Some Outdoor Dutch Oven Baking Tips

1 – Make sure to use good quality briquettes

2 – Stack the briquettes, light them, and make sure all briquettes are completely started before putting them on or under the oven.

3 – Only handle the briquettes and the Dutch oven with the proper tools when hot to prevent burns.

4 – To ensure even baking, many Dutch oven experts rotate the oven ¼ turn clockwise and the lid ¼ turn counter-clockwise every 10-15 minutes.

The Nanny’s famous Peach Cobbler is always a favorite, even when we’re not camping. Cook up a delicious batch for dessert and keep everyone close to the campfire. 

Old-Fashioned Hamburger Stew

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey

1 cup onions, chopped

1 cup potatoes, cubed

1 cup carrots, sliced

2/3 cup celery, diced

1 cup cabbage, shredded

8 oz. tomato sauce

1/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 beef bouillon cubes

6 cups water (6 cups)

1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions:

Brown ground beef and onion and drain grease.  Add browned beef, onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbage, and tomato sauce to Dutch oven.  Place 14-16 briquettes underneath the oven and bring to a boil. Add rice, thyme, bay leaf, salt, cayenne, bouillon, and water. Cover the oven and simmer for 50 minutes. Add peas and cook another 5 to 10 minutes.

Creamy Southwest Ranch Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 lbs. small red potatoes, quartered
12 oz. fresh broccoli, cut in pieces
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 envelope buttermilk ranch dry salad dressing mix
1 can cream of potato soup
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Place potatoes and broccoli in 12" Dutch Oven. Combine cream cheese and salad dressing mix in a medium bowl.  Add soup to cream cheese mix. Add mixture to potatoes in Dutch oven, stirring to coat. Place cover on Dutch oven and cook 3-4 hours with 14-16 briquettes on top and 6-8 briquettes on bottom), until potatoes are tender. Serve with cheese sprinkled over the top.

Country Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup canola oil

1 small (8-oz.) can creamed corn

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

Directions:

Coat the inside of the Dutch oven with shortening or oil. Mix together all ingredients and pour into the Dutch oven. Place cover on Dutch oven and bake with 14-16 briquettes on top and 8-10 briquettes underneath. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Your family will love this interesting twist on the old potato standby. These Creamy Southwest Ranch Potatoes are somewhere between a soup and baked potatoes, but above all, they are simply delicious. 

Black Bean Southwest Chicken

Ingredients:

3 cups corn kernels (2  small 15 oz. cans, drained)             

2 small (15 oz.) cans black beans; drained             

2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 yellow onions, chopped           

2 green bell peppers,sliced         

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

6 cloves garlic, crushed

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken strips

1 large (30 oz.) can stewed tomatoes, chopped                   

2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste         

1 lb. pepper jack cheese; grated

1 (8 oz.) can diced green chiles

Directions:

In a 12" Dutch oven mix together corn, black beans, onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper and green chiles. Add chicken to Dutch oven contents; stir to mix in. Place cover on Dutch oven and bake with 14-16 briquettes on top and 8-10 briquettes under the oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until chicken is cooked thru and no longer pink. Open the oven, sprinkle cheese over the top, then replace lid until cheese has melted (about 5 min.)

Nanny's Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 stick butter     

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour        

1 1/2  cup milk

2 cups sugar      

4 cups sliced peaches

1 Tablespoon baking powder     

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

Melt the butter in a 12" Dutch oven.  In a separate bowl, use a fork to mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk and beat until batter is smooth.

Pour batter directly into melted butter, but don’t mix or stir. Then, carefully add peaches on top of the batter, but again, don’t mix or stir. Sprinkle cinnamon over top.

Place cover on Dutch oven and bake with 18-20 briquettes on top and 10-12 briquettes under the oven. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until crust is golden.

Patriotic Strawberries

Ingredients:

Strawberries

white chocolate

blue sprinkles

Directions:

In a sauce pan; melt the white chocolate until smooth and hot.  Then in a small bowl put the blue sprinkles in. 

Dip half the strawberries into the white chocolate.  Then dip the dips into the bowl with the blue sprinkles. 

Put on a decorative plate and then serve.