If you want a black bottomed pot that is low maintenance and easy to create simply cook over a wood fire for a week or so and don't scrub the outside. It will gather a layer of soot and creosote and grime that will be black and smooth as lacquer and fairly impervious to wearing off. After a week of cooking this way it should last even through a trip in the dishwasher. It might smell of wood smoke when you are cooking but who cares in an outside situation? <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />