Ash Can Dinner

[Mitch Newton]

I cleaned out some ashes last night and put in the ash can. Then wrapped up some hamburger, potatoes, carrots, onions, onion soup mix in foil and placed in the ash can and covered with more hot coals. Poured a dink of Old Grand Dad and watched the fire get stoked back up. One hour and dinner was served. Tasty and the wife was happy she didn't have to cook.

Anybody else doing some cooking on the stove, in the stove, or in the ash can? If so, please provide the details. (And recipes)

 

[jeromehdmc]

I've never heard of ash can cooking before, good use of what would be wasted heat.
Here I've been just dumping them in the gravel, now I can make dinner.

 

[ridemgis]

You're doing this outside right?

 

[Machria]

After watching the Moonshine show the other night on TV, I'm thinking of making a Stil out of my stove!!

 

[mattjm1017]

I havent tried it yet but I read somewhere that I can cook inside the cat chamber of my Fireview not sure how true that is but if anyone knows let me know.

 

[nellraq]

You're doing this outside right?

Sure hope he is!!...otherwise it's a "recipe" for disaster. the invisible CO2 will be permeating the living space.

 

[Gabby12]

True story.
We have an older friend that had a fire in his mobile home fire place one night.
The next morning he was cleaning out ashes and put them in a paper grocery bag and set them on the attached finished porch.
In a little while the bag caught on fire and burned down the trailer.

No need to comment on his mistake - lesson learned the hard way.
Everything gone in fire - but no injury to human.

 

[Mitch Newton]

Sure hope he is!!...otherwise it's a "recipe" for disaster. the invisible CO2 will be permeating the living space.

The hot coals and the wrapped foil dinners are placed in the ash can with a tight lid right next to the stove in the basement. The Co2 alarms have never gone off. I hope the ash can is keeping the Co2 contained. As this is the way I've stored my hot ashes all along.

What about Dutch ovens on the stove top? Anybody cooking that way?

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Sure hope he is!!...otherwise it's a "recipe" for disaster. the invisible CO2 will be permeating the living space.

Worry about CO, not CO2 (one oxygen= monoxide, two oxygens = dioxide). A can with lid will not contain it- it's a gas.

sorry, it's the chemist in me. can't help it.

 

[firefighterjake]

Worry about CO, not CO2 (one oxygen= monoxide, two oxygens = dioxide). A can with lid will not contain it- it's a gas.

sorry, it's the chemist in me. can't help it.

You're a good man Adios . . . the firefighter in me was biting my tongue on that one . . .

CO = carbon monoxide = bad . . . puts little Xs in your eyes.

CO2 = carbon dioxide = good . . . makes the beer fizzy and in an extinguisher can quickly chill the beer.

 

[Mitch Newton]

Worry about CO, not CO2 (one oxygen= monoxide, two oxygens = dioxide). A can with lid will not contain it- it's a gas.

sorry, it's the chemist in me. can't help it.

Thanks for that info. It's easy enough to move the ash can outside.

 

[Hearth Mistress]

My woodstove is cast iron pieces over the steel stove so when I want to cook on the top, like during Hurricane Sandy, I've gotta get her crankin'. That said, i have made baked beans, from scratch, soup, etc on my stove top either in a enameled cast iron pot or my good ol' stainless steel stock pots. Since my stove top surface temp barely reaches 300 degrees, its just like crockpot cooking, just a little faster.

As far as inside, baked potatoes, white or sweet. I learned to double wrap them though so I don't get ash all over them unwrapping. Baked potatoes, rubbed with veg oil and rolled in kosher salt are my favorite, that salty crust gets smoky, so good. On a good bed of coals, only about 30 mins, turning them once for even cooking.

When I scoop my ashes they are dead, rarely do I have coals but ash can cookin' is RIGHT up my alley! I may have to purposely put some coals in there to try it out! I see a great but weird cookbook here, or at the very least a new thread to swap recipes!

 

[Machria]

If you really want to cook on top of the stove, you need a stove like the Progress Hybrid with a cooktop built in to it!

Ash-can cooking? You guys go nothing on this!! Cook a meal on your commute home from work!!
http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Food-on-Your-Car's-Engine

.

