How Did You Get Started in Dutch Oven Cooking?

By Keith Fisher

What was the motivating factor?

Recently, I interviewed some of my friends, asking them how they got involved with International Dutch Oven Society, and Dutch oven cooking in general. There was a time, when cast iron pots were an oddity, and most outdoor cooking was done on the barbecue.

At sometime during our lives, every Dutch oven cook caught the bug, if you will. We crossed the line between active participation and being a spectator. I used cast iron pots on camping trips for years before I got serious and my blood began to run with cast iron.

Since then, I’ve met many like-minded people who are some of the best souls I’ve ever met. What was my motivation? For me, the madness came, on a Saturday, when I wanted to make dinner for my wife, but I needed to keep working in my garden.

I pulled a Dutch oven out of the camping stuff, thawed a venison roast, and stared some coals. As time went on I cut up potatoes, carrots, and onions from the garden. Toward the end of cooking, I added corn on the cob from that same garden. Before I knew it, there was too much food for only 2 people. I called my Dad and brother and invited them to dinner. They dropped everything and came up.

Up to that point, my wife and I, had enjoyed holding backyard parties and firing up the barbecue. I soon discovered that more people would come if I told them I was cooking Dutch oven.

We got caught up in competition after that, and now my barbecue gets used once a year, but the Dutch ovens go with us everywhere. Backyard parties are Dutch oven gatherings. Whenever I plan a menu for camping, I think of Dutch ovens. I use skillets and grills too, but my pots get used most frequently.

Carol Hill told me a great story about visiting her relatives in Wyoming, She experienced Dutch oven cooking from a pot buried in the ground, surrounded by coals. The Hills were sold from that point on.

Terry Lewis said his family had always been cooking in Dutch ovens. He grew up with a cast iron tradition.

Ranes Carter said it was a better way of cooking in camp than a Hobo Stove.

Dannie Phillips told me he saw Val Cowley teach a class at a military surplus and camping store.

Many folks have watched a cook off, thinking they might not be able to make fancy dishes, but they could make stew on the elk hunt. Many folks thought it would be good to have a Dutch oven in their emergency food storage. I hope they pulled it out of the box and used it.

What was your inspiration? I’d love to know. I’m putting together a Dutch oven cookbook and I’ll use your name in the essay. Leave a comment on this blog or send me an email to bloghole57 at yahoo dot com

Another note, I’m still hoping the man who sat next to me at the Friday night DOG during the convention will send me an email. Remind me of your name so I can enter you in the drawing. I’m sorry my senior memory has gone the way of the world.

Yes, Its that Time of Year Again

By Keith Fisher

In our busy lives today, it seems it’s always (Some) time of year again. Whether its time to rake the leaves, shovel snow, or plant the garden, We have markers in our lives that keep us connected to the calendar and to each other. For many of us, springtime brings thoughts of getting our gear out, cleaning it up, and packing it in to go camping.

I know I promised to write about something else this time, but I feel the urge to talk about our ancestral need to get out into nature.

In our house, the first camping trip of the year usually coincides with the Spring Dutch oven convention. As you know from my blog last week, the event is held at the Davis County Fairgrounds, in Farmington, Utah. In the past, we parked in the parking lot. Now there’s a campground.

Its my shakedown trip, because it gives me a chance to see if anything is going to break down before I get into the wilderness somewhere. Camping in the city provides me with convenient auto and trailer parts stores. If I forget to fill the propane tanks, I don’t have to drive several miles to rectify the problem.

I need to admit, though, I got this idea from John Mckenzie, an old friend who we used to camp with. A group of us, used to go to Provo Boat Harbor in early May, before the mosquitos took up residence. Many a Dutch oven meal made our camping trips heavenly.

Anyway, after the shakedown every year, I’m ready for campgrounds, National Parks, and wild places. In Utah, that usually means the mountains somewhere. It also means reservations. I had a conversation with my brother once, when he predicted a day that we wouldn’t be able to use the canyons with paying a fee. Although I hated to think about it, I figured he was right, but I hoped it wouldn’t happen in my lifetime.

That day is here, so start now, plan your trips for this year, and get reservations early. Because of the economy last year, it was possible to get reservations, sometimes within the same week of your trip. That’s not always the case, and it won’t last forever. Get your reservations.

