465403 Sat Dec 01 09:27:37 -0800 2007 8 31 Home Cooking 0 3170557 I wanted to use burning coals on top of a dutch oven. My question is: when I'm done cooking, and need to remove the coals, where do I put them? How do I extinguish them? Thanks! Sat Dec 01 09:27:37 -0800 2007 103783 paperbagprincess 1 3170561 I'd dump them in a hibachi or small kettle grill and cover 'em up. Sat Dec 01 09:32:01 -0800 2007 3170557 54293 LordOfTheGrill 2 3170617 Thanks! And they'd just eventually go out on their own, so long as they're covered well? Sat Dec 01 09:57:43 -0800 2007 3170561 103783 paperbagprincess 3 3170989 Fuel plus oxygen plus heat equals fire. Cover them up and they use up their oxygen supply in fairly short order. Sat Dec 01 13:32:26 -0800 2007 3170617 10996 JK Grence the Cosmic Jester 4 3171155 In my experience, the amount of a briquette that remains after half an hour of baking isn't enough to be worth keeping. For longer DO use you may need to add fresh lit briquettes. It helps to have a grill or chimmy starter to provide a source of hot coals. If you have ever watched a chuck wagon cookoff (e.g. Food Network Ruidoso NM one), you'll notice that the first step is to dig a fire pit. Wood is burned here, and provides a continuous source of loose coals, which are placed under and over the DO with a shovel. Some put holes in the shovel so it only picks up the larger coals. Most just set the bottom layer of coals on a bare patch of ground, and DO over that. DO stores also sell steel tables. With my small DOs, I place the coals in a metal pie plate, or disposable aluminum roasting pan, setting that on a surface that can stand the heat (cement patio floor, bare ground, or an improvised table steel table. The grate of the webber would also work. paulj Sat Dec 01 14:46:15 -0800 2007 3170989 12139 paulj 1 3170743 Are you trying to reserve the unburned part for later use? I don't. I just put them some place where they can burn themselves out. This applies both to the coals used on top of the oven, and the ones underneath. At a campsite I usually dump the coals in the fire ring. At home I either put them back in the charcoal starter chimney, or leave them in the pan that was under the DO from the start. But once I've set the lid on its stand, there's no harm in leaving the coals there till they burn out. By the way, I generally move coals (briquet's) one at a time using cheap metal cooking tongs. paulj Sat Dec 01 11:19:16 -0800 2007 3170557 12139 paulj 2 3170761 Thanks, this is helpful. I've never used coals and a DO before, and I'd like to try to make bread in one. I was just trying to imagine how I could lift the lid off, with the coals, and take the bread out. Sat Dec 01 11:27:22 -0800 2007 3170743 103783 paperbagprincess 3 3170905 I'd suggest experimenting with biscuits before moving on to a yeast bread. Am I correct in assuming you have DO with legs (or stand), and the lid is relatively flat with a handle and lip (to retain the coals)? For baking you need the right number of coals below and on the lid. DO books have rules of thumb based on the size of the DO. I have a small one (2 and 3 qt) so usually light 18-20 briquets, and put 5-6 on the bottom and arrange the rest on top. You need a good place to set the hot lid, and you need something to safely lift the lid. There are hooks for the purpose, though I use locking pliers. I remove the lid with the coals and ash still in place. Keeping the ash out of the pot is the trickiest part of this step. That's why you need a hook or pliers that keeps the lid steady - no tipping. A small brush (heat resistant) may be used to keep ash away from the lid edge. I also wear heavy duty leather gloves (long sleeve welder's). I don't try to remove coals and ash from the lid until after I'm done cooking, and have set the lid on its stand. At that point I can either used the tongs to remove individual coals, or tip the lid to dump the contents. paulj Sat Dec 01 12:47:45 -0800 2007 3170761 12139 paulj 4 3171161 Thanks so much. That was incredibly helpful for a first-timer! Sat Dec 01 14:50:21 -0800 2007 3170905 103783 paperbagprincess