Serves: 5

To any person who owns and uses BIG Dutch ovens seasoning such large and heavy pots and pans can be a problem since these massive pieces of iron will not fit into home ovens and most do not have access to a large commercial oven to season BIG cast iron in. With help from “Biscuit T. Sims” Here are instructions on building such an oven, using a 55 gallon steel drum and a single burner stove for the heat source.

The first thing you need to do is find a 55 gallon steel drum with both ends attached. Next, draw a line around the center of the drum between the 2 “ribs” or draw the line 6” toward the center from one of the ribs and carefully cut the barrel in half using a sawzall. Be sure to fill the barrel with water to keep the vapors from igniting and causing an explosion.

*NOTE: I am not responsible for accidents or explosions in construction or use. I am only providing this as information only and how I built my seasoning oven. After the barrel is cut in two, file or grind the cut edges smooth to avoid sharp edges from cutting yourself. Take the deeper of 2 halves and set it aside. With the shorter half, drill 20 to 30, ½” diameter holes evenly spaced into the end (top or bottom). Next, cut a 1 ½“ notch, 3” deep into the side and file smooth. This notch is for the propane hose and valve to fit through the barrel. My barrel sets on a small cement slab, topped with fire brick and 4 stacks of fire brick, 2 bricks tall to set the bottom barrel on, my bricks are 1” thick, raising the bottom barrel 2” for air space for the propane stove to stay lit. Drill 3 or 4 holes ¼” in diameter, evenly around the circumference of the barrel right at the “top” end and place a 1 ½” long bolt with a nut into the hole with the head inside the barrel and the stem of the bolt facing out and tighten the nut to hold the bolt into place. These help hold the top half of the barrel on the bottom half in case it is not put on evenly.

For the top half, Drill some handle holes on 2 sides of the top, two thirds of the way to the top for handles to lift the barrel lid safely. Either on the top of the lid or in the sides away from each handle, drill 3 or 4 holes ¾“ diameter, about 1” from one another and cover with sheet aluminum or steel and mark the holes, then drill the holes through the aluminum or steel to create a vent for temperature control. Fasten the sheet steel or aluminum with one or two small bolts to open and close the vent easily.

Now that your oven is built, you need to fire it up and heat it to about 550° F. one or two times to “season” the oven. Now your oven is ready to use once you place the stove into the bottom half. Keep a good BBQ thermometer inside the lid and attach half way up with a short sensor so you can easily read the internal temperature. If the stove will not stay lit you need to create more air space by adding fire brick to the bottom or cutting 1 or more air intake holes near the open bottom to let in more air. My stove heats to 550° in 15 minutes on high and once the oven gets hot I turn the heat to medium to keep the temperature steady.

More Recipes from the Cast Iron "Covered Wagon" Cookin Cooking for Crowds in BIG Ovens Cookbook:
Seasoning
Cleaning
Rust Removal and Stripping Rancid Seasoning
Storing
Temperature
Tools
Building a Seasoning Oven for BIG Dutch Ovens