castironitis

Rogue Dutch oven Cookers busy in Southern Oregon!

2011-01-18T23:30:00.000-08:00

I haven't written much lately and I'm sorry for that but Im doing well and work has been crazy! I was hired in a "part time" position at Callahan's Lodge in Ashland Oregon and have been putting in 50+ hour weeks for the past 8 weeks and Im darned tired when I get home. What happened to "part time"?

Anywho, As the director if the Rogue Dutch oven Cooker's Chapter of IDOS things in Southern Oregon are crazy when it comes to Dutch oven cooking. Feb 19 at 4 pm at Sportsman's Warehouse in Medford the Chapter is having a DOG and I am teaching a 3 hour class.

March Im traveling to Redding, Ca for the Nor Cal Sports and Rec. Show Annual Dutch oven cook off and hoping to bring some chapter members with me to compete as well.

April isn't planed yet but in May on the first weekend, we have 2 events planned. One is a DOG at the Butte Creek Mill in Eagle Point, Oregon beginning at 8 am for the Vintage Fair. The second in Klamath Falls is a Dutch oven cook off with classes and demos all weekend at the Klamath County Fairgrounds with the High Dessert Trail Riders Chapter of Back Country Horsemans Assn. Both are free events to attend but the big draw is the 3 pot cook off in K Falls. the winners go to SLC for the world championship dutch oven cook off in 2012.

June is the Carson City Rendezvous Dutch oven cook off. We all know what a great event that is and Ive been told by my employer I will have the time off to be there. (lets see)

More to come later for the second 6 months of the year but things here in southern Oregon are awesome!

Carson City Rendezvous! June 11-13, 2010

2010-05-22T19:03:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder for everyone! The Carson City Rendezvous Dutch oven weekend is
comming up in a few weeks! Friday and Saturday are filled with classes,
demonstrations, and lots of food to sample. Saturday evening at 6 pm we are
serving dinner at our annual DOG, With the option to buy a 1 lb slice of Rock
Salt Baked prime rib.
Sunday is the IDOS sanctioned WCCO Qualifying cook off starting at 9 am. We have
4 world simi finalist teams and others signed up! Its gonna be a fun and
exciting weekend for sure! Contact me if you want more info or want to register
in the cook off. We have prizes of over $500 for the winning 3 teams!

S.C.A. Eagles Lebanon, Oregon Memorial Day weekend

2010-05-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend I'll be traveling to Lebanon Oregon to cook for the S.C.A. event. I've been asked to cook for House Klemend Holdt and their sister ship Kissing Dragon. Looking forward to having a crazy fun weekend before Carson City. Cooking a 15th century meal in the Dutch ovens then off to Carson City Rendezvous to cook 19 and early 20th century food and modern favorites! FUN FUN FUN!!!

Dutch oven demos, classes and upcoming DOGS!

2010-04-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

For those interested, the following dates and locations of demos, classes and DOGS I will be participating in through the middle of June 2010.
April 24
Oakridge, Oregon: rest stop East side on Hwy 58 classes and DOG 12 noon start time

April 30, May 1 and 2
Klamath Falls, Oregon: Klamath County Fairgrounds Back Country Horseman's Assn. Packing Clinic. Demos all 3 days with cook book signing, sales and much more

May 8
Eagle Point, Oregon DOG and demos at the Butte Creek Mill starting at 10 am for a Vintage fair.

June 11, 12, and 13
Carson City, Nevada: Carson City Rendezvous, Dutch oven cooking all weekend including classes, demos, Dutch oven meals, a DOG featuring Prime Rib dinner 6 pm Saturday evening, and a WCCO qualifying 3 pot cook off on Sunday.

Zinfully Creamed Fingerling Potatoes

2010-04-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is my version of a dish prepared at the Cast iron chef challenge at the WCC in Sandy , Utah last week. There was no recipe from the chef but the flavors are spot on from his original version. ENJOY!