It is, still possible, however, to find open places for camping in Utah. If your pleasure is fishing, boating, and tourist attractions, you will need to camp in a designated campground, but if you want to make your own fun, consider the desert.

Wherever you go, don’t forget your camp kitchen. What a thrill it is to watch the sun go down over a mountain peak, while putting the finishing touches on your Dutch oven meal. Or, light a fire in the morning and roast brats for breakfast.

There is satisfaction in rolling your dough out before reveille, cutting biscuits to bake. Then, to watch your campmates stick their heads out to get a whiff of your cooking.

Camping for me is like a link to the past. My father loved to hunt and fish. I remember fishing trips and a vague trip to Yellowstone. As a child, I dreamed of the day when I could go deer hunting with my dad and brother. My uncles and grandpa would be there too.

When that day finally arrived, I was overwhelmed, but I think I fell in love with the camping part of it more than the hunting part. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the hunting, but I loved my grandfather’s camp cooking. He loved to make pancakes for breakfast.

Over the years, we went from Tent camping to a cab-over camper on the back of Dad’s truck. When I married, I bought a camper to get her off the ground. But I needed the truck for hunting, and I got tired of loading and unloading the camper. I bought a camp trailer. When my daughter was born, we needed a bathroom---well, you get the picture. Camping has been part of our lives and camp cooking has been part of the fun.

Now, I gaze at old pictures and marvel over the great campsites we used over the years. Sometimes we had a perfectly placed tree to hang our lantern. Sometimes we made camp furniture from fallen logs. Always, we had great discussions around the campfire.

Shortly after getting married, we started taking trips into the desert. It was a great place to get away from the crowds at Easter time. Now the ATV crowd is moving in, but it’s still a nice place to go. There are beautiful things in the desert, not seen at 25 miles per hour on the back of a four-wheeler. Keep in mind though, It’s a harsh climate.

Whether you hunt, fish, ATV, fly kites, or ride horses. Camping can be a great part of it. There’s nothing like riding into camp on your four-wheeler, or pulling your boat up to the dock, and sitting down to a hot Dutch oven meal. Cobbler tastes just as good in the mountains as in the desert. Your skillet works just as well in a motor home, as on camp stove, or campfire. Brats are delicious roasted on a stick.

Still, if you can't possibly get away, and work keeps you at home, there’s always your back yard, isn’t there?

Beep, Beep, Beep

By Keith Fisher

While my family slept, I stood outside the trailer, basking in the glory of the new day. A layer of frost had formed during the night obscuring the view through the windshield of my truck. Over the field to the west, preparations were being made to handle the onslaught. A small car came through the Davis County Fairgrounds parking lot, and the driver honked the horn.

Well, it was more of a high pitched beep and the driver continued the beeping as the car went around the back of the buildings and parked on the lawn. That has to be Ranes, I thought. A man got out of the car with his boys. Yep, it was Ranes Carter.

I drove my truck over to unload my stuff into the taste of Dutch building. “Ranes,” I said. “You’re liable to get shot, honking that horn.”
“Just waking everybody up,” he said.
What a nice guy, I thought. He doesn’t want any one to miss any part of the convention.

The day had begun for many of us who attended the convention. The Dutch oven potluck dinner, the night before, had been delicious. With several pots of tempting morsels lined up, there was no excuse for anyone to be hungry.

I made orange hotdogs. I filled a 12-inch deep Dutch oven with hotdogs, cut in half. Then, I simmered them in two cans of cream soda for about 45 minutes. About an hour before serving, I poured the contents of a large bottle of Panda Express Orange Sauce, over the dogs. I let them simmer.

I’ve written about the convention before, so you know about the format. In building number one, There were demos and classes. Everything from Dutch oven 101, to making pizzas in a Dutch oven was talked about. Many cooks learned new things or were reminded of things they had forgotten.

Building two was for the vendors to display their camp cooking wares and gadgets. Many an innovative doohickey has been sold there over the years. Also, are the Dutch oven essentials, everything you would need to start cooking in your backyard.

Sharing that building, International Dutch Oven Society (IDOS), set up displays and sold recipe books and dispensed information. At noon, IDOS held an auction in this building. Ron Hill and Clyde Miller, Both former IDOS presidents, did a great job selling many useful items for camp cooking.

