This dish was inspired by a lot of Italian and Mediterranean flavors. The layering of the the ingredients helps to keep the flavors a bit more distinct, whereas they would be more blended if they cooked as a stew or casserole. It’s an easy to make one-pot meal, with meat, veggies, and dairy all mixed in. If you serve it with some bread sticks, you have your grain/starch right there. It was way yummy!
When I did this for my family, I sauteed some yellow and zucchini squash slices in another dutch oven as a tasty side dish.
While the coals were getting hot, I started by prepping the food for the layers. I began by blotting the thawed chicken breasts dry, then cutting them into 1” cubes. I seasoned the cubes with the salt, pepper and paprika, which is my go-to meat seasoning.
Then, I made the tomato mix by opening up the cans of diced tomatoes and adding in all of the seasonings in the second set of ingredients. I was pretty liberal with the flavorings, except for the cayenne, and I tasted all along the way, just to make sure that the balance of seasonings was good. Next, I mixed the ricotta and the parmesan cheeses. I actually added some feta in, too, because we had some. After that, I sliced the onions (in circles).
The last prep step was to assemble the layers in the Dutch oven. I started by spreading about a third of the tomato mix over the bottom of the Dutch oven. Then, I added these layers, in order, assembling upward:
Artichoke hearts (drained)
Olives (drained)
Chicken cubes
Cheese mix
Onion slices
The rest of the tomato mix
Minced fresh parsley/green onions
And finally, a layer of shredded mozarella
Here are some pics:
Once it was all assembled, it was just a matter of putting it on the coals and baking it for about 45 minutes. I kept some fresh coals going in the chimney and replenished the coals on the oven about every 15-20 minutes.
While it was baking (in fact, when it was almost done), I put the 10” Dutch oven on the coals, with a little olive oil in it. I sliced a couple of zucchini and yellow squashes each, and tossed them into the heated oil to sautee with a little salt and pepper. I only cooked them for about 10 minutes or so, just long enough to get hot and a little soft, but still be crispy.
Then, it was ready to serve!
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
After doing a really fun Dutch oven demo for a good friend and his friends, I got excited again. It’s actually been a while since I’ve done Dutch oven in my own backyard. Between that fun demo, and my newest book, I’m getting stoked to start doing it with regularity again!
This recipe was really easy. We had some extra frozen chicken breasts, and I thought I’d use them up. I did a quick google search for recipe ideas, and one came up for a Balsamic Vinegar marinade. Well, that sounded yummy, so I tweaked it up based on what I had on hand, dressed it up with some veggies and asparagus, and here it is!
Dutch Oven Balsamic Garlic Chicken with Asparagus
12” shallow Dutch oven
10-12 coals below
18-22 coals above
The Marinade
6-8 chicken breasts (no skin), thawed (1-2 per diner)
1 cup balsamic Vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup water
1 medium onion, grated
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
Herbs and spices to your tastes (Here’s about what I used)
~1 Tbsp dried Oregano
~1 Tbsp dried Parsley
~1 tsp salt
~1 tsp pepper
~1 tsp paprika
A shake or two of chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes
The veggie base
1-2 medium onions, in chunks (see below)
3-4 medium potatoes, cubed
2 sweet peppers, sliced
~1 lb fresh asparagus
So, the night before I made the marinade. I put the liquids into a zip-top baggie and mixed them up. I wanted to onioniness to permeate the flavors, so I thought first of dicing it. But then, I peeled it, halved it and used a cheese grater on it. It turned into a very liquidy mush and it helped get the flavors into the chicken.
Then, I added the spices and flavorings and the chicken and mixed it all up. I shook and massaged the bag to make sure that all of the chicken was well covered.
When it was time to cook the next day, I started by lighting up the coals. While those were getting white-edged, I cut up the peppers, potatoes, and onions. When I do onions in chunks, I cut them in half, and then quarter each half. That makes nice wedges that are big enough to help lift the chicken above the bottom of the Dutch oven, but small enough to bite. I tried to make the potato pieces a similar size.
Assembling this dish for cooking is very simple. I tossed the veggies into the bottom of the pot and stirred them up just a bit. Then, I opened the bag of the marinaded chicken and layered those pieces on top of the veggies. Finally, I topped the lid and put it on the coals.
It cooks pretty quickly. I think that within about 40 minutes it was ready. At about 30 minutes or so, I snapped off the stringy ends of the asparagus and tossed them in on top of the chicken. The idea is to just let them steam and get that nice, rich, green color, and enhance the flavor. They should still be crunchy when they’re done. If you grab one by the end and hold it level, it shouldn’t droop. If it does, it’s been cooked too long.
