Well, I finally succumbed and bought a dutch oven.  We're going camping in Lake George, NY for a week the end of August.  Can't WAIT!

Anyway, I've wanted a Dutch oven for a long time, and finally bought one.  Now I just need some GOOD, tried and true, not too many ingredients recipes.  And I already know about the seasoning of said Dutch oven, so don't waste time telling me about that.  Just the recipes, hints, or tips, please.  Oh, I bought a 4 quart one, if that matters.

Can anyone help a wench out?  

Wish I could Daisy, I travel with my home on wheels.

At first I was going to say "Take one blanket, 2 people, and some beans", but then I said hey, be nice, it is for the ladies, so here

As a cubmaster, I made lots of use of the scouts info and sites.

You can cook anything in a dutch oven that you can cook in an oven at the house.  Learn to regulate the heat that is the hard part. Test it in your back yard before you go on your camping trip.

One trick is that I have a round metal cake pan and a metal pie pan that I keep in my dutch oven.  When I am cooking a cake I put the pie pan upside down in the bottom of the oven and then put the cake pan on top and bake away.  It keeps it from burning on the bottom.

What type of food do you want to cook?

http://www.idos.com  Also, lodgemfg.com has a few.  Google is your friend when it comes down to dutch oven's.

Quoted: You can cook anything in a dutch oven that you can cook in an oven at the house.  Learn to regulate the heat that is the hard part. Test it in your back yard before you go on your camping trip. One trick is that I have a round metal cake pan and a metal pie pan that I keep in my dutch oven.  When I am cooking a cake I put the pie pan upside down in the bottom of the oven and then put the cake pan on top and bake away.  It keeps it from burning on the bottom. What type of food do you want to cook?

One dish meals, mostly.  I found a ton of recipes on google, but wanted to see if anyone here had any tried and wonderful recipes, that's why I posted the thread.

A recipe is only good if someone else has tried it before.

Goto Macscouter.com. he has thousands of receipes and cooking guides from charcoal to seasoning your oven. Good luck and enjoy

Greg Tweedy
Cubmaster pack 217

Meat, onions, carrots, and potato's.Celery, and a bay leaf. Garlic and a dash of water.  

Beans, brocilli, brussel sprouts..


Oh wait.. wrong kind of dutch oven..

Quoted: Well, I finally succumbed and bought a dutch oven.  We're going camping in Lake George, NY for a week the end of August.  Can't WAIT! Anyway, I've wanted a Dutch oven for a long time, and finally bought one.  Now I just need some GOOD, tried and true, not too many ingredients recipes.  And I already know about the seasoning of said Dutch oven, so don't waste time telling me about that.  Just the recipes, hints, or tips, please.  Oh, I bought a 4 quart one, if that matters. Can anyone help a wench out?

I haven't gotten beyond cobblers and bisquits in mine. Both of those are easy:

Cobbler (more like a Brown Betty, really):
• Heat the oven on the coals
• Dump in a couple of cans of pie filling, canned fruit, etc. and bring to a boil
• While that's cooking mix up some bisquik topping (though, I've been using stuff like cinnamon cake mix)
• Once the fruit is hot remove the oven from the coals
• Pour in the topping mix
• Pile a bunch of coals on top of the lid (you're now cooking from above ONLY)
• Peek inside from time to time. When the crust looks close to being cooked put some butter and sugar (or brown sugar) on top and cook a little while longer so that the top browns.

Simple, but folks love it.

Biscuits (I use the 8 to a can, premade type)

• preheat oven on coals
• put some oil in the bottom (just enough to slightly puddle on the bottom)
• dip both sides of the premade biscuits in the oil, arrange the biscuits on the bottom of the pan
• remove the oven from the coals underneath
• Pile a bunch of coals on the lid. Resist the temptation to keep just a "few" underneath (you'll burn the biscuits for sure)
• Cook about 15 minutes


OK, super basic stuff but that's all I've done so far. I keep meaning to try something else but haven't done it yet. I'm still at the stage where the dutch oven is a complement to the camp kitchen and not the main utensil. Camping for me is an exuse to eat well so meals usually involve steaks, kabobs or something pretty decent. The dutch oven, so far, has just been a way to include something extra -- like a hot desert. I'd like to try a pizza sometime. Otherwise, I think a Shepherd's pie might be good.

FWIW, what I did when I got my dutch oven was head to the Boy Scout section of the local hardware store and pick up their camp cooking book. It has several basic dutch oven recipes in it.

Sorry to butt in... but has anyone told you it is hard to cook with a Dutch oven with wood fire?  I always use  charcoal.  You can use wood it is just harder.. Just thought I would pass that on.   I have three:  One small one and two larger ones.  I found one at a yard sale unused and unseasoned for  $10.00.  

Easy recipes: A beef (or) deer roast (about a lb purr person) Large can of Veg -ee-all, seasons to teats, can of sliced potato's [Briguette 15-20 on bottom and half that number on top]   How long to cook. Fist time out watch it. Check it after a few hours..... then every 30 min  or so.  You should be able to tell when the meat is done.  You may want to add a can of gravy to start with or a little water.  Add the Veg-ee-all and potato’s towards the end, 30 min to and hour. If you use canned veg and potato's they should only need to be warmed up!!!

If something does not go just right.  Try, try again.  Once you GO DUTCH... MRE and freeze dried will never be the same....  GOOD LUCK!!!!


PITA45

PS Backpack stores or Fronteer /Mountion man stores shold have books on cooking with Dutch Over... That should be helpful too!!!!

Quoted:Once you GO DUTCH... MRE and freeze dried will never be the same....

Please don't tell me that people eat MREs when they don't have to! Camping is an excuse to EAT WELL! No Beanie-weenies for me. Give me a steak!

Quoted: ...seasons to teats... PITA45

Gawd, I hope that was a typo!

am I too late

Simple beef chili with kidney beans

2 tblsp. Veg. oil
2 med. Onions, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tblsp. Garlic
¼ cup chili powder
1 tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 pounds ground beef
2 cans (16 ounces each) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
Salt

Heat oil in a large heavy dutch oven over med. Heat until shimmering but not smoking, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano and cayenne; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.  Increase heat to med-high and add half the beef; cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add remaining beef and cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree and ½ tsp salt; bring to boil , then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.  Remove cover and continue to simmer for 30 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. (if chili begins to stick to bottom stir in ½ cup water and continue to simmer), until beef is tender and chili is dark, rich and slightly thickened.

thanks for the replies and recipes all.  I'm a bit disappointed, because even though I paid for the Dutch oven almost 2 weeks ago, it's still not here.  I begged with the seller on Ebay to please send it asap.  I got a message from her on Monday, a full week after I bought it, that it was going out fedex "GROUND" that day.  I tracked it yesterday, and it was still in Texas.  sigh.

Oh well.  What can ya do?  Maybe a miracle will happen and I'll get it today, but I doubt it.  Now I have to go stock up on heavy duty aluminum foil, because I won't have a dutch oven to cook in, and will have to make foil packets for cooking alot of stew type stuff.  Which is fine.  I can still make chili though in my big stock pot on the fire.

But I'm not very happy with my ebay seller right now.

Quoted: Goto Macscouter.com. he has thousands of receipes and cooking guides from charcoal to seasoning your oven. Good luck and enjoy Greg Tweedy Cubmaster pack 217

Have a different link for this one?  Would also like a few different recipes to try.