1 lb. each purple, red and golden fingerling potatoes
1 to 2 Tbs. olive oil
1 ½ to 2 c. heavy cream
¼ tsp. whole lavender, crushed
1/8 to ¼ tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

Quarter fingerling potatoes lengthwise into wedges. Spread oil around bottom of a 10” Dutch oven. Add potatoes to the Dutch oven then pour just enough cream over the potatoes to barely cover the top of the potatoes. Sprinkle the crushed lavender and nutmeg evenly over the cream. If you want a more savory dish sprinkle with a pinch of fresh ground black pepper but, try it without the pepper the first time you prepare this, you may not want to add the pepper.
Take a 12” square of parchment paper and fold it in half from corner to corner to make a triangle the, fold the triangle in half to make a smaller triangle and fold a third time in half. The folding should be from point to middle making a smaller triangle each time. Take the triangle and place the point over the center and place the edge on the circumference of the Dutch oven. Trace and cut the outer edge then cut straight across the center point to make a small hole in the center. Unfold the triangle and you should have a rough circle piece of parchment. Place the parchment gently on the top of the cream and potatoes to prevent a skin from forming on the surface of the cream. Cover and simmer using 8 coals under and 11 coals on top, for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove parchment and serve. Cream should be slightly thickened. Serves 6 to 8

Classes in the month of April!

2010-04-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

I'll be teaching several classes in April with the Rogue Dutch oven Cooker's Chapter of idos. Here are the dates and details! I hope to see you all there!

April 9 and 10 Farmington Utah IDOS Spring Convention
Davis County Fairgrounds 151 South 1100 West Farmington Utah
http://www.idos.org

April 17 and 18 Klamath Sportsmans Show
Klamath Fairgrounds S. 6th St Klamath Falls Oregon
ncdodave at yahoo dot com

April 24 and 25 Back Country Horsemen Horse Packing Clinic
Klamath Fairgrounds S. 6th St Klamath Falls Oregon
ncdodave at yahoo dot com

May 8 Butte Creek Mill 5th Annual Vintage Fair
May 8th 9am. to 5pm
For more information call 541-826-3531 or buttecreekmill.com
Butte Creek Mill, 204 N. Royal Ave., Eagle Point, Oregon is hosting its annual Food and Wine Tasting - Crafters days.
Dutch Oven Cooking Class
3pm. to 4pm.

Cooking demo starts at 10:30 and tasting starts at 11:30am

Newest IDOS chapter!

2010-03-28T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hello one and all!
I have just been a part of a brand new IDOS chapter in Southern Oregon. The name of the chapter is "Rogue Dutch oven Cookers Chapter". This chapter covers the following counties on Southern Oregon and may expand to extreme Northern California if necessary:
Josephene County
Jackson County
Douglas County
and, Southern Klamath County
For those in Northern Klamath County (north of Chiloquin) you'll find you are in the Central Oregon Chapter. Contact Linda Stephenson at L & S Gardens for more info.

We will be conducting our first demo and class session at the Klamath Sports and Recreation Show at the Klamath Fairgrounds in Klamath Falls, OR on April 17 and 18, 2010.I hope to see you there!

Off to WCC in Sandy, Utah

2010-03-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well, Im off to see and teach at the World Championship Dutch oven Cook off in Sandy Utah! I'll get to meet many old friends and make more new friends! I'll also have the opportunity to finalize a deal with cookin' DVO Enterprises to have the cook books electronically published and used with the Cookin program and recipe organizer. I'll also meet toni the writer of dutchovenmadness.blogspot.com and others. see you all there and I'll be back here next week to tell you all how it went

Nor cal Sports and Rec show Dutch oven cook off recipes!

2010-02-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

I never ever post recipes before a competition but I'm gonna see what happens this time for the sports show competition! I have won this cook off several times and will give it a go again next weekend. Wish me luck! heres the 2 sets of recipes Im trying to decide on which one to use Help me out and let me know what you think!
MAIN DISHES:

Turkey

Gumbo

¼ c. + 2 Tbs. all purpose flour

2 6 oz. cans vegetable juice cocktail, divided

Crisco

1 lb. ground turkey, thawed

1 c. onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. green bell pepper, diced

1 c. red bell pepper, diced

¾ tsp. salt

½ tsp. dried whole thyme

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 c. water

1 14 ½ oz. can stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 10 oz. package frozen cut okra, thawed

3 ½ c. hot, cooked long grain rice

Sprinkle flour evenly over a 15 X 10 X1 inch jellyroll pan; bake at 400^o for 20 minutes or until browned, stirring every 5 minutes. Let cool

Combine browned flour and 1 can vegetable juice in a bowl, stirring with a wire wisk until well blended, (mixture will be thick). Set aside.

