Meat Medley

This is a very easy main course or campfire snack. It requires very little supervision once you get it cooking. If you're worried about your cholesterol levels, you might as well stop reading. However, if you're up for a carnivore's delight, you might want to give this a try.



Recommended Ingredients:
1 package pepperoni
1 package cocktail wieners
3 hot dogs
1/4 lb Polish sausage (kielbasa)
cooking oil

Directions:
Cut kielbasa and hot dogs into small pieces or slices. Pour a little cooking oil into the bottom of the Dutch oven - just enough to coat the bottom, but not so much that the meat is going for a swim. Since you want to fry the meat more than bake it, put about 12 coals below the oven and 13 on top. Stir every ten minutes and rotate the oven and lid. Depending on the type of meat you use, this will probably be done in about 30 minutes. Make sure that all meat, especially pork, is cooked thoroughly.

This made enough meal-sized servings for about 6 people. If served as a campfire snack, you should be able to feed about 20 people.

Dutch oven pancakes

Pancakes in a Dutch oven? Yes, you read that right... almost. You don't make them in the Dutch oven, you make them on the lid. In addition to seasoning your oven with oil, you should be seasoning the underside of the lid. Flip the lid over, rest it on a bed of charcoal with some pieces of wood at the side to stabilize it, and voilà, you have a griddle for making pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, etc.



Required Ingredients:
pancake mix
water
butter or non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
Mix pancake mix and water according to the directions on the box and the number of people you will be serving. If the batter seems watery, add a little bit more pancake mix to thicken it.

Prepare an area for the charcoal and put some sticks or pieces of wood on the sides so that you have a stable base for your Dutch oven lid. Place the inverted lid on top of the charcoal so that the edges rest on the wood. Make sure you still have enough air flow underneath so that you don't choke out the charcoal from lack of oxygen. The cooking temperature and how long it takes to cook the food will depend on the number of coals you use. I used about 15 for my pancakes.

Put some butter or non-stick spray in the middle of the lid/griddle. (If butter doesn't melt easily, then you aren't ready to cook.) Spoon out a good-sized portion of pancake mix near the center of the lid. The lid is concave, so everything will naturally gravitate toward the center. When you see a lot of bubbles coming up through the pancakes, check to see if they are ready to flip. Use a nylon spatula (so you don't scratch up your lid) to flip them over. The second side should cook even quicker than the first.

It would probably be faster and easier to use a portable propane stove and a griddle to make pancakes on your campout, but don't be afraid to try new things. This is a very easy way to cook, and there wasn't much cleanup afterward.

Coca-Cola Chicken

This is a very easy main course to make on a campout. It requires very little supervision once you get it cooking.



Required Ingredients:
8 pieces thin-cut boneless chicken
12 oz can of Coca-Cola
12 oz ketchup
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons chili powder

Directions:
Mix Coca-Cola, ketchup, and spices together in a bowl. Place chicken pieces in the bottom of the Dutch oven. (Lining the oven with heavy duty aluminum foil may make cleanup a lot easier.) Cover all of the chicken with the sauce and cover. Use about 9 briquettes under the oven, 18 on top. Baste the chicken with the sauce every 15 minutes, and rotate the oven and lid after you do that. Chicken should be done in about 60-70 minutes, although it's very hard to overcook the chicken this way unless you let it dry out.

This is delicious -- a little spicy and somewhat tangy. My kids won't usually eat food with big chunks of garlic or onion, but they had no problem when I used the powdered spices. If you want it a little less spicy, cut down on the chili powder.

Popcorn! Get your popcorn here!

I have two sons in Boy Scouts and one in Cub Scouts. To help earn money for their programs, you can purchase popcorn from Trail's End by clicking here. Personally, I recommend the microwave popcorn as they are the best value, but the chocolate caramel popcorn is absolutely delicious. All of the flavors are great, and they also have trail mix, almonds, and yogurt-covered pretzels. You can also donate the popcorn to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The larger items can be ordered individually, but the smaller items have to be ordered by the case. (Sorry, I can't do anything about that, it's just the way Trail's End sets up their system.)

My sons thank you for your support.

Leftovers? What leftovers?

I brought the remaining Chocolate Cherry Cobbler into work (to prevent myself from eating it all up), and it got rave reviews from my co-workers. One guy who is usually pretty health-conscious went back for seconds, and another co-worker asked when I might be bringing in more.