Serve 1-2 of the breasts with the cooked veggies on one side and 3-4 asparagus sprigs on the other. It’s a beautiful, impressive, and delicious dish!
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
Roasting a chicken in a Dutch oven is a very easy thing to do. It looks complex but it’s not. The end result is delicious and an easily feed a family, probably even with a little left over.
I did this a couple of weeks ago, and reminded myself how wonderful and impressive this is.
12” Deep Dutch oven
10-12 coals below
14-16 coals above
1 whole chicken (thawed, if you bought it frozen)
salt
pepper
paprika
dried parsley
dried rosemary
dried sage
a touch of crushed red pepper
oil
2-3 large potatoes
2-3 medium to large onions.
1 14 oz can green beans (optional)
1 14 oz can whole corn (optional)
First, I got the coals lit, and let them start to get white and hot. Then, I got the chicken ready. I opened the package and let the chicken drain. I rinsed it off, then padded it dry with paper towels. poked the skin over the breast and the legs with holes so that the juices and flavors could penetrate the meat.
I sprinkled on the seasonings of the second set of ingredients, then drizzled on a little oil. I rubbed that over the surface of the chicken. I don’t list amounts here because I didn’t really pay attention to that as I was sprinkling them over the bird. Just be liberal. Except with the red pepper. Be more cautious there, if you don’t like heat.
If you’re the more precise type of chef, you could mix the spices as a blend first, tasting along the way, to get the exact blend you want.
Then, I cubed up the potatoes and the onions into 1” or 3/4” blocks and tossed them into the bottom of the Dutch oven. This will help flavor the dish, and lift the chicken up above the heat and the juices as it cooks. Plus, the potatoes and onions make great sides to add to your plates.
I put the dutch oven onto the coals, and started cooking. This is a fun kind of cooking, because I sit there and watch the coals burn. All the while, I can tell people, “Don’t bother me, I’m cooking.” Great times. Actually, it’s not a bad idea to stay with it, because you’re going to need to replenish the coals from time to time.
I cooked it for about 2 hours, total. I cooked it to an internal temperature of 175-180. In a traditional indoor oven, cooking it that long will usually dry it out. But in a Dutch oven, the juices are all trapped under the heavy lid. I cook it that long because then not only is the meat done and tender, but it also falls off the bone and the connecting tissue is broken down.
If you want some veggies as a side dish, the easiest way to do that is to drain a can of green beans and a can of corn, mix them together and pour it around the sides of the chicken when there’s only about 15-20 minutes left in the cooking.
An even better option would be to use fresh beans and fresh corn. If you do that, snap the beans, and shuck the corn. You could either cut the corn off the cob, or break the cobs into short lengths. If you use fresh veggies, add them when there’s 30-45 minutes left in the cook time.
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
Yesterday, I was browsin’ the webs when I came across this recipe for black bean burgers. I was intrigued, because, even though I’m not usually interested when a vegetable pretends to be meat, this recipe actually looked pretty good. I’ll probably try it sometime soon.
However.
Yesterday, I decided that I wanted to do it with meat, anyway, because, really, it looked amazing.
I had decided that it would be an excellent chance for me to practice grilling under my wonderful new gazebo, but after prepping all the meat and the fixin’s, I discovered that someone had forgotten to close the valve on the propane cylinder last time, and we were outa gas. Seriously, I don’t know who could have done such a thing. I find it unconscionable and almost unforgivable. But, we must move on.
At that point, I decided to go ahead and cook them Dutch oven style, and fired up some coals anyway.
Dutch Oven Burgers
12” Shallow Dutch oven
22+ coals underneath
The lid of a 12” Dutch oven
22+ coals underneath
The burger meat:
2+ lbs of ground beef
1 onion (grated)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper
cumin
chili powder
paprika
a handful of fresh parsley
The first step was to mix up the meat. This was quite simple, I mixed the ingredients in the first block all together. I actually chose the spices based on my own whims, rather than on the recipe I found. Each one was about a teaspoon, except for the chili powder, which was only a few sprinkles. My homemade chili powder is actually pretty strong. You can adjust yours to your own powders and tastes.
I also sliced the topping onions, the tomatoes, and the cheese
I put the Dutch oven on the coals and let it pre-heat for quite a while. I really wanted it to be pretty hot at first. I made my patties fairly large, partly because I knew they’d have to fit on a kaiser roll, and also because I knew that they’d shrink. By the way, I chose the kaiser rolls because they are a bit firmer than typical store-bought hamburger buns. Those things are pathetic. I also made larger patties ‘cause I’m a guy and I like to have lots of meat on my burgers. I know it’s not healthy, but once in a while ya just gotta live large.
I put the patties in the Dutch oven, and used it essentially as a griddle. Because it was so hot to start with, it got a pretty good sear on the first side.
