With the weather getting warmer, the sun shining every now and then and Daylight Savings Time just around the corner, one’s mind might be thinking about getting that black pot out and giving it a test. You’ve taken the pot out of the box, washed and dried it, and seasoned if necessary. You’ve been waiting for the weather to clear and now thoughts are turning to trying your hand at Dutch oven cooking. For your first cook, and every cook thereafter, to be successful there are a few items that you should have on hand. These items are listed into three categories: 1) must haves, 2) nice to haves, and 3) would be nice to haves.

First and foremost you need a place to cook. This could be a fire pit, a charcoal grill, or even the cement or brick deck of your patio. You will also need a device or place to ignite your charcoal. A charcoal chimney is a very inexpensive piece of equipment and well worth the investment. Other essential equipment includes a protective oven mitt – to safely handle your pot while it’s hot; a pair of tongs – to move coals around while cooking; a tool to lift the lid – to check on dinner while cooking; and a long handled spoon or two for stirring while cooking. These basics will go a long way to adding to your cooking pleasure.

In the nice to have category you can begin to add to your tools and accessories. These items can include a lid stand –to rest your hot oven lid on while stirring; a tri-pod stand – to hang your oven on over an open camp fire; and a metal cooking table –which allows you to cook without bending over. Many tables provide a wind screen which is nice to have when the wind is blowing.

Once you have accumulated the must haves and the nice to have group there is always something that would be nice to have as you learn to cook and gain experience with your black pot. Generally these items include: more pots of varying sizes, fancier cooking tables, utensils and tools, and special travel cases to pack and carry your cast iron when traveling to your next culinary adventure. Your imagination can be your limit.

I would add a few special notes to the above. You don’t need to head over to the local Dutch Ovens R Us and stock up on all the gear you can load into your vehicle. For the basics, any old oven mitt without holes will work just fine. A lid lifter can be as simple as channel lock pliers or the Leatherman® tool on your belt. Your cooking place could be as simple as placing your charcoal briquettes on a cement surface or some strategically placed garden bricks. Heck, if you really get down to it, you can put your Dutch oven into your kitchen oven and skip the charcoal or wood altogether. The real bottom line is that you don’t have to invest a ton of money in order to begin to enjoy the many traditional and trail tested recipes that helped to win the west.