Cooking a roast in the camp oven is an essential part of winter bush cooking! And it always tastes better roasting away on hot coals. It is one of those iconic camping experiences we are so lucky to enjoy in Australia.
For some of us the idea of cooking a roast in the camp oven on a fire is a little daunting, but let me show you a simple method to guarantee you have a perfect roast every time!
What you will need
Ingredients:
- 1 Leg of Lamb (approx 1 – 1.5kg to feed 4)
- 2 X Large Potatoes
- 4 X Carrots
- 2 X Large Onions
- 1 X Half Pumpkin
- 2 X Tablespoons of flour
Tools of the trade:
- Camp oven (Large 9Q cast iron, 12 inch Bedourie or 12.5ltr steel)
- Long handle shovel
- Long leather gloves
- A Big kitchen Knife
- Long tongs
Get the fire going
You will need a good amount of coals to cook the damper in so make sure you have a decent fire going.
Method:
Ready to go.
1. Prepare your Camp Oven
- Scatter a shovel load of coals on the ground next to your fire and place the oven on top with the lid on to preheat.
2. Prepare your food
- Take a completely defrosted leg of lamb out of its plastic wrapper and rub with a good coating of cooking oil.
- Season with a generous amount of salt, pepper and herbs (Italian herbs or thyme works a treat).
- Chop up your veggies into bite-sized chunks.
3. Cooking Time
- A good rule to follow is 1 hour per Kg of roast + an extra 30mins for veggies.
- Now your oven should be preheated – it’s time to start cooking.
- Add a little oil to the oven and place the roast in the centre, a trivet is handy but not essential.
- Put the lid on and add a shovel load of coals on top.
- Relax with a cold beverage.
4. Check your Roast
- After 30 – 45 mins open the oven and check the roast, it should be a grey colour as it is starting to cook through.
- At this point add your veggies.
- Put a shovel load of fresh coals on the lid but no more underneath.
- Have another drink while the sun sets.
5. Check it again
- After another 30 – 45 mins check the roast and the veggies, place a sharp knife into the veggies to see if they are cooked and cut a deep slice into the middle of the roast to see if it has cooked through
- If it is not ready, add another load of coals and check every 15 mins until its cooked!
6. Make Gravy and enjoy!
- Serve up your gourmet camp oven roast.
- Mix 2 tables spoons of plain flour in ½ a cup of water,
- Add to the camp oven and mix with the juices from the roast to make a cracking gravy!
- Pour over your roast and enjoy!
Some camp ovens will cook differently to others depending on how big they are and what they are made of, so don’t be afraid to check your roast a little more regularly than what I have mentioned above. I guarantee once you’ve done it a couple of times you will be an expert.
With a cold beer in one hand, and a plate full of roast lamb and veggies on your lap, sitting around a glowing campfire, your bush camping experience will be just about complete!
Also check out Mick Villers camp oven roast pork recipe for juicy meat and crispy crackle every time.
Have you got any campfire cooking tips? How do you cook a roast in the camp oven? Leave us some comments so we can all become experts!
G’day! My name is Dave and there is nothing I enjoy more than getting out in the bush and enjoying the challenge and serenity of travelling around this beautiful country of ours.
After 6 years working as an Outdoor Ed Instructor, I’ve joined the team down at Snowys to help others get geared up and head to the outback!
As an enthusiastic photographer and freelance writer for 4WD Action magazine, I love to get out and capture God’s stunning creation and share it with the world.
After getting married at the end of 2010 and having our first child January 2012, I’m looking forward to seeing more of this beautiful country with my family.
I guess camp oven cooking is really popular in Australia! I have myself a wood-fired pizza oven at home, and got to tell you, using naturally fuelled oven gives the meal that extra flavour it needs to be perfect. I see that camp oven is as much mobile as an oven can ever be – that is a purchase that needs serious considering.