 

[Hearth Mistress]

I always thought cooking on an engine was an urban legend! If i really want to cook on my stovetop, i slide the pretty enamel cast iron off the top and put the pot right on the steel top - fry an egg in a minute that way! We got our stove from a friend that was moving to FL and didn't want to take it. Best $500 I ever spent and the majolica brown color is just beautiful. Knowing what I know now though, i would get something with a bigger firebox. Granted, we are only heating about 900 sq ft but logs over 15" are too big and if I get coals in the morning - after 7hrs or so, its a miracle if I can re-light without a match.

 

[raybonz]

I always thought cooking on an engine was an urban legend! If i really want to cook on my stovetop, i slide the pretty enamel cast iron off the top and put the pot right on the steel top - fry an egg in a minute that way! We got our stove from a friend that was moving to FL and didn't want to take it. Best $500 I ever spent and the majolica brown color is just beautiful. Knowing what I know now though, i would get something with a bigger firebox. Granted, we are only heating about 900 sq ft but logs over 15" are too big and if I get coals in the morning - after 7hrs or so, its a miracle if I can re-light without a match.

You got a great deal on that stove! You could sell it for more than you paid for it and go bigger if needed but that's a small home for a large stove and you may get cooked out..

Ray

 

[Pallet Pete]

If you really want to cook on top of the stove, you need a stove like the Progress Hybrid with a cooktop built in to it!

Ash-can cooking? You guys go nothing on this!! Cook a meal on your commute home from work!!
http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Food-on-Your-Car's-Engine

.

We cooked on the motor all the time in the military cheap and real fast food lol It works great when your in the middle of a combat zone and the nearest McDonald's is 600 miles away !

Pete

 

[raybonz]

We cooked on the motor all the time in the military cheap and real fast food lol It works great when your in the middle of a combat zone and the nearest McDonald's is 600 miles away !

Pete

Mythbusters cooked an entire turkey dinner in a Cadillac and it came out awesome.. Of course it was scientifically accomplished and Alton Brown was the chef..

Ray

 

[Hearth Mistress]

If I even SUGGEST a bigger stove, it may get me divorced even with a fan kit, it is 78 at the coldest ever in my living room where the stove is but its usually over 80 without even trying. A bigger stove would be nice but it would get really really hot, even for me, who is always cold (typical woman).

 

[raybonz]

Burning large splits will slow the heat output substantially. I have to be careful as the T5 can cook me out of this 1600 sq. ft. home.. Small fires when temps are moderate and full loads with biggest splits and minimum air once the secondaries are lit.. Last night got down to 26 here and I filled the stove at 8PM, 8 hrs., later when I got up it was over 70 throughout the house and the stove was loaded with large coals and could have gone around 4 more hrs. so I placed a 1/2 load in the stove and headed to work. Leaving the blower off does reduce the heat somewhat but the blower helps when it gets real cold..

Ray

 

[firefighterjake]

If you really want to cook on top of the stove, you need a stove like the Progress Hybrid with a cooktop built in to it!

Ash-can cooking? You guys go nothing on this!! Cook a meal on your commute home from work!!
http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Food-on-Your-Car's-Engine

.

My sister bought me a muff pot for my snowmobile . . . I still cannot bring myself to install it though on my snowmobile . . . besides I tend to like to eat out while sledding.

(broken link removed to http://www.ebay.com/itm/Snowmobile-Muff-Pot-Food-Warmer-Muffpot-/330841029457?hash=item4d07a97b51&item=330841029457&pt=Snowmobile_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr)

 

[Jack Straw]

For years my parents have cooked potatoes in their wood stove.

 

[Pallet Pete]

If I even SUGGEST a bigger stove, it may get me divorced even with a fan kit, it is 78 at the coldest ever in my living room where the stove is but its usually over 80 without even trying. A bigger stove would be nice but it would get really really hot, even for me, who is always cold (typical woman).

My wife loves the heat she could have it 90f and be happy with a heat blanket to boot ! I on the other hand 70-75f and I am happy as can be. We love to cook on the cook top and man you can really make killer stew in the dutch oven as well !

Pete