Leave No Trace Dutch Oven Platform

Sometimes you want to use a dutch oven, but there is no fire pit or other suitable place.  People have welded together all sorts of contraptions to address this issue.  I wanted to devise something that was inexpensive, lightweight and fairly easy to make.  Something that each patrol could utilize.  Something that would keep them from burning holes in the grass when they have a camporee in a big open field. 

Materials
12" pizza pan (< $1 at Walmart)
13" 1 gallon livestock feedpan (< $3 at Tractor Supply)
48" x 1.5" x 1/8" aluminum ruler (< $5 at Harbor Freight)

You can get 2 assemblies out of one ruler.  If you want to make an even number of these platforms, they will cost about $6.50 each. 

Cut 2 12" pieces of the ruler.  Drill a 3/16" hole centered both length and width wise.  Cut a slot down to the hole.  Bevel the corners to fit the pizza pan.  Clean up rough edges with a file or belt sander.

Now assemble the components.  The the two ruler pieces together into an X configuration.  Place this on top of the pizza pan.  Place the feed pan on top.

Here it is with the dutch oven above.  I made a batch of Mexican lasagna and the pizza pan didn't even get warm.  The grass underneath was unharmed.

The pan did lose a little bit of its galvanzed coating from the heat.  When I oiled the dutch oven, I put some oil on the pan's bare spot to keep it from rusting.

The whole assembly fits in the bottom of my dutch oven box with the dutch oven.  See my earlier post on how to make the box.  I put 2 pizza pans in there.  I use the extra one with my chimney starter to keep it from burning the grass.