grill and set up. We have a campground style raised grill for that style cooking. But this time of year, especially this freaking year, we don't use it much. I am actually quite tired of the *&%$!! on the weather channel who keeps saying "A winter weather advisory is in effect for our area" over and over and over..


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Feb 7, 2014)

That was an experiment, last year on the web I searched "fireplace cooking" cause I too was curious about using the fireplace at the time to cook, well they tied a whole chicken to a rope in front of their house hold fireplace, dangling and turning it cooked well according to them, well I was running out of daylight so I ended up tossing it on the grill so it would cook faster, boy you can really taste the difference when you cook over wood. Whole chickens cook well over a bed of hot coals.....


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## Osage (Feb 7, 2014)

ridensnow23 said:


> How did the pizza turn out?  Any tips or tricks? Nothing better than wood fired pizza as far as I am concerned.


 I just let the fire burn down to coals and raked most them to each side. The grate sets about 4" above the coals (depending on how you rake them). It turned out great. Had a light smoke taste. You could also use some wood chips to add more smoke flavor.


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## Kosmik (Feb 7, 2014)

David.Ervin said:


> For as often as one would probably cook in the stove, and as hot as it'll get when the doors are closed and the secondaries are blazing, I'd be surprised if one could detect anything greasy after a day or so with something less sensitive than a mass spectrometer, CSI style.


Yeah, probably a good portion of what collects in a commercial hood is the condensation of the wet hot vapors (as usually waters are boiling and whole bunch of other stuff is going on) on the cold metal frames and filters.
Just saying it'll be interesting to see.  
Maybe a new take on kitchen venting/design, biogas combustion running the ovens.


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## tcassavaugh (Feb 7, 2014)

cut it out guys......i'm getting hungry and its past lunch and too close to dinner. all that stuff looks ssssooooooo good.


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## turbocruiser (Feb 8, 2014)

tcassavaugh said:


> cut it out guys......i'm getting hungry and its past lunch and too close to dinner. all that stuff looks ssssooooooo good.



Seriously!  I've used cast iron components before with relatively good results (especially dutch ovens because the lid there basically prevents ash from contaminating food and they also have handy handles).  The expanded metal idea is fantastic and extremely easy and I actually have some scrap in the garage that's just begging to be tried.  I've considered using those fancy stainless steel expanded metal things they advertise at Williams Sonoma specifically for grills and grilling but I'm leery of the "made in china" label. 

But now after this thread I am also trying to figure out how to fabricate a functioning rotisserie mechanism using the secondary airwash system as the turning force to do rotisserie shish-ka-bobs!  And I'm wondering whether a slow overnight cool down could produce a good slow-cooked-stew.  And I'm wondering how to do big corn bread loafs cause I love love love big corn bread loafs.  And, and, and . 

Out of control but seriously I'd love to second the motion to have a "cooking with wood" area.  I'd love it to include not only cooking methods and cooking tools but recipes, pictures and even what type of wood one would use for the flavor (in other words we probably wouldn't want to slow cook something on elm but do that same thing on other woods aaannnddd wonderful comes out of the stove)!  The funny thing is I've really never been interested in cooking until or unless fire was involved so I love to grill, but won't bake or cook or whatever it is called with that electrical thing in the kitchen!


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## ailanthus (Feb 8, 2014)

I've managed to bake some pretty good bread in a covered cast iron pot (with lid) when the stove is mostly cooled off.  Also eggs on a cast iron skillet and coffee in a small stovetop perc have become part of my saturday morning routine.  Which reminds me...


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## xman23 (Feb 8, 2014)

Years ago, I tried doing baked potatoes in the stove. The outside skin was blacken a the inside uncooked. I'm not a cook. I guess if you have an idea how to get the temp right for what your cooking, it can be done well. But nothing like the oven at 350 degrees.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Feb 8, 2014)

xman23 said:


> Years ago, I tried doing baked potatoes in the stove. The outside skin was blacken a the inside uncooked. I'm not a cook. I guess if you have an idea how to get the temp right for what your cooking, it can be done well. But nothing like the oven at 350 degrees.


Did you wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil? If you did, try wrapping them twice, if you didn't, that was your problem, I say try it again....


