Lodge 5 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven Review

Today we are doing a review on our latest Lodge 5 quart cast iron Dutch oven with a bail handle.

We picked up a second one. So, we had loaned ours out a while back and never got it back. Not yet anyway. But we missed ours and wanted it back and that wasn’t happening anytime soon.

So we found a replacement Lodge cast iron Dutch oven on Amazon with free Prime shipping.

Bottom line, you need one and we’ll tell you why.

Lodge 5 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven Review

The Lodge 5 quart cast iron Dutch oven is a real workhorse piece of cookware. Actually, a Dutch oven could be your primary cooking vessel 24/7.

Not only exceling indoors on the stove or oven, this mainstay is equally at home outdoors on the grill, smoker, or fire pit. In fact, it multitasks as a roaster, deep fryer, simmering, or as a slow cooker. You name it, this can do it.

There are over 2000 Amazon customer reviews, averaging 4.8 out of 5 stars. We couldn’t agree more and we rate ours at 6 or more out of 5 stars.

Check out the latest pricing and Lodge cast iron Dutch oven customer reviews here.

A good Dutch oven is ideal for making one-pot meals, braising meats, making soups, stews, and sauces, and chili, indoors or out. So don’t hesitate picking up this jack of all trades, there really is no better do-it-all pot around.

Product Quality and Features

Like all other Lodge cast iron cookware, this 5 quart cast iron Dutch oven is pre-seasoned and ready for action right out of the box.

Looking over the new out-of-the-box, Lodge L8D03 cast iron Dutch oven, we see it has the typical Lodge pebbly surface finish. Not quite baby-butt smooth, yet not overly rough, so no surprises here. It’s just like every other Lodge cast iron piece we own.

We really like the heat-resistant bail handle. It’s a comfortable grip and makes it a breeze to transport. It’s carry has a comforting feel that gives you a take care of me and I’ll take care of you assurance.

Both the lid and the oven mate perfectly. Actually, if you are thinking about buying other Lodge pieces, the lid will fit the Lodge L8SK3 skillet or the L8GPL grill pan. The lid also features 37 evenly spaced self-basting tips to recirculate moisture as your food cooks.

There is no cheapness about this piece. It radiates durability and heritage, a reminder of those who came before and relied on these cast iron pieces to feed families.

The versatile cast iron Dutch oven makes a great starter piece. It’s actually the original multi-cooking Instant Pot version 1.0.

Bottom line – it’s great cookware that makes great food.

Any Downside

So this Lodge 5 quart Dutch oven does have some weight, it’s close to 13 pounds. However, some folks may not like that? However, some folks may not like that? But it is a durable cast iron workhorse cookware.

The cast iron does gets hot, so that is no secret, but some Amazon reviewers seemed surprised? Just make sure it’s cool enough to handle and you have your heavy leather gloves, a good oven mitt, or some barbecue towels.

Also, make sure you do your cast iron cookware homework! Learn how to cook in it, learn how to clean it, and learn about seasoning and maintenance. But you know all about that.

Take care of it and it won’t let you down. You’ll see there really are no downsides to this cast iron Dutch oven. Other than lending it out and not getting it back.

My Lodge L8D03 Cast Iron Dutch Oven Specifications

These are my out of the box specifications for this Lodge cast iron Dutch oven.

Bail handle to handle width: 11 5/8 inches
Edge to edge width: 11 inches
Height of oven, without the lid: 4 3/4 inches
Dutch oven height with lid on and bail handle folded down: 7 1/2 inches
Dutch oven height with bail handle up: 12 1/2 inches
Oven weight: 8 pounds 14 ounces / 4.017 kilograms
Lid weight: 4 pounds 1 ounce / 1.841 kilograms.
Total weight: 12 pounds 15 ounces / 5.858 kilograms
Capacity: 5 quarts / 4.7 liters
Manufactured: South Pittsburg, Tennessee, U.S.A.

Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven Seasoning

You need to season your cast iron. With proper seasoning and maintenance, your cast iron be nearly non-stick and rust free. It’s not hard.

Lodge pre-seasons all their cast iron cookware before leaving the factory in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. However, with a decent February weekend forecast, I decided to give our new Dutch over another coat of seasoning on our outdoor cooker.

With our go-to seasoning coconut oil, we rubbed down every nook and cranny, by hand. Covering every square inch of both the oven and the lid with a thin coating. Then a quick rub down to remove any excess oil with one of our barbecue towels. No, we didn’t coat the bail handle with coconut oil.

Seasoning is an ongoing process that gets better and better the more you use your cast iron.

Also, seasoning is simply a layer of oil that has been heated and polymerized giving it a natural and easy-release non-stick finish.

New cast iron might require more oil, fat, or butter on the first couple of cooks. Don’t be shy with the cooking fat.

Some folks further season new cast iron by cooking up a package or two of bacon in a new piece of cookware. A tasty way to get the job done.

Season Cast Iron on Your Grill

We prefer to season our cast iron outdoors on the grill top to maintain domestic bliss. I also get to light up the grill, stoke a fire, and enjoy a cold beverage or two.

First we fired up the grill and set up for indirect heat. We don’t want to season over direct heat, it’s too radiant, we’ll torch off what seasoning we do have.

We waited until the dome thermometer started to creep up towards 150 °F / 65 °C.

Next, we layered in our oil coated cast iron pieces.

Then, we let the grill come up to temperature. You’ll start to smell that smoking oil. No, it’s not all that pleasant, not like wood smoke or a nice rib-eye steak.

To get that coveted black iron seasoning, you need to heat up your cast iron pieces past the smoke point of your seasoning oil. Coconut oil has a smoke point of 350 °F / 177 °C.

So we will shoot for a temperature of 450 °F / 232 °C and stabilize our grill.

After an hour or so at 450 °F / 232 °C, shut down the air vents to extinguish the charcoal fire. Then come back the next day after your cast iron has naturally cooled down.

Finally, wipe off any charcoal ash. Give your freshly seasoned cast iron a thin coating of oil and store it away until the next use. We like to use flax seed oil for this.

Cast Iron Dutch Oven Accessories

For outdoor cooking you’ll need a pair of heat resistant gloves. We like these NoCry heavy duty heat resistant and flame retardant leather gloves. The longer length also helps protect the forearms.

These heat resistant gloves have close to 1000 Amazon customer reviews with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. With that kind of feedback there is no doubt it’s a quality product.

Check out the latest pricing and NoCry heat resistant gloves customer reviews here.

Of course, a couple of decent oven mitts would probably work. But in our experience, using cast iron on the grill causes the “good stuff” to discolor. For domestic tranquility, I’ll stick with using these multi-tasker gloves for my grilling and fire pit cooking.

Another must-have cast iron accessory is a stainless-steel chainmail cast iron cleaner. We have this one. It’s called the Ringer and it’s made in USA and has over 15,000 customer reviews with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars.

With warm water, it easily removes stubborn bits of cooked on food without using any soap or detergents.

Check out the latest pricing and customer reviews here for the Ringer cast iron cleaner.

It also works great on your other metal and glass pots and pans. That box of steel wool pads will end up sitting unused after you get one or two of these.

With over 2000 Amazon customer reviews, averaging 4.8 out of 5 stars, you can’t go wrong here picking one of these up. Check out the latest pricing and Lodge cast iron Dutch oven customer reviews here.

Check out my other Kamado Joe and JoeTisserie recipes and links here on my Outdoor Eats page.