While the first round of patties were cooking, I got more coals under an inverted Dutch oven lid (on a trivet-stand) and let that heat up. After turning the burgers, I brushed butter on the inside of the kaiser rolls and put them on the heated lid to toast, butter side down. After the meat turns once, and cooks a bit, it’s also a good time to put on the cheese so it can melt yummily.
I was careful not to overcook the burgers. I did cook them all the way through, but not dry. It’s tricky to get to that, I think. But, it worked last night. I think the Dutch oven is not as hot as most gas grills, which helped me to not dry them out. I also think it’s very important for burgers to be topped and served the instant they come off the heat. The longer you wait, the drier and crustier they get. Not good. If you’re serving family, have them gather and pray not too long after you do the first flip or they’ll be too late.
Finally, I pulled the buns off the lid/griddle, put the burger, sizzling, onto the bun, and let the family top it as they pleased. For my money, I love lots of extra stuff on my burgers, so I tend to layer it pretty high. Others might not. That’s OK. Even with the additional flavors, the spices and the flavor of the meat came through. It was possibly the best burgers I’ve ever made.
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
It's getting exciting! Only a little over a week until the official release of my fourth book, "Dutch Oven Breads"! This last weekend, Brendon and I shot and edited this video:
And here's the link where you can place your Amazon.com order!
Thanks so much for all your support over the years. Even if you can't buy the book right now, jump to YouTube, and "thumbsup" the video, or share it on your facebook. If you have gotten the book, please post a review on Amazon!
Thanks so much!
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
Late last summer, I had read online where people actually cook and eat dandelions. I was both repulsed and intrigued. I had actually heard of it in the past, but this time I saw some recipes and processes that caught my eye, and I determined to try it.
Unfortunately, at the time, It was kinda difficult to find the cute yellow flowers in bloom. Most in my neighborhood were well into seed at that point.
So, today, I was driving home and I happened to notice that the dandelion flowers were really budding out in force. It was also a bright, warm, sunny day (and we’ve had precious few of those lately), so I decided to jump on the opportunity and take a chance.
Of course, I had never cooked them before, nor had I ever eaten them. So, it was kind of a wild shot that it would even work, that it would even taste good. I tried two different dishes, one with the greens and one with the flower. They were not only edible, but even palatable. It was an odd taste. It had tones of sweet and savory, depending on the dish, and also an underlying tone of bitter. But the bitter was really just an edge, rather than the whole flavor. Like I said, it was odd. I don’t think it’s for everyone. In the end, I liked it.
I also need to explain. Since this was the first time I’d tried it, there were things in the process that I think I did wrong. Well, not so much “wrong”, per se, but “not in the best order”. So, I’m writing this from the point of view of how I would do it next time.
Dandelion Greens
8” Dutch Oven
10-12 coals below
10” Dutch Oven
14-16 coals below
1 12” collander filled to heaping with rinsed and trimmed dandelion greens.
~2 cups water
2 tbsp salt
1 lb bacon
1 med onion
3 cloves garlic
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper
lemon or lime juice
The first step is to gather the dandelion plants. I went foraging in our neighborhood. I’ll bet I looked like quite a sight, with my box of flowers and my hand shovel. I looked for plants that had lots of bushy leaves, and plenty of large round flowers. I also tried to look in places where I didn’t think people would have sprayed with herbicides. I didn’t want to be eating toxic chemicals. I got a few from my own yard, but not many because I had just mowed, so the leaves on most plants were chopped short already. When I found a plant I wanted, I just dug it until the root snapped and tossed the whole thing in my box.
It’s good to get a whopping lot of dandelion plants for this project, because after you trim the leaves from the root structure, and then after those leaves cook down, there really isn’t much there. So, start with lots and you’ll end up with plenty.
Were I doing this again, I would prepare the greens first, and take my sweet time doing it. After lighting up some coals on my porch, I would work at my sink. I would grab a dandelion plant and first snap off any usable flowers, then rinse the remaining plant many times over. I’d separate the leaves from the longer flower stems and tear the leaves off just above where the green leaf starts to grow from the stem. Then, I’d rinse those leaves again and toss them into the collander. I’d repeat this process for all of the plants I’d harvested.
At this point, the coals would probably be ready and I’d put them under the 8” Dutch oven with the water and the salt. I’d let that come to a boil. I’d also put more fresh coals in my side fire to light for the flower fritters.
While that was getting to boil, I’d put more coals underneath my 10” Dutch oven, and put in the bacon, cut into short 1” bits. Then, I’d dice or slice the onion and mince the garlic.
Once the bacon was getting crispy, I’d use a spoon and pull out most of the drippings. I’d toss in the onion and the garlic to saute.
