This one has been stewing around my head for a bit. We picked up a flank steak and let it marinade it for a few hours. I split up the wood in thin pieces for a hot, clean fire. No pine or cedar as I don't want any popping embers in the pan. All this cast iron pan cooking talk got me thinking about it. A nice rolling fire, active flames across the top and out the door. That black beans with chile in the stoneware crock. The firebrick keeps the direct heat off it. I am not really in the know of cooking fajitas, so I did not have any diced tomatoes, green onions or anything to add to it. What I did learn is that this oven is capable of pan frying too. I cooked the onions and peppers for about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The steam and juices popping of the pan got sucked into the flames, creating an incredible carmelized onion smell. Towards the end of the vegetable cooking, I raised the pan with firebricks to get closer to the flames running across the top of the dome. There is little heat on the bottom oven bricks, as the air rushing in to feed the fire keeps it cooler. Raising it browned everything nicely. In went the meat. I loaded a few more splits and got the pan pretty hot. I really beat the snot out of the pan and it held like a champ. I raked some coal forward to heat the pan on the bottom. I think any other type of pan would have failed. I was really impressed with the cast. I would use the smooth bottom next time instead of the ridged bottom. Incredible sizzle action. Veggies and meat mixed together. Ready to go with a cold Sam Winter Lager. This meal was pretty involved to make. I had to really tend the fire to keep the flames active. The flames rising up and over the food really made a difference in cooking. All in all, it was a great experience in a different style of cooking.