Moving South to building three, we found the Youth cook off. Teams ranging from 12 years to 17 years old competed for coveted prizes. I’ve been a judge of this cook off before, and I can say, the dishes those kids present would amaze you. This year, was no exception.

Sharing the building with the cook off, was Ram Cooking Supplies, a vendor, who provides quality utensils for cooking great dishes. They sold a steel mixing bowl big enough to bathe a large baby. They are always a welcome sight at the convention.

Also in building three is the Taste of Dutch. Every year, many cooks gather to provide samples for convention attendees. The type of cooking ranges from simple to elaborate. Cooks share secrets, samples, and encouragement.

Because of teaching, judging the cookoff, and laziness, It’s been several years since I cooked in Taste of Dutch. My wife and I used to be standards in the event. With all the talk, during the championships, about the good old days, I decided to volunteer. My wife, Wendy, had planned to take a few classes. I planned to cook three dishes, pack up, and enjoy the convention. I got roped into baking a pile of Rhodes Frozen Dough that had been donated by the company. Also, I baked Bruce’s two pots of pull-a-parts.

Wendy, stepped in, and never got to the classes, and by the time it was over, I’d cooked peanut butter cookie cake, potato smashers, peach dump cake, two pots of pull-a-parts, And a pile of Rhodes bread, orange rolls, and cinnamon rolls. All in all I cooked 13 pots of food, and Wendy did cleanup and served it to the spectators. Wendy also helped judge the cook off.

At the end of the day, IDOS held the annual meeting for members. I sat down for a while and had trouble straightening back up. Still, I had a great time.

It all started with the beep, beep, beeping, of Ranes Carter’s horn. He made up for it, though, by cooking breakfast for many of us. He made biscuits and gravy to die for. Don’t worry, I’m going to pester him until he gives me the recipe. Then, I’ll post it here.

In the meantime, here are a couple of simple recipes.

Potato Smashers

In a 14-inch Dutch oven, put a little water. Cube two medium onions, or one large onion. Cube approximately fifteen potatoes. Make enough to fill the oven (not quite to the top). Add water if needed and boil. Coals on the bottom only.

When soft, mash the potatoes with a little milk and two squares of butter. Mix in grated cheese and two packages of turkey bacon bits.

That’s it. Mix the cheese and bacon bits into mashed potatoes. Of course it tastes better in a Dutch oven.

Also,

Peanut Butter Cookie Cake.

I used a brownie mix according to directions. You could use a cake mix and use only ¼ cup water. 2/3 cup oil and two eggs. The idea is to make a thick batter. Thicker than a cake batter. With that mixed, spoon it into a 12-inch Dutch oven that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Level the batter and add two packages peanut butter chips. Spread them around and push them into the batter.

Bake until a knife or toothpick inserted, comes out clean. Turn out of oven onto a cake rack, and let cool. When cool, frost with white frosting, and cut into squares. I used to use a white cake mix and one package of chocolate chips. But this time I used chocolate cake so I used two packages of peanut butter chips.

The Dutch oven convention happens every spring. There is also one in the fall that travels from place to place. Stay tuned to http://www.idos.org/ for info. Sometimes vendors offer fantastically cheap deals. Every time, however, you can taste great food, and learn smart tips. Plan to be there next year.

I wrote about a contest last week and one man mentioned he’d read my blog. I thought I’d remember, so I didn’t write his name down. Okay I admit to my senior moment. Could you make a comment or send me an email so I can remember? I’m talking to the man I sat next to, at the DOG. We’ll get the drawing going after I hear from you.

Next time, well talk to a few people about Dutch oven cooking, and how they got started. Well also talk about professional cooking and how it differs from camp cooking. We'll also have the drawing.

A Gathering of Iron Heads

By Keith Fisher

Every year, a great opportunity is presented to the people of Utah, and the World. I’ve spoken about this before, and once again, I’m amazed that so many good folks don’t take advantage of it.

Every spring, International Dutch Oven Society, (IDOS) holds a Dutch oven convention in Farmington Utah. There is talk of moving the location, but it has been on the Davis County Fairgrounds for many years.

The event starts this Friday with a (DOG), Dutch oven gathering (Potluck party). Bring food. Cook it there, get a ton of tips, share some of your own.

Some of us will be camping, and staying over. You’re welcome to sit by my off the ground campfire and chat. I might have a few marshmallows to roast.