By now, the water would be boiling, so I’d add in the greens, a bit at a time. I’d let that boil again, cooking for about 10-15 minutes more.
While the greens are boiling and the onions and bacon are still sauteing, I’d make the flower fritters (see below). Once the greens are done and tender, I would lift them out with tongs and put them back in the collader over the Dutch oven to drain a bit. Finally, I’d toss them into the 10” Dutch oven and stir it all up, sizzling it for a few minutes more. I would add in the seasonings here, too, with particular emphasis on the lemon or lime juice. That goes a long way in tempering the bitter. I had also thought that balsamic vinegar would taste great instead.
At that point, things really don’t need to “cook” any more. It’s all done, you’re just combining it and merging the flavors. Just serve it up. This really is a veggie side dish. In this case, since I was just trying it out, I served it up on plate by with the flower fritters.
My son had been very skeptical, but even he was impressed in the end.
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
I was listening to the radio a while back, and I heard a yummy idea. I don’t think the people on the radio intended it to be so, however. It was a political show, and they were interviewing a restaurant owner in some middle eastern country. The interview was all about how the economy was struggling in the wake of the uprisings in that country, bla, bla, bla, yadda, yadda...
But they had the interview after a meal of roasted dove, which they were eating, as was tradition, with their fingers.
I just latched onto that idea, and it sounded delicious, and like so much fun. I wanted to do something like it. I pondered it for days. I came up with lots of idea of different ways to approach it, and to make it a full meal, not just a meat dish.
One problem to overcome was the meat. What kind of bird to use? I didn’t know where I could get dove. Quail? That was a possibility. One of the guys in the World Championship did a great job cooking quail. Then, one day shopping, I found some cornish hens, frozen. Perfect! Easy to work with, inexpensive, tasty... And, I think, visually impressive!
This ended up being a very simple dish to prepare. Also, for the record, I was not trying to duplicate any particular middle-eastern cuisine, or any actual traditional dish. So, there is no effort whatsoever to make this “authentic”. I just made it all up. So there.
Dutch Oven Roasted Cornish Hens
12” Deep Dutch oven
10 coals below
12-14 coals above
1 cornish hen for each serving (I did 6, and had one extra)
1 1/2-2 cups salt
1/2 cup molasses
about a gallon of water
3 medium onions
salt
pepper
paprika
chili powder
Two days before the meal, I set the little birds (encased in plastic) into the fridge to thaw. Since they’re so small, this could probably work in one day, maybe even in the brining process. But I did it over a couple of days.
The morning of the meal, I got down one of my medium stock pots and put in about a quart or so of hot tap water. I put in the salt and the molasses. The hot water helped those to dissolve. Then, I added about another quart or so of cold water. I opened up the hen packages and drained them briefly, then poked holes in the skin with a knife. A fork works, too. I put them in the brined water. I topped off the water just enough to cover the hens, then added some ice on top. The ice and the salt should keep the germs at bay while the meat gets all savory and tender. I set that aside until cooking time, later that afternoon.
When that time came, I dumped the brine and set the chickens on cooling racks in the sink to drain pretty well. The meat itself will retain a lot of moisture anyway, and I want to minimize the broth at the bottom of the pot.
While the hens were draining, I cut the onions into chunks. I cut them in half first, then quartered the halves. I scattered these into the bottom of the 12” deep Dutch oven, to hold the hens up above the level of the broth that would cook out.
Then I patted the hens dry with paper towels and coated them on both sides with liberal shakes of salt, pepper, paprika, and gentle shakes of chili powder. I tucked them into to Dutch oven all cozy and got them on the coals.
It’s a longer, lower-temperature roast. I’m guessing the interior oven temperature is probably around 275 or 300 with those coals numbered above. The cook time was about an hour and a half to two hours. I went for an internal meat temperature of 180° as a target.
Broccoli Rice
8” Dutch oven
10-12 coals below
1 1/2 cups rice
3 cups water
Juice of 1 lemon
salt
pepper
1 large broccoli head
Broth and onions from the cornish hens
When the roasting was almost done, I made the rice. It’s pretty simple, too. I just put the rice, water, and lemon juice in the 8” Dutch oven, and put it on the coals, with the lid on. While that was coming up to a boil, I cut the broccoli head into tiny florets. I noted when the steam started venting out from under the lid. After ten minutes or so, tossed in the broccoli to steam. I was really quick with the lid, because I didn’t want to lose much heat or steam. Maybe five minutes later, I pulled the oven off the coals, with the lid still on, to finish cooking.