Chocolate Cherry Cobbler

This is a very easy and delicious dessert you can make in a Dutch oven.



Required Ingredients:
1 can of pie filling or 1 can of fruit, drained and diced
1 cake mix
approx. 1/2 can of lemon-lime soda

Optional Ingredients:
whipped cream
ice cream

Directions:
To make cleanup easier, line the oven with heavy duty aluminum foil before you start. When you're done, just lift out the foil, wipe up any spills, and recoat the insides with some cooking oil before you put the oven away. Sugar and sweets can turn into a hard, sticky mess when they are cooked, and they can make it very difficult to clean the oven afterward. Remember: You don't want to use soap on the Dutch oven -- it won't really help you get the oven clean, it will only remove the seasoned finish, making your next few meals stick to the oven and taste like soap.

For a 12", 6-quart oven, you'll need about 24 briquettes -- 8 underneath the oven and 16 on top of the lid. Spread the pie filling around the bottom of the oven. Pour the dry cake mix over the top of the pie filling. Pour some soda over the top. Let it bake for 30-45 minutes. The pie filling below and the soda above will provide all the moisture you need for the cake, although this will come out more like a cobbler than a cake. Turn the oven and lid about every 10 minutes to make sure your food cooks evenly. Check how it's doing after 15 minutes and add a little more soda if it's too dry on top. After it's done, take it off the heat and let it sit for a little bit before serving because the pie filling will be about as hot as lava if you try to eat it right away. For an even better treat, top with some whipped cream or ice cream.

Many different combinations are possible. Some good combinations are cherry pie filling and chocolate cake, apple pie filling and spice cake, or peaches and white cake.

Mountain Man Breakfast

This is a very popular breakfast dish among the boys in our Boy Scout troop. It's easy to make, very filling, and -- most importantly -- very tasty. This is a good recipe to try if you're new to Dutch oven cooking. Depending on how hungry your crew is, this should make about 8 good-sized portions.



Required Ingredients:
1/2 bag of diced hash brown potatoes
1/2 sausage log or Polish sausage, cut into small pieces
12 extra large eggs
1/2 bag shredded cheese (colby jack, cheddar jack, or sharp cheddar are good)

Optional Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium pepper, diced

Directions:
For a 12", 6-quart oven, you'll need about 24 briquettes -- 8 underneath the oven and 16 on top of the lid. Preheat the Dutch oven before adding food. The meat, potatoes, onions, and peppers should go into the oven first, letting them brown for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and rotating the oven at least once. While this is cooking, crack the eggs into a bowl and scramble them up. Once the meat and veggies have browned, add the eggs, and let that cook for another 10-15 minutes until the eggs begin to set. You won't need to stir it, but you might want to rotate the oven once during this time. Add the shredded cheese, rotate the oven, and let it cook for another 5 minutes. If it has properly set up, you should be able to slice it and serve it.

When you rotate the oven, remember to rotate the lid, too. Rotate the oven 1/4 turn, and rotate the lid an additional 1/4 turn. Rotating the oven helps avoid hot spots and allow the food to cook more evenly.

Getting Started

This is going to be my instructional blog about Dutch oven cooking. I'd like to not only share recipes with you, but I'd like to provide instructional videos showing how to make the food. Seeing a recipe isn't the same as seeing how to prepare it and how it will turn out -- especially when fussy eaters are involved!

Recommended Equipment:

• Dutch oven. Of course, you'll need one of these. You can find one at Wal-Mart or Dick's Sporting Goods for under $50.
• Lid lifter. You'll need one to lift and rotate the lid without burning yourself. Oddly enough, Dutch ovens don't always come with these, and the aforementioned stores don't seem to sell them, either. You can find them online for about $15-$20, although a simple pry bar will do (as long as you don't let it get too hot).
• Charcoal chimney. It's an amazingly simple device, and it will get your charcoal ready in a matter of minutes. Dutch oven cooking takes long enough, so there's no need to wait an additional 45 minutes for your charcoal to be ready. These are available at many retail stores for about $10.
• Fireproof gloves. Avoid accidental burns by using a pair of gloves that can withstand the heat. A decent pair of outdoor work gloves will do.