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## terpsucka (Feb 10, 2014)

How do you keep things (especially burgers) from lighting up?  I sometimes have that problem over a really hot fire on my grill; could only imagine in my stove.


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## Warm_in_NH (Feb 10, 2014)

After reading this thread the other day we bought a couple of rib eyes. With some helpful advice from another forum member, I can say, YES,  we've cook INSIDE, the stove. 

Two rib eyes in a cold cast iron skillet placed on hot coals for a few minutes a side produced the best steaks I've ever had out of a skillet, ever. 

Wicked good, will definitely be doing it again. We started doing stews this year and Chix dishes in a Dutch oven on top of the stove, a steel trivet makes it easy to regulate the temp on top. This was a first for the inside, again, awesome, if you haven't tried it yet, just do it .

Someone mentioned the heat of the handle will be rather high, they're right, just have your plan laid out before you start. Not knowing what to expect I set an emergency trivet on the hearth to put the pan on etc...heavy duty oven mit was sufficient but barely.


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## Dakotas Dad (Feb 10, 2014)

terpsucka said:


> How do you keep things (especially burgers) from lighting up?  I sometimes have that problem over a really hot fire on my grill; could only imagine in my stove.



On your grill, you have openings below the food to the heat/flames, in a frying pan or dutch oven you don't.


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## Kosmik (Feb 11, 2014)

The fattier the meat, the more prone to flaring on a grill.  But the fat is where the flavor is.


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## johnpma (Feb 11, 2014)

Purchased an old home and just installed a small stove in the fireplace. Have acres of hardwood, and many down trees from the previous two years storms. Wife and I fired up the stove while painting on the weekend. By the end of the day we had a nice bed of red glowing coals 

Took two baking potato's sliced them length wise put a large chunk of onion and a slab of butter in them. oiled up the potato skin with olive oil salt& pepper and wrapped them in foil and placed them in the coals YUM!! Right or wrong to do they were out of this world delicious!!


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## firebroad (Feb 11, 2014)

branchburner said:


> Thanks, I'll try it... it never occurred to me to get a cast iron skillet nuclear hot, but I have the technology!


Just a suggestion, use a skillet that you don't care if it warps or not.  Sometimes they will warp on the bottom, and if you have an electric stove, it won't lay flat anymore.


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## Dustin92 (Feb 15, 2014)

This thread inspired me to try cooking in our insert- mentioned it to my Dad, he thought it was a fabulous idea and even welded up a grilling grate for me to use, 4 legs of angle iron, about 5" high, and a piece of expanded steel grating about 12" x 16". I grilled some steaks last night, I let the coals burn down too far before cooking. I thought they tasted like they had been boiled, but everyone else thought they were great. I made hamburgers tonight, and had a screaming hot bed of coals. They turned out perfectly seared and with great flavor. I was concerned about it flaming up, but the coals were so hot it just smoked. Might try some chicken tomorrow night. We haven't had anything grilled all winter because the outdoor gas grill won't get hot enough to cook when it's cold out.


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## branchburner (Feb 17, 2014)

firebroad said:


> Just a suggestion, use a skillet that you don't care if it warps or not.  Sometimes they will warp on the bottom, and if you have an electric stove, it won't lay flat anymore.



Thanks, good advice. We already have one that we warped, but too big for my stove. Waiting for a thrift store or yard sale purchase before I sacrifice our favorite well-seasoned skillet!


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## branchburner (Feb 17, 2014)

Dustin92 said:


> I was concerned about it flaming up, but the coals were so hot it just smoked.



My stove has a bypass damper, so with the damper shut and the air supply shut, I get no flaming... just like putting the cover on the Weber when charcoal grilling. The difference is, the flavor in the wood stove is MUCH better than with charcoal.


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## logger (Feb 17, 2014)

Dutch oven works great, just did a burgundy wine venison stew yesterday


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## johnpma (Mar 5, 2014)

had a nice bed of red coals when I got home last night baked some potato's in a cast iron pan, then cooked two fresh ribeye steaks from the beef farmer up the road while cooking green beans in one pan and oinions peppers and shrooms in another on top of my US Stove 2000 Love the top flat surface on this little stove For $484 from tractor supply this little stove has been wonderful.....