Coat a 5 quart Dutch oven with Crisco; place over medium heat until hot. Add turkey, onion, and garlic; cook until turkey is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well and return to Dutch oven.

Add remaining can of vegetable juice, red and green bell peppers, salt, thyme, red pepper flakes, water, stewed tomatoes, okra and rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thickened.

Serves 10 to 12

Dave’s Slow Roasted Family Sized Prime Rib
David Herzog

1 10 to 11 lb. rib eye roast
2 Tbs. black pepper
2 Tbs. granulated garlic
2 Tbs. granulated onion powder
2 Tbs. kosher salt
1 lb. thick sliced bacon
1 20 lb. bag water softener rock salt crystals (do not use granules)

In a medium bowl, combine pepper, garlic, onion and kosher salt. Stir well. Rub spice mixture all over all sides of the roast, set aside on a sheet pan. Pour a ½” layer of rock salt in the bottom of a 14” Dutch oven. Place the roast on the rock salt and cover the top of the roast with bacon. Fill the remaining space with rock salt, covering all of the meat. Place the lid on the oven put 1 ring of briquettes under the oven and 1 ring on the lid. Bake the roasts for 2 ½ hours to 3 hours maintaining the coals as needed.
Serves 10 to 11 one lb. servings
16 to 20 8 oz. servings

BREAD:

High-rise sourdough bread

1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups water
5 1/2 cups white flour (bread four works best)
3 Tbs. white sugar
4 Tbs. pork lard (or butter)
3 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp salt

combine wet stuff, stir in yeast and sugar-set aside

combine dry stuff, cut in pork lard

start adding dry stuff to wet stuff by the cup full. When dough gets
too hard to hand mix, place on work surface and knead in the rest of
the dry stuff. Continue kneading this dough until fairly stiff (about
8 minutes) and not sticky feeling, if dough is sticky add a little
flour while kneading.

Place dough in greased bowl, flop dough over to grease other side.
Let rise until double in bulk. Punch down dough and cut in half, allow
to rest 10 minutes, then form 2 round loaves, or loaves for standard
loaf pan. if using bread pans lightly grease them, if making round
loaves, sprinkle cornmeal lightly on cookie sheets, place formed
dough in bread pans or on cookie sheet and allow to rise again until
doubled.

Place in preheated oven at 375° American degrees and bake for 30 to 35
minutes, or until bread is done and sounds hollow when thumped on the
bottom of the loaf. Cool on racks.

Pecan Corn Bread

Lonestar Dutch oven Society

¼ c. shortening or bacon fat

2 c. flour

1 ½ c. cornmeal

1 tsp. cumin seed

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 1/3 c. pecans, chopped

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

2 c. milk

2 large eggs

4 Tbs. brown sugar

Honey

Put shortening in a 10” Dutch oven and preheat the oven while melting the shortening. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients but the brown sugar. In a medium bowl whisk the milk, eggs and brown sugar until well mixed and the sugar is dissolved. Remove the oven from coals and tilt oven to coat the inside to coat the inside with liquefied shortening. Mix the wet mixture with the dry until well blended, mix well. Add the liquefied shortening to the batter and mix well.

Pour the batter into the Dutch oven and bake at 400^o for 30 minutes. Remove lid, check for doneness by inserting a stick into the center. The stick will be clean when done. When done, remove from bottom heat. Drizzle the top of the bread with honey. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, serve with butter.

NOTE: Dust the bread with a little more Cajun seasoning for an eye opening tang.