Tortillas
12” Dutch oven lid
18-20 coals below
Flour tortillas (prepackaged or make your own)
My original idea was to make some tortillas from scratch, and then when we eat, we would pull the meat off with our fingers, put it in a torn tortilla piece along with the rice and eat it all with our fingers. In the end, I was kinda tired and so I got lazy and just used some store-bought tortillas. But even those have to be prepared.
So, I turned a 12” Dutch oven lid over onto a lid stand over a whole lotta coals (see above), and let it get really hot. Then I just tossed the tortilla on it and let it heat up and singe a bit. As each one was done, I put it on a plate covered with a tea towel. Hot tortillas are more flexible and tastier.
When it was all done, it was time for serving. I pulled the hens out of the dutch oven, and spooned onions and broth into the rice, stirring it all up. I put a big spoonful of rice mix on the plate, topped it with the hen, and set out the now-warm tortillas. We ate them just as I had planned, by tearing apart the meat and eating it with the rice in the tortillas. I also set out sour cream, and salsa, but we didn’t really add them. It didn’t need it much.
It was a lot of fun, both to cook and to eat!
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
1 - My next book, the second in the “Black Pot Series”, titled “Black Pot for Beginners” is now available for pre-release orders at Amazon.com! This one is not just a compilation of recipes and stories, however. It’s a step-by-step, lesson-by-lesson guide to learning how to cook in a Dutch oven. It’s very clear, detailed, and in-depth. If you were to start at step one, and cook through to step 9, you’d get to the end as a quite accomplished Dutch oven chef! Here are the chapters:
Lesson 1 - Instant Success - Your first surefire Dutch oven dish: Chicken and Potatoes
Lesson 2 - the Dutch Oven and the Gear - Learn about your equipment, and make a peach cobbler
Lesson 3 - Basic Cheffery - Make a delicious chilli and learn to use your knife along the way!
Lesson 4 - More Soups, Stews, and Cuts - Sauteing, browning, and simmering, along with more knife cuts
Lesson 5 - Heat and Meat - Managing the heat over a long roasting time can be challenging. This lesson makes it simple
Lesson 6 - Herbs, Spices, and Flavorings - How to make your dishes leap off the plate!
Lesson 7 - Flour, Soda, and Heat, Part 1 - Quick bread and biscuits, with baking soda!
Lesson 8 - Flour, Soda, and Heat, Part 2 - Cakes and desserts
Lesson 9 - Putting it all Together - Planning and cooking a whole meal
It’s a great book, and anyone who wants to learn how to cook in a Dutch oven, even as an absolute beginner, can learn from it.
2 - This saturday, I’ll be demoing some recipes from the first book at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Midvale, UT. It’s at 165 W. 7200 S. Midvale, UT
I’ll be there from 11:00 in the morning through about 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. I’ll be cooking up some chili and some other as of yet undecided dishes. If you live in the Salt Lake Metro area, come on out and I’ll be happy to sign your books! It’s really important to me to have a good turnout, so if it’s at all possible, come out and taste some great food!
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
I like fancy. I like complex. I like a challenge. I like to see if I can pull off intricate dishes and stretch myself. I like to take simple dishes and enhance them, to "kick them up a notch".
Ba-bam, and all that.
This weekend, however, I got to cook something incredibly simple. And it tasted wonderful.
We were having a big barbecue party for a lot of Jacob's teachers and support staff at the school, and I spent a lot of time at the grill, naturally. But on the side, I made some steamed corn on the cob. It was so simple, that I'm not even going to spell it out in a recipe.
I started by lighting a lot of coals and pouring about half of them (I'm guessing about 20 or more) onto my cooking surface. I put a veggie steamer (one of those metal fan-out things) in the bottom of my 12" deep dutch oven. I poured in water until it was just up to the level of the steamer, and laid in the corn cobs (schucked and snapped in half) onto it. Then I put the dutch oven on the coals.
Pretty soon, it was venting steam a little, so I knew it was boiling. I just kept fresh coals on for about 30-45 minutes, until the corn looked yellow and cooked, you know, like corn on the cob is supposed to. Then we served it up with butter, salt, and pepper. Yum! Only two pieces were left over when it was all done.
Sometimes, simple and pure is perfect, right?
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
I got a post on my facebook fan page from someone asking about how to choose and buy a dutch oven. Rather than reply there with what will be way too long of an answer for facebook, I posted this article:
The simple answer is... Send me some money and I'll buy you one! :-)
I guess the real title for this article should be: "How to shop for a dutch oven, and buy one that's the best for you." There's a lot of "That depends on what you're looking for" in the answer, so let's break it down. I'm presuming, by the way, that those reading this are primarily interested in buying their first dutch oven. If you've already got one or two, and you're looking to buy another, you'll still be looking for the same basic things, but your reasons for buying will be different, and you'll have a different result, possibly.