The next morning, Saturday at 9 a.m. the convention begins. There will be vendors, classes, demos, and The Taste of Dutch. I will be cooking free samples along with many others. You can help me, by suggesting something for me to cook. What do you want to eat?

Also on Saturday, there will be a Dutch oven cook off for youth. Terry Lewis is directing it, and he needs more competitors. Come see what these kids can do. I judged that cook off for a few years, and I know most of those dishes would give the adults a run for their money.

For more information on any of these events, or to enter your kids in the cook off, go to the IDOS website. See you there.

As an added incentive, if you find me at the convention, and mention you saw this blog, I will enter you in my drawing. If you leave a comment, then mention it at the convention, I will enter you twice.

The winner will get their choice of a Chuck wagon dinner bell, Camp cooking video, or Dutch oven candle. Now I have to remember to take them with me, Darn!

I Dreamed about Cast Iron

By Keith Fisher

I had a dream (or nightmare) last night. I made some things I've never made before. Some of the recipes were pretty off the wall. I'll let you know how they turn out. Anyway I woke with a hankerin. Its time to get out there and cook.

Where I live, its spring, one-day and winter the next, but those warm days are perfect for cooking outdoors. In most households, its time to scrub the carbon off the barbecue grill and get the propane tank filled. Also, in Dutch oven households, there's some preparation work that needs doing.

Back when I started competing, I would pull out all my tools, spread them out under my carport, and brush off the rusty flecks. Then I would give everything a new coat of glossy black paint. The tools used with fire, got barbecue paint. The other stuff got a coat of cheaper spray paint.

This was also the time I would asses and repair. I'd check my tools for usability, decide if I needed to get another one, or would it make it through another year. My father was a milwright welder, so I handmade most of my tools, but there are other things, I won at cookoffs, or purchased because my heart just couldn't let it go.

Anyway, I cleaned everything up, with new paint, then, turned to the cast Iron. In competitions, my ovens needed to sparkle, so I always took extra care with them. I have ovens that look like my newly painted tools, shiny and black. Every once in while, however, I would find a neglected pot with too much oil coating the cast Iron. Invariably the oil had gone rancid, and I had to heat up the pot to burn the oil out and re-season.

My pots never went rusty, because with matching tags on the lid and the pot, I never stored a pot with the lid on. If I made a mistake, I could always brush out the rust and re-season.

After the ritual, I had clean, new looking tools, which begged me to fire and the coals. Spring had not sprung each year, until I cooked too much, and invited family and friends over to help eat my extravagance.

You can do this too. You don't need to prepare for cook offs in order to get your stuff out. If you have been cooking all winter, then you've already done it. Get those pots out, try out some new tools, repair the old ones, and heat 'em up. Get out there and announce the season. Cook something delicious—invite your family to help you eat it. Have fun, its going to be another great year.

Dutch Oven Delight

By Keith Fisher

Yesterday, I promised to talk about things to do with Dutch ovens. The past few days we've talked about the World Championships, and I realize competing isn't everyone's cup of Herbal tea. Some people love cooking outside, some people (hushed tones) don't use Dutch ovens.

A lot of good folks use a skillet on the camp stove, or they've mastered the art of the barbcue. I posted an article here, once, and spoke about gas barbcues. I showed a picture of the bells and whistles and made me and many other men salivate.

Today I want to talk about the DOG. It's an acronym for Dutch oven gathering. There are families and clubs who get together often and have pot luck parties, centered around outdoor, (Dutch oven) cooking. You can join a group that meets once a month or so, for this purpose.

At a Dog there are people who can help you. They can teach you, you can teach them. you can swap stories and eat great food. I will give you information that will help you find a Dog near you.

In the meantime, I want to show you this poem, Written by Dee McMillan, and read by her, in the cook's meeting at Worlds. Dee is from Louisiana, living in Utah and She's a Dutch oven enthusiast.

The Life of a D.O.G.