DESSERT:

Chipotle Banana Foster Upside-down Cake

David Herzog

based on a recipe found in “Chile Pepper” magazine Jan. 2010

TOPPING:

4 ripe bananas

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbs unsalted butter

1 ¼ c. dark brown sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. chipotle powder

¼ tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. allspice

¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper ( fine grind in a pestel and mortar)

Juice of ½ orange

3 Tbs dark rum (Captain Morgan’s or spiced)

½ c. pecans, fresh roasted and chopped

CAKE:

1 ¼ c AP flour

½ c. cake flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/8 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. chipotle powder

1 cube (1/2 c. ) unsalted butter

1/3 c. dark brown sugar

1 c. sugar

Zest from 1 orange

2 large eggs

¼ c. dark rum (Captain Morgan’s or spiced)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)

Slice bananas 1” thick and toss them with lemon juice in a medium bowl. In a 10” Dutch oven, melt butter, sugar, and spices until thickened, bubbling and dark. Remove from heat, add rum and orange juice, and whisk thoroughly. Carefully arrange banana slices on the caramel, then top with pecans.

Make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, and spices, set aside. Cream butter, zest, and sugar together until light and fluffy, add eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl before adding the next egg. Add rum and orange juice, then mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, batter will look like it’s curdled, pour into Dutch oven over bananas, making sure batter is spread to all the edges.

Bake at 350° 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Invert onto a 12” Dutch oven lid while still warm. Pour 1 shot 151 over top and flambé in front of guests to serve.

Serves 8

2010 World Championship IDOS cook book now available!

2010-02-20T19:51:00.001-08:00

The cook book for the 2010 WCC is now available to order and is hot off the presses! It is $15.00 plus $3.50 for shipping! check out the link for more information. A great Dutch oven cook book for sure!

Nor Cal Sports and Rec Show DO cook-off

2010-02-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!
The Nor Cal Sports and Rec Show DO cook-off is quickly approaching and I will be there competiting again. The dates are March 5,6,and 7, 2010. On Friday is an Iron Chef competition where each team is given a package of secret ingrediends and have only 60 minutes to cook and create a recipe of as many dishes as possible with the ingredients. Saturday is the famous Dutch oven competition. and Sunday is a BBQ competition (more of a grilling cook off) I will be firing up my smoker and serving smoked almonds, a turducken fatty, and a secret side dish I love to make. Come on by to the Shasta Dictrict Fairgrounds in Anderson, Ca. Bring a chair, notebook and lots of qusetions. I'll be teaching and doing demos while competiting! I'll also have all 4 cook books available for sale for those who are interested.

a must read blog for all Dutch oven Cooks!

2010-01-26T18:01:00.000-08:00

Everyone should check out this blog its got a new recipe everyday with photos, reviews, and what the writer has learned about cooking in Camp Dutch oven

here's the link:
http://dutchovenmadness.blogspot.com/

DOG planned for the 3rd week of October

2009-09-30T20:12:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! I found several parks here in the Springfield/Eugene OR area. These parks have covered pavilions that we can cook under rain or shine in beautiful parks right on the river. Right now I'm planning for the 3rd Saturday of October. Please comment or contact me if you are interested in joining forsome goot food, good, friends, and good fun.

Moved North!

2009-09-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hi all!
Moved North to Springfield, Oregon. Brought all my ovens with me and am really liking the area. It's a new area and I have been blessed with some great friends to show me around the area. I'm in the process of setting up classes and demonstrations all over the Springfield/Eugene area as we speak!
Class locations may include the Saturday market in downtown Eugene, Dicks Sporting goods and Sportsmans Warehouse in Medford and/or Bend. More to come soon!

Moved to Central Oregon

2009-09-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you in the state of Oregon I have just moved into Springfield and am looking at class locations within about 1 to 2 hours drive from Eugene. If you would like to attend classes then just drop a line or leave a comment and I will see about a class in your area. The Dutch oven Christmas tree is growing and is now nearly 9 feet tall! I will post pictures closer to Christmas for everyone to enjoy. If I get fortunate then by the holiday's it may be 12 feet tall with the 9", 11", and 17" Maca ovens. But, we'll see!

Dates for Bass PRo changed, Date Added

2009-07-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

I changed the dates of the cooking classes at Bass Pro Shops in Manteca, CA. They are July 25, August 22 and 29, 2009. All three classes are being held from 10 am to 6 pm. Dutch oven cooking on July 25 and August 29. Meat smoking/BBQ will still be August 22. This change is due to a new Dutch oven cooking opportunity that came from my good Friend Steve Karoly at 'roundthechuckbox