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## Mark Richards (Mar 5, 2014)

wowser said:


> I've been cooking inside my stove this year and wondering if it's bad for it. I put a cast iron skillet on top of a bed of coals and get it ripping hot, then throw steaks, burgers, or salmon with the skin on it, close the door and wait just a few minutes. Turn everything over and in 10-12 minutes I have the best heat flashed meal ever. Nice crust on steaks, nice crisp skin on salmon. I use a fireproof glove to get the pan out. Wondering if anyone else does this and if there's any downside like grease getting into the chimney liner and causing a fire.


I tried this for my vegetarian daughter. Take a cabbage cut into 1/4's. Scoop 2 to 3 holes into each quarter and place butter into the scoops. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Double wrap with foil and place into hot bed of coals and cook for 8-10 minutes. Unwrap and eat. Both I and my daughter loved the flavor and so easy to do.


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## BurnIt13 (Mar 5, 2014)

Mark Richards said:


> I tried this for my vegetarian daughter. Take a cabbage cut into 1/4's. Scoop 2 to 3 holes into each quarter and place butter into the scoops. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Double wrap with foil and place into hot bed of coals and cook for 8-10 minutes. Unwrap and eat. Both I and my daughter loved the flavor and so easy to do.



Reminds me that its been a little too long since my last boiled dinner.  I'll have to pick up some cabbage on the way home.


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## Warm_in_NH (Mar 5, 2014)

BurnIt13 said:


> Reminds me that its been a little too long since my last boiled dinner.  I'll have to pick up some cabbage on the way home.



Only a couple weeks until my favorite saints day. 1/2 the country will be eating their one boiled dinner of the year.


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## Mark Richards (Mar 6, 2014)

BurnIt13 said:


> Reminds me that its been a little too long since my last boiled dinner.  I'll have to pick up some cabbage on the way home.


 Beware the gassy after effects!! Both of us were surprized at the fermentation rate of cabbage! LOL


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## smokedragon (Mar 6, 2014)

hobo packs (when the power is out) and toasting marshmallows with the kids over a bed of coals.


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## hrhunter (Mar 6, 2014)

What kind of wood are you using when you are cooking over coals?


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## BurnIt13 (Mar 7, 2014)

hrhunter said:


> What kind of wood are you using when you are cooking over coals?



I've only attempted it once but I imagine it can be anything.  By the time its down to coals there is nothing but heat left.  Smoking meat or grilling over an open fire is bad with certain types of wood as the smoke can really mess with the flavoring.  When you are down to coals its probably all the same, especially when its wrapped in foil or in a pan.


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## smokedragon (Mar 7, 2014)

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> This is my cave man style



Well that is cheating.....I thought we were only talking about woodstoves.  We have a stone firepit that I built last year, and an expanded metal grate that I welded up to fit over it.  We cook over it so much in the summer and fall that we don't use our gas grill any more.


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## Dakotas Dad (Mar 7, 2014)

hrhunter said:


> What kind of wood are you using when you are cooking over coals?



Whatever was in the last load. Could be cherry, oak, hickory, birch, maple, etc, etc.. have never noticed it mattered.


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## branchburner (Mar 7, 2014)

hrhunter said:


> What kind of wood are you using when you are cooking over coals?





Dakotas Dad said:


> Whatever was in the last load. Could be cherry, oak, hickory, birch, maple, etc, etc.. have never noticed it mattered.



The only one I won't use is poplar... seems a bit stinky, wouldn't like that smell as a flavor.


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## Kosmik (Mar 7, 2014)

Well, we finally have a reason to burn Mesquite in the stove.


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## hrhunter (Mar 7, 2014)

branchburner said:


> The only one I won't use is poplar... seems a bit stinky, wouldn't like that smell as a flavor.



Basswood is really stinky as well. I was curious as I like to smoke meat and have always heard to stay away from using elm or wood that wasn't from a tree that bore fruit or nuts.


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## firefighterjake (Mar 9, 2014)

Never paid attention to the wood ... when it gets to the coal stage I've never noticed any smell coming off the coals unless I burn myself ... then it's just the smell of burnt hair.


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## Warm_in_NH (Mar 13, 2014)

Yet another culinary use for the stove. Habeneros were on sale. NO WAY I could eat them all before they go bad so I dehydrate them over the stove for a couple days, grind them up and use them in rubs or straight up.


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