Lodge 8qt. Camp Oven

I'm an experienced cook, but I'm new to camp dutch oven cooking. I just started this summer(2010). I got my first camp dutch oven on Father's Day. I cook out in my backyard. Dutch oven cooking seems fairly simple and straight forward to me. I've tried about four dishes so far and they all have turned out great. 1000's of recipes on the net. The more you use your dutch oven, the more you learn how many coals to place on the top and bottom, to regulate the desired temperature. I would not own any other brand of dutch oven but Lodge. Lodge is the best and worth it's slightly higher price, over the China imports. Lodge camp dutch ovens are Made in the U.S.A. Think of it as a life long investment. The Lodge dutch ovens will not let you down. If things go bad, it the cook's fault, not the Lodge dutch oven's. I bought the 14" diameter size for cooking dishes for larger gatherings, and for cooking larger roasting chickens that I butterfly to fit the 3 3/4" height of the dutch oven. If your just starting out, the 12" Diameter, 5" Deep, 8 quart is the first size to get. Most dutch oven recipes are for the 12" size dutch ovens. But, because it's so fun, you may end up with 4 or 5 different sizes in a short amount of time. Get a Lodge dutch oven and just start cooking. Impress your friends and family, it's a blast!