Ep 78 - Camp Ovens with Kingbrown & Mick Viller
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- čas přidán 2. 07. 2024
- For links to everything mentioned in this episode, check out our show notes:
www.snowys.com.au/blog/podcas...
In this episode, our outdoor experts Ben and Lauren are joined by Mick Viller 'the Camp Oven Cook' and Ron 'Kingbrown' Wilson at this year's Australian Camp Oven Festival, to discuss fridges.
...Kidding.
From material and make to size and shape, tune in for the origin of the camp oven, and the best practice for cleaning and care - plus, Mick and Ron's classic camp oven collection, campsite recipes, and the backstory of their craft.
00:00 - Intro
00:35 - Introducing Mick Viller and Ron from Kingbrown
01:43 - Kingbrown’s Beginnings
04:12 - Ron’s Food Journey
07:25 - Kingbrown Camp Oven Kitchen
09:47 - Mick the Cast Iron Cook
11:45 - The Fisherman’s Championship
12:25 - Mick’s Backstory
14:33 - Dutch Oven Vs Camp Oven
15:13 - Cast Iron, Cast Aluminium, and Spun Steel
19:31 - Spun Steel Camp Ovens
20:36 - Cast Iron and Cast Aluminium Camp Ovens
23:24 - Suggested Sizes
25:28 - Ron and Mick on Camp Oven Collecting
29:37 - Ron’s Favourite Camp Oven
32:36 - The Origin of Camp Oven Legs
36:13 - Camp Oven Quality
40:24 - Cleaning Methods and Identifying Markings
42:36 - Mick Vs Ron: Camp Oven Care
48:02 - Mick and Ron’s Favourite Camp Oven Recipes
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What a great info video, i am a great fan of Ron, my heart goes out to him for what he went through in the Lismore floods
Thanks Peter, we had a great time chatting with him
~ Lauren
That was a journey!!! I seriously didn’t expect that to be as interesting as it was! Brilliant episode. Thanks to all of you. 😊
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Coralie. ~ Ben
Definitely a worthy journey
@@TheCampOvenCook Absolutely!
Fantastic presentation. Very informative for a newbie like me.
Glad you loved it!
~ Lauren
2:15 I had Jack Absalom's camp oven cookbook years ago! I had a few of his books, and was riveted to his TV specials as a kid. Anyone who has a desire to go bush or to learn how to 'bush cook' should search for Jack's videos. He was a true bushie.
I've got his cookbook in the back of my car alongside the Cast Iron Boys cookbook, I really need to cook more of the recipes though. ~ Ben
That was awesome 👏
Glad you enjoyed the ep. ~ Ben
Thanks, Ben and Lauren for hosting this. I learned a lot and had some of my camp oven cleaning and seasoning practices confirmed as being good ways to clean, as well as myriad other lessons. Now I'm off to learn how to control the heat in my oven so I can bake stuff properly.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Brad. ~ Ben
Amazing interview,
I hope everyone including myself learnt a lot about camp ovens
Well Done
cheers guys 🍻
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Peter. ~ Ben
Brilliant video guys!
Thanks, Chris. ~ Ben
Thanks Chris
I cook on spun steel with coals regularly…. It really takes some practice to manage heat.. but for me, it is a weight issue
Still going to cook your dinner in it
The weight issue is big for me too, rastas000. I like my cast iron camp oven, but was going to move to spun steel to save weight. But, cast aluminium looks like a good alternative. ~ Ben
Very interesting podcast! I have 2 old camp ovens myself, small ones!
Do you reckon they are valuable, M. Hardman? ~ Ben
The 140KG camp oven brought back a memory of 'Beef Week' in Rockhampton in the 90s.
I don't know who was the cook or who was involved but a 'Camp Oven' meal was part of a package ticket or something. They had three huge camp ovens cooking multiple chunks of corned beef, as well as half a dozen or so big ovens, much bigger than the average camp oven, for the vegies. I'd never seen giant camp ovens before that.
There were big ovens cooking up savoury mince for breakfast at the festival, they used saucepans to scoop out the mince! ~ Ben
This was a fantastic interview! I discovered Kingbrown a couple months ago and have been hooked since. He struck me as being the Australia's Kent Rollins. Or is Kent Rollins Americas Kingbrown?