There are four basic variables that you'll want to consider when you're deciding which kind to buy: The type, the size, the material, and the quality.
The Type
You have two basic options here: "Camp" dutch ovens, or "Stove" dutch ovens. Which you choose will depend on what you're going to do with it.
A "camp" dutch oven is primarily designed for outdoor cooking using wood coals or charcoal briquettes. It's got a lip around the perimeter of the lid that keeps the coals on the lid, and prevents ash from falling down into the food when you lift it. It's also got legs on the bottom that lift the dutch oven up above any coals you want to put underneath.
A "stove" dutch oven is designed primarily for use indoors, in a conventional oven or on your stovetop. It won't have the legs, because you're setting it in your oven or resting directly on your stove's burner. It doesn't have the lip around the lid because there's no coals to be put on top. Some of these will even be coated in colored enamels.
It IS possible to use a camp dutch oven indoors, but it's not as convenient. It's possible to use a stove dutch oven outdoors, but it's tricky.
The Size
Dutch ovens are primarily measured by diameter, and sometimes by quart capacity. Common sizes are 10" and 12". You can buy them as small as 5" or as large as 22" (which take considerable effort to lift, even without food in them). Which one you end up buying will depend largely on who you'll be cooking for. If you're cooking for yourself, or you have a small family, you won't want one as big. If you have a larger family, or if you're thinking you'll end up cooking for groups of friends, you'll want one bigger.
If this is your first oven, and you're just interested in experimenting a little, I'd recommend a 12" shallow oven. This will have the capacity to feed a family of four with some leftovers, and can easily cook for a gathering of as many as 8, depending on what you're cooking. Breads, stews, chilis, desserts, and even small roasts can easily be done in a 12" dutch oven.
Larger and smaller ovens will come in handy in more specialized situations. For example, I use my 14" ovens to cook turkeys and larger specialty meats. My 8" dutch oven I'll use for sides of rice or sauces.
The Material
There are two basic materials used to make dutch ovens: Cast iron, and aluminum. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Even though all of my dutch ovens are cast iron, I've seen chefs that swear by each one.
Cast iron is probably the most popular. It's the historic choice. It heats very evenly (if slowly), and it holds the heat very well, so your food stays warm in it, even after it's "done" cooking. It can take a lot of heat without damage, too. Unfortunately, it's also very heavy, and the bigger the oven, the heavier. Cast iron has to be seasoned to be used effectively, but with regular use that seasoning patina gets better and better, and it becomes non-stick. Cast iron also lasts forever.
Aluminum dutch ovens are much lighter than cast iron, so it's often the pot of choice for campers, river runners, and backpackers that carry their gear in to their campsites. It won't rust, so you don't need to season it. It heats up quickly, but that also means that it cools quickly, and it's prone to developing hot spots.
Some say that cast iron-cooked food tastes better, but I've tasted delicious food from both kinds.
The Quality
The best dutch ovens I've ever seen come from three companies: Lodge, Camp Chef, and Maca. There are lots of littler brands, like Texsport and a few that are even no-name. You can often come across dutch ovens at yard sales and antique stores. Some dutch oven chefs I know will swear by one brand or another. While it's true that there are some that are better made, keep in mind that our pioneer ancestors cooked successfully in dutch ovens made hundreds of years before modern companies were formed and contemporary casting procedures were invented. I've cooked delicious meals in off-brand dutch ovens. I prefer my lodge, but you can be successful with anything.
Here are some hints to check with the quality:
First, check to see that the lid fits well. Press down on the lip of the lid all the way around. If you find a spot where the lid rocks back and forth, that's a sign of a poorly fitting lid. That will let more moisture escape when you're cooking. Again, you can still cook well in that pot, but it won't be quite as effective.
Some off-brands will use different alloys or different sources for their cast iron stock. That can make for variations in the thickness of the pot, as well as the density of the metal. In either case, that can make for more uneven heating and hotspots. Unfortunately, you can't really check for that in the store. It's one reason why you might want to go with a more respected brand.
Still, my forefathers that crossed the plains didn't have a Lodge or a Camp Chef.
Summing it All Up
Ok, so this is really a $75 answer to a $10 question. What dutch oven should I buy? My recommendation is that if you're wanting to get started in outdoor dutch oven cooking, get a 12" shallow Lodge or Camp Chef (these, and all other links in this article are affiliate links, by the way, and I'll get paid if you buy from them). You'll possibly notice that almost all of the recipes in my blog use that basic size. My two 12"ers are the workhorses of my cast iron collection.
Whatever you end up buying, now you have some knowledge to help you make a wise choice, either to get started, or to expand once you've gotten a few recipes down!
