Kingsthorpe David wrote on Feb 18^th, 2012 at 12:38pm:

Change of plans - we are in flaming Griffith NSW for a few weeks yet.

The ACOF camp ovens made in Toowoomba look good.
Sizes 10", 12" & 14":

Derek wrote on Oct 6^th, 2012 at 12:29pm:

Yes they are selling them,  suggest anybody interested contacts ACOF via their website.

David

Masterchefs go bush for camp oven championships

ABC News  By Brigid Andersen  08 October 2012

Posted 20 minutes ago

Gallery: Millmerran Camp Oven Festival


Related Story: Damper flies at Camp Oven Cooking Championships


Map: Millmerran 4357
Camp oven cooking has fed ringers in outback stock camps and miners through the gold rush, and now there is an event to celebrate the bush kitchen favourite.

Every two years the tiny town of Millmerran, on Queensland's Darling Downs, plays host to the Australian Camp Oven Festival.

An estimated 7,000 people from all over the country turned out this year, proving how popular the event has become.

While the festival celebrates all things Australian - like damper throwing, billy boiling and bush poetry - the camp oven cook-off was the crowd favourite.

Around 20 teams competed, with beginners whipping up dishes like curry and corned meat, and the seasoned cooks producing chicken baked in bread and apple strudel with custard.

It was a test of endurance as the teams began cooking at 2pm on Saturday - around the same time the sun was at its fiercest out in the paddock at the Millmerran showgrounds.

Bags of onions, potatoes and carrots were chopped along with kilos of beef, lamb and chicken, all to be thrown in the pot with a few other secret ingredients.

Some used bottles of stout, unmeasurable quantities of red wine and secret herbs and spices to get the flavours working.

As the hours ticked on the temperature and the tension around the coals rose. The local fire brigade was on hand but was not needed in the end.

Photo: Haydn Counsell gets ready to serve the Hot Shins' chicken baked in bread. (ABC: Brigid Andersen)



There were a few spills and a few minor burns, but by the time the judges did their rounds each team had tables set with fine crystal, vases of native flowers and wine to woo the critics.

Once the pressure was off, the cooks were happy to share their tips and recipes with the ABC for creating the perfect meal on the coals.

Katy and Haydn Counsell were part of the Hot Shins team, made up of several families of lighthouse keepers that have been coming to the event since 2000.

They won the championships in 2008 but said it was all about having fun.

"The best part is at the end kicking off your boots, putting on thongs and having a beer," Mr Counsell said.



Chicken baked in bread dough by Haydn and Katy Counsell of Highfields

1 small free range chicken
Butter
Salt and pepper
Garlic
parsley
Sage
Oregano
Lemon
Prepare bread. Knead for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and rise in a warm place for one hour or until double in size. Knock back and roll out to a large plastic tray size. Place on oiled tray and cover under laundry basket in a warm place to rise for 40 minutes. In the meantime. Push herbed butter under the skin of the chicken. Cut lemon in half and place in cavity. When dough has risen place chicken in middle and wrap dough around. Cook in camp oven for one and a half hours. Test with skewer, juices will run clear when cooked. Serve with Honey carrots, hassle back potatoes, roast pumpkin, broccolini.



Most teams seemed to have the same idea as the temperature finally started to drop; sitting around the fire with plates piled high with stew and damper and the sounds of the band playing Slim Dusty drifting over the camp.

While the camp oven cooks may disagree on things like whether a sweet damper flavoured with berries and raisins beats a savoury one packed with garlic and cheese, all agreed on one thing - it's about getting the coals right.

Mr Counsell, who honed his camp oven skills working in stock camps in the Gulf Country, is the dedicated fire man for the Hot Shins team.

His wife Katy says she leaves it up to him to choose the timber to burn down to the right amount of coals and then, once the camp oven is on, he has to keep checking the heat.

"The secret to a good camp oven is good coals, having someone good to look after the fire," she said.



Corned silverside by Kym McClymont of Goondiwindi
serves 8-10
2kg silverside
1 stubby of beer (XXXX)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
10 cloves
2 star anise
2 bay leaves
10 pepper corns
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 large brown onions, peeled and halved
3 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3/4 cup brown sugar

Rinse corned meat under running water then pat dry. Place in a large camp oven Arrange all other ingredients around the meat and pour beer and vinegar over it. Top with water until the meat is submerged. Sit on top of pile of hot coals and you can place coals on the camp oven lid to bring to the boil faster. Once boiling rapidly reduce coals if necessary and let simmer with lid on. Cook for a further two hours. REMEMBER: save some of the broth for white sauce and keep left over meat in broth in fridge.


Terry "Flapper" Baillie and his wife Mary are lifetime camp oven cooks and they agree the secret is in the coals.

Mr Baillie says he grew up cooking camp ovens "on the riverbank" while camping with mates and he and his wife now even cater for weddings.

They ran camp oven cooking workshops all weekend for camp oven beginners, turning out dishes like hardups - a fruit biscuit, scones and savoury scrolls, and damper with camembert and Italian herbs.

Mrs Baillie says cooks need to "go steady" and have a good time.

"The main ingredient is a good sense of fun," she said.



White sauce for silverside by Kym McClymont
2tbs butter
3/4 cup flour
1 cup of milk (approximately)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tbs horseradish cream
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
Broth from silverside
Onions from silverside, finely chopped
Melt butter in pan, add flour and stir to form a roux. Gradually add milk and stir until thinkens. Add mustard and horseradish cream then gradually pour in some of the silverside broth. Add parsley and onions and season well with salt and pepper. Enjoy with corned silverside and vegetables.

Thanks David and reading the above advice I know SBB has always impressed me greatly with how he handles the fire side of camp oven cooking as well as the ingredients I have seen him use.