A real dog, I’m not talking about
but Dutch Oven Gatherings also known as a cookout.
It is where friends gather around and cook in cast iron pots over charcoal
and you can do it any time in the heat or the cold.
Yep all seasons, summer, winter, spring and fall,
and it is a lot of fun had by all.
All kinds of cooking you can do
boiling, baking, and cooking stew.
New things folks are always trying
roasting, steaming and even frying.
It is something folks have been doing for hundreds of years
and from its popularity it will be going on a whole lot longer it appears.
Just throw a few coals together and get them hot
and prepare what you are going to cook and put it in the pot.
Put some hot coals on the ground
and then place your pot down.
Cover with some more coals and just sit back and wait
and when it’s done grab a plate.
You are never too young or too old to learn
and it doesn’t even matter if it burns.
It is all about being outdoors and being with friends
and it looks like it will never end.
Yep, I imagine when you get to heaven and beyond the Pearly Gates,
you will see some of your old cooking mates.
And Dutch ovens they will be gathered around
that’s where your old friends will be found.
But in Heaven a Dutch oven will no longer be made of cast iron, but of gold
so I guess Dutch Oven Gatherings will never get old.

Dee McMillan
3/18/2010

International Dutch Oven society has chapters all over. There are other Dutch oven groups that provide cammeraderie, also. Go to the IDOS website and check out the chapters. Also check out the links.

Also, I promised a recipe today. Click on the link and take a look. Remember this recipe is copyrighted.

What is a Field Judge?

By Keith Fisher

“Hey, Virgil, what do you think of that corn field over thar?”
“It ain’t as pretty as that filed of wheat.”
“Are you crazy? The hog waller is prettier than that wheat field.”
“Come on, Lamar, look at the way those wheat stocks wave in the wind. It reminds me of the amber waves of grain from the song.”

I used to think of a conversation like this when I heard the term field judge. When I found out what they do, I soon found out their job is so much more.

In a Dutch oven cook off, the field judges keep watch over sanitation. It’s their job to make sure cooks use safe food handling practices, and take meat temperatures. Today, it’s for the safety of the taste judges, but in the days of sample distribution, it was to protect the public.

Traditionally, the winners of a cook off, were asked to come back next year and field judge, Now they are chosen by the event director. We had good ones at the championship this year.

I had the chance to speak with most of them and renew acquaintances. I asked them what it was like judging in the world championship.

Ron Hill said, “Very nice. Especially in this competition, these are all great cooks.”

Brian Terry told me, “It’s an excellent job. No responsibility—no pressure—I get to eat.”

“I like that idea too,” Bruce Tracy said. “The level of competition is so high, and the talent, so intense, that there’s not a lot for a field judge to help the teams with. They already know it all at this level.”

Kent Mayberry kept a close eye on procedures, saying, “It’s all about food safety.”

One of the duties of a field judge is to check Dutch ovens for cleanliness. What kinds of things are you looking for?

Well, today,” Kent said. “We lifted a lid on one of these ovens and you could smell an odd smell coming from the inside the pot. It’s just an automatic, not pleasant smell. It wasn’t quite rancid, but it was strong enough to wonder.”

“So I asked the team to take it outside, smoke it out, and re-oil it. Or what you can do is put water in and boil the rancid out. 99% of the ovens were good today, but you can smell when the oil has gone rancid, you get an initial shock.”

“It’s better to tell the team to boil it out now, then to let the food judges taste the rancid. If it’s rancid, I’m 99% sure they won’t advance to the finals.”

Brian, who was judging the finals on Saturday, said he didn’t smell the ovens. He just asked if they had cooked in them yesterday, or the day before. They had, so he didn’t need to check them.

On a personal note: Rancid oil isn’t the only thing a judge is looking for. In a cook off (Not the worlds) I came across a whole set of ovens that hadn’t been cleaned. There was food stuck to the inside of one of them. It was embarrasing to tell a friend they needed to clean their ovens before they could start.

So, guys if the cooks in this competition are so good, what exactly do you do?

Ron Hill said, “Try to look busy so I don’t get fired.”

“Even at this level, people make mistakes,” Kent said.

“If we see something really blatant we might mention it to them.” Bruce said.

Brian said, “I look for licking fingers. Keeping meat out to long, we check the meat temperatures to make sure they’re in the safe range, but in this level of competition, generally, there isn’t a problem.”

There was a time when the field judges were looking for reasons to remove points. I’m glad they have become a source of help to the cooks. If a cook makes a mistake, the field judges are there to help.

Listen to the rest of my interview with Brian and Bruce. They kept saying that the level of competition didn’t leave them much to do. So, I asked what kinds of things they would be looking for in different cook off.

Next time, we’ll talk about some of the things you can do in a Dutch oven. And a recipe or two.