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
This weekend, I was doing a lot of yard work, even on sunday. I know, I know, it's supposed to be a day of rest. Oh, well.
So, even though I'm working in the garden, I still wanted to cook. I wanted something simple and easy, a two-step, one-pot meal. I'd found, buried in the freezer, an old ham bone from one of my past dutch oven roasting days. Time for split-pea soup!
I had done split-peas many times before. This recipe for Dutch Oven Split-Pea soup is the first time, and this one has been the basis for all of them. It's good, but this time I kicked it up a notch. It must've worked, because even though I cooked up a whole 12" dutch oven worth of the stuff, there were no leftovers. That's good, too, because split-pea doesn't usually make great leftovers. It ends up as less of a soup and more of a paste.
I've found, by the way, that when you do these recipes, your final result will vary a little based on the way you cooked your ham. Some of the residual flavors and spices from the ham will carry over into the soup. I, personally, like that. It gives a little variety. The same is true if you make your own chicken stock.
Anyway, since I really dressed up this recipe, I'm going to rewrite it here, rather than just linking back.
Dutch Oven Split-pea Soup with Ham
12" Dutch Oven
15-20 coals below
1 sliced onion
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 stalks chopped celery
6 cups water, at least half of which could be chicken stock
1 lb bag of dried split peas
1 ham bone with lots of meat left on it.
1 diced potato
Generous shakes of oregano, parsley, and chili powder
salt and coarse ground pepper to taste
I started by lighting up some coals and letting them start to get white. I put about a tbsp of olive oil in the bottom of my dutch oven, and let that heat up. I chopped up the veggies while it was all getting going.
Once the oil was hot, I dropped in the onion, the garlic, and the celery to sautee. Remember, if it's hot enough, they'll sizzle as soon as you drop them in. I stirred them up and salted them a little. The dutch oven was plenty hot, and pretty soon they were browning.
Once the garlic was brown and the onions were translucent, I poured in the liquid. I used a bullion powder to make it all chicken stock. I didn't have any of my homemade stock left. Bummer...
Then I added all of the other set two ingredients, and let it come back up to a boil.
Once it was simmering, I started adding in the herbs and the chili powder. I added the chili powder a bit at a time. I'd shake in some, let it simmer for 15 minutes or so, then taste. Add some more, wait, and taste. I wanted it to have an edge, but I didn't want to have a recognizable chili taste. In the end, I probably added a little under a teaspoonful. Season with salt and pepper to taste, but be a little cautious, because the ham will add lots of salty flavor already.
It turned out great! We all gathered around our new patio table, and had a wonderful outdoor meal. If you try this one, let me know how it goes!
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Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
When you're looking for something to cook with some ground beef or some stew meat, and you're not sure what, you really can't go wrong with Goulash. It's easy and tasty. In this case, I happened to have a pound of stew meat wrapped up and frozen, and I thought I'd use it. I just did a few 'net searches to get an idea of what to put in, and this is what I came up with.
Mark's Dutch Oven Goulash
12" Dutch Oven
15-20 coals below
oil
2 med onions
2 stalks celery
4 cloves garlic
salt
1 lb stew beef (or ground beef)
1-2 cups chicken stock
1 can corn, drained
2 small cans tomato sauce
oregano
basil
salt
pepper
1 lb bag of egg noodles
More optional ingredients to consider in the third step:
Paprika (the stronger stuff)
Crushed red peppers
A bit of milk or cream (like a quarter or half cup)
I just started off with a lot of coals underneath my 12" dutch oven, with a little oil in the bottom (maybe a tablespoon's worth, or a capful). While that was getting good and hot, I sliced up the onions, the celery, and minced the garlic. Once the dutch oven was hot, I dropped the first set of ingredients in, and sauteed them.
Here's a hint, by the way, about onions. Don't store them outside, or, like I did, in your garage in the winter. They partly froze, and so they didn't sautee and carmelize very well. They still tasted OK, just not as good as they would've if I'd known. But now you know!
Once the onions were as done as they were gonna get, I moved them aside, and put the meat in to brown.
Step three was to add almost everything else (except the noodles). At that point, it was all pretty runny, more like a soup. I was a bit nervous, actually. I considered adding some kind of flour or other thickener, but decided to wait and see what would happen after the noodles cooked. That turned out to be a wise choice. By the time the noodles were "al dente", they had absorbed much of the liquid and it was a nice, thick goulash. The family loved it!
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
I think I've found a new favorite recipe website. This week, I had this funny idea of taking some chicken we had and some apples we had and doing something with them together. It just seemed odd enough to be fun.
But, I had no recipe, so I thought I'd look one up. I'd heard good things about allrecipes.com, so I went there and tried their ingredient search function. I put in "chicken" and "apple" and came up with a whole bunch of recipes. It was a lot of fun to sort through them all.