I hadn't heard of Kent Rollins, but he and Kingbrown look to be from the same pedigree. ~ Ben
19:00 There is also a keen market in old cast iron pans. I have a few, but my 24" pan that I will probably never use, is my prized possession. It dates back to the late 60s/early 70s if my memory serves me correctly. I traded it for a cheap, smaller pan and some small cast iron pots that I had. One day I'll be out in the bush and come across some people that look like they need a big feed of bacon and eggs and I'll put it to use :o).
I'll line up for your big feed of bacon and eggs, Brad! ~ Ben
I’ve had a cast iron for over 20years. 4 and a 9.
If you look after them they will last many lifetimes. ~ Ben
What a great chat… you guys are going to cost me some money!
Haha, at least you'll be getting it at the best prices if you buy through Snowys, Ross. ~ Ben
"When Google wants to know about camp ovens, Google asks me". Subbed. That was (as the US folk call it) a 'flex'. I am adept at using a camp oven but will learn a lot from these guys. My dampers always end up underdone inside, even if the crust is perfect.
Haha, I'm often the other way around, burnt on the bottom but nice and fluffy on the inside. ~ Ben
41:15 Wow! I never knew molasses would work like that. I just checked its PH value and it would be a very gentle way of removing rust compared to my method of white vinegar.
Yeah, Mick has info here on cleaning up an old camp oven with molasses, looks like a good way to do it - www.thecampovencook.com.au/docs/how-to-restore-a-camp-oven-with-molasses/. ~ Ben
Most of your rust removers like Evaporust use some plant based sugar to eat the rust. If you have a farm or ranch feed supply store near you they sell an agriculture molassis that people swear is better. I made a 55 gal barrel of the stuff for cleaning old tools and auto parts one summer. The biggest problem is it starts to mold fairly quick in the heat.
On the subject of the metals used (in an almost sciency way), spun steel doesn't conduct heat well. The heat doesn't spread far from the source. However, cast aluminium and cast iron conduct heat very well. The difference between aluminium and the cast iron is aluminium will conduct (dissipate?) that heat to the air faster than cast iron, so it's easier to control heat in a cast aluminium oven. Cast aluminium will evenly heat a lot faster than cast iron as well, but will release that heat faster.
Thanks for these insights, Brad, I've never cooked in cast aluminium but it sounds like a good option for camp ovens, especially given it is so much lighter than cast iron. ~ Ben
Ineteresting discussion, although the idea the US doesn't have camp ovens is short sighted. I believe if you look at Lodges home page you will see them forsale. As far as I know they have been in use in the US since Abraham Darby patent them although possibly sooner since New York was a Dutch colony originally. Certainly the old diaries that have been reprinted show them in use and more than likely when reading about Daniel Boone's group making salt at the salt lick they were using it. Most hunting and fish camps used them and really large ones are used in traditional fish boils. You will see really huge cast iron kettles in rural areas as planters, they were for scalding hogs when butchered. As far as I know the Asian import started here about the same time. I am told they are not as careful about the other ingredients in the cast. My experience with them is they are very porous which I have to say many even made here are. I spend a lot of time sanding the inside when cleaning them before seasoning them. The old ones were more refined in their design and finish.
Its been a while since we did this podcast, so I may not be recalling correctly - I thought this discussion was about the different names used. eg. US calls them Dutch Ovens, so if you went looking for a 'Camp Oven' in the US specifically you wouldn't find any because they wouldn't know what you were talking about.
I'll check back over it though.
~ Lauren
@@SnowysOutdoors I was born and raised here, quite a bit before you all and yeah we had and have camp ovens. That's what they used on those cattle drives you might have heard about and those going west on wagon trains. My parents and grandparents used them. They came out during summer family gatherings or if the power went out and meals needed to be prepared. It's as regular as much old time farm work that since internet everyone thinks they discovering something new.
Ooops. Just realised how many comments I made whilst watching. I talk too much...but I think I know why I do it. It's like having a 'realtime' conversation with you all as I watch. I need to get out more...
HAHA 🤣
All good, Brad, it's good to know the content is engaging. ~ Ben