A Wok in the Woods

When it comes to campfire cooking the Dutch oven is generally considered the gold standard. It is almost indestructible, it is versatile, cooks evenly and it seems to just make good tasting food.  Yet the Dutch oven is just too heavy for me to justify in anything beyond car camping. So I set out to find something that would have many of the same traits as the Dutch oven but be a little more packable.

After some looking around it struck me that in some regards the Wok is the Dutch oven of the East. It can: fry, stir fry, deep fry, steam, smoke, etc. Traditionally they have the same burn oil finish that gives cast iron cooking its wonderful flavor, and depending on material they are fairly durable. Being a fan of Asian food anyway it seemed like a great excuse to try out a Wok but first I had to find one.
The finished Wok

Like frying pans Woks seem to come in all sorts of materials and coatings so finding a plain carbon steel  wok (I wanted carbon steel instead of cast iron one  or it would still be heavy like the Dutch oven).  I thought I might have to find a specialty store as everything I was seeing was aluminum and had nonstick coatings.  However after seeing a review about the coating coming off of one of the cheaper coated carbon steel woks it gave me an idea.

After the first round of Seasoning
I bought one of the cheep coated carbon steel woks and simply took off the coating with some sandpaper. After the sanding, a good wash and some seasoning I was left with a nice light weight wok ready for use. I have used several times at home now trying to figure out the best ways to cook with it and have so far been pleased with the results. With the onset of winter I think it will be a while till I jut a chance to field test it but will write an update when I do.  That being said with the lighter weight, removable handle and versatility I have high hopes.
The Wok with the handle off

The Wok handle

What  is your favorite camp cooking implement? 

 Update: I took the wok with me on the Bruce Trail and it worked out fairly well here are some pictures of it on that trip.

It is in the brown bag peeking out the top of my pack

Ready to start cooking
The finished meal

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