This page is copied and used with permission of Sun Ovens International
Copyright 1997, 1998, 1999
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We find the Sun Oven to be very forgiving. You will find you can cook at a higher temperature with less time or a lower temperature with more time. The meat cooked is more moist and flavorful than with a conventional oven.* For dry camping in our motor home, this oven is a must. When we are not using the oven for other things, but wish to keep it available, we place a black tea kettle of water inside which also provides us with extra hot water. All dishes should be dark, so the suns rays will be better absorbed, and should be used with the cover on unless otherwise stated. * Mfr.s note: meats must be cooked at temperatures above 250º to prevent bacterial overgrowth.
PORK SPARERIBS
1 rack ribs
1 onion, chopped
Sauté onion in small amount of oil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Boil ribs in water for 15 minutes. Place ribs in a dark baking pan and cover with
half the sauce. Use balance of sauce to brush on during cooking. Cook in preheated 325º oven for 2 hours. BEAN SOUP 2 cups mixed beans
Preheat Sun Oven. Place ingredients in pot and cover to within 1 inch of top with soup stock or 3 cubes of beef bouillon in water. When done, add ½ lemon or 2 tablespoons vinegar. Cook at 300º for 4 hours. ORIENTAL MEATBALLS
This dish is as colorful as it is tasty. It can be prepared ahead of time and reheated before serving. Although it looks complicated, the three stages are easily accomplished and well worth the effort. MEATBALLS: 1 pound ground beef
Mix ingredients by hand or with your cuisineart. Form into small balls. Spray pan with Pam and arrange meatballs. Cook in preheated Sun Oven at 325º for 50 minutes or until done. SAUCE: 1 cup juice from a 17-oz. can of chunk pineapple (reserve fruit)
Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Set aside. Arrange the following over meatballs: 1 green pepper, cut in one-inch pieces, slightly
blanched.
Pour sauce over all and pop into your Sun Oven to reheat for about one hour before serving. Serve over hot rice. (Turn lid upside down and cook a small pot of rice on top of the dinner. Rice should be done in one hour when dinner is ready to serve.)
1½ pounds ground beef
Preheat Sun Oven. Combine ingredients.
Bake in loaf pan at 325º for 1½ hours.
PORK LOIN ROAST 2 pound pork loin roast
Rub meat with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides in an iron pot on top of stove. Place in preheated Sun Oven and cook at 325-340º until thermometer shows 170-180º internal temperature (about 2½ hours).
ROAST CHICKEN Roasting chicken
Rub chicken with margarine, salt and pepper. Cook in covered baking dish, using basting syringe to baste occasionally with pan drippings. When meat thermometer reads 180º chicken is done (about 4 hours).
BEST EVER PORK AND BEANS We usually double this recipe. 1 can Campbells pork and beans
Bake in preheated Sun Oven at 325-340º for about one hour. Leave in oven at 200º until dinner is served. These are really delicious and go well with any of the meat dishes.
CHEESY POTATO CASSEROLE ¼ cup butter
Melt butter in small pan. Sauté onion until translucent. In a bowl, stir together sour cream, chicken soup and onions. Mix well. Add potatoes, salt, pepper and cheese. Stir until all ingredients are well blended. Pour into ungreased dark-colored casserole dish. Sprinkle potato chips on top. Cook for 2 hours in preheated 300-325º oven.
FLANK STEAK Place flank steak in marinade: ¼ cup soy sauce
Marinate steak in refrigerator for three hours. Roll flank steak and skewer or tie with string. Insert thermometer in meat and cook in preheated 325º Sun Oven until desired temperature is reached. (We cook this to the rare stage on the thermometer.)
RUMP ROAST 3 pound rump roast
Sear meat on all sides on top of stove. Insert cloves of garlic in cuts made in the roast. Cook in preheated 325º Sun Oven until desired temperature is reached on meat thermometer (about 3 hours). Add onions, potatoes, carrots and turnip. Add beef bouillon for gravy. Cook another 3 hours at about 250º until carrots are done. Thicken the juices with a little cornstarch dissolved in cold water. Dinner should be ready to serve!
BANANA BREAD 2 cups flour
Mix all ingredients well. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake in preheated Sun Oven at 325º for 1 ½ hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
HOME BAKED BREAD 3 cups bread flour
We use a bread machine to do all the work. Just before it starts to bake, remove the dough to a greased loaf pan and place in the microwave oven with 2 cups of hot water. Dough should double in size in about 35 minutes. Remove to your 325º Sun Oven and bake for approx. 45 minutes. For a better crust, brush loaf
top with salt water 5 minutes before done. Test for doneness by tapping the loaf; if it sounds hollow, the bread is done.
CORN BREAD 1 package Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
Mix first three ingredients with enough buttermilk
to get the right consistency. Bake in preheated Sun Oven at 325º
for approx. 70 minutes or until done.
5 slices bacon
For this recipe, we use our 4-quart cast iron pot. Place bacon slices in pot and cook at 325º. When bacon is done, remove and sauté onions in bacon drippings until tender. Add meat, stir and cook until gray in color. Chop bacon into small pieces and return to mixture; add remaining ingredients. Simmer about 40 minutes until flavors are well blended. PORK CHOPS 2 fairly thick pork chops
Coat chops with flour, salt and pepper. Sear on both sides. Place in a dark pan, uncovered, and bake in preheated 360º Sun Oven. The temperature may drop to 325-350º. Remove from oven and cover with gravy; return to oven for about 45 minutes. Best pork chops ever! Great served with rice (see below).
RICE 1 cup brown rice
Place ingredients in 1-quart dark pot with lid in 250-275º Sun Oven for 1 hour.
SUN DRIED TOMATOES Slice tomatoes as thin as possible. Place in wax-paper lined pan in Sun Oven with door open. We use the roma tomato because the color is better when dried and it tastes better. Turn tomatoes over a few times to keep them from sticking. On a clear, sunny day, it will take 5-6 hours for them to be completely dried.
Our first try was very successful! If you have ever purchased sun dried tomatoes, you will really appreciate this use of your Sun Oven. You can use a wire rack to do two batches at a time, one on top of the other. We remove the insert when drying.
General Tips EXAMPLES OF COOKING TIMES & TEMPERATURES Bowl of soup: 45 minutes @ 320º
All cooking times are approximate! Clouds: We dont worry too much about clouds; if we have to, we move indoors and finish the meal. The exception is baked goods such as bread. We wait until we are sure of enough time to complete the baking before using the Sun Oven. When you become comfortable with your Sun Oven, you will have as much fun as we did. We are purists, and did all the cooking in the Sun Oven. You can shorten preparation time by sautéing the onions and frying the bacon on your stove, but who wants to do that? Charlie doesnt!
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This page is copied and used with permission of Sun Ovens International
Copyright 1997, 1998, 1999