In the end, what I did was a hybrid of two of the more interesting ones, that had other available ingredients.
I'm not sure what to call it, though. Is it a curry? Is it a casserole? I dunno.
Dutch Oven Chicken and Apple Curry-osity
12" Dutch Oven
Total of about 30 coals, because of the weather. Probably 22-24 in the summer.
1 Med onion, chopped or diced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 lbs Chicken breast, cubed
1 Med to large apple, thinly sliced
2 cups chicken broth
1 Cup Apple Juice Concentrate (or about a half a can)
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp Nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 Cup milk
1 Cup rice
I started with a little oil on the bottom of the dutch oven, and heated it up over a bunch of coals ("a bunch" is an accurate scientific unit of measurement, larger than "a few" but smaller than "a pile"). I let that heat a bit so I could start sauteeing. And that's what I did next, with the first ingredient set. Actually, I added the chicken in last, after the onions and the garlic had had a chance to cook some.
Once everything was getting nicely browned, I just started adding in all of the other ingredients. Because the chicken broth was put in as a frozen block, I let it melt before I added the rice. The stock, by the way, was homemade from our Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. If you'll let me digress even further, I recently read a great posting by my friend over at Mormon Foodie on making a good stock.
Also, once the main set of ingredients was in the dutch oven, I set an even number of coals top and bottom. It ended up being about a total of 30 coals, 'cause it was seriously cold out. Outdoor cooking in the winter is odd that way, ya know? I just cooked it until it tasted good and the rice was done.
Anyway, my family loved it, and my son had seconds. That's a good confirmation.
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
I have some good friends across the street. They're a young couple, and he's a techie and a graphic designer. He's been working on a website that looks really great called absoluteblastcaps.com, and he's been asking me for some SEO help and advice.
Now, sometime last summer (or it might have been last spring), he went fishing and gave me some of the fish he'd caught. He also made me some fish soup. Man, it was delicious! It was a mess to eat, though, because the fish was just cut up into chunks. It was gutted and scaled, but not filleted. So, you're eating the broth and the veggies with a spoon, an you're pulling the fish meat off the bones with your fingers, and it's a mess. Really, if you eat this stuff, you'll want to be with good friends, because it's a mess. Did I mention that?
So, because of that, and since it's his recipe and method, and since he gave me the fish, and since I invited him and his wife over to sample it tonight, I'm calling it "Friendship Fish Soup".
"Friendship" Fish Soup in a Dutch Oven
12" Dutch Oven
20-24 coals below
4-6 cups water
2-3 medium fish
4-5 medium onions, sliced
4-5 stalks celery, sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small-medium zuchinni, quartered and sliced
4-5 medium carrots, sliced
1-2 green peppers, sliced
1 jalapeno, cored, seeded, and sliced
Bay leaves
Basil
~1/4 cup lemon juice, to taste
~1 Tbsp Salt, to taste
Pepper to taste
This is really an easy dutch oven recipe to make. You slice up the veggies, you cut up the fish, you put it on the coals and you cook it.
Like I said, earlier, he gave me the fish last spring, so I gutted, scaled, cleaned them and then froze them. I just got them out in the early afternoon and let them thaw. I cut off the tails, and then cut the fish into 4 2-inch chunks. I put that in the dutch oven, bones, skin and all. I put in all the other ingredients, and put it on the coals, covered with the lid.
Really, you can do this with whatever veggies you've got on hand. I went really heavy on the onions, because I like a soup that's got some good veggie substance to it. Potatoes would have been another good one to add. Noodles or rice would have also worked. I like keeping the broth pretty clear, though, because you're gonna be sticking your fingers in it...
Every fifteen minutes or so, I'd check it and taste the broth. Add salt, pepper, and the seasonings you like as you would. I think I'd have added a bit more jalapeno, or only cored half the jalapeno I added, so there would've been a bit more heat.
I thought about going with some poultry stock to start with, instead of water, but I finally figured that we'd be making a great fish and veggie stock, so I just used water.
I really liked it. My wife wasn't as enthused by it, and didn't like the idea of picking fish bones out of her soup, so she only had the veggies. Still, we had a great time visiting with our friends, and I really like the recipe. Every once in a while, I make something that I like, even though hardly anyone else will.
Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
or 
(these, and all other links in this article are affiliate links, by the way, and I'll get paid if you buy from them). You'll possibly notice that almost all of the recipes in my blog use that basic size. My two 12"ers are the workhorses of my cast iron collection.
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ned to have a pound of stew meat wrapped up and frozen, and I thought I'd use it. I just did a few 'net searches to get an idea of what to put in, and this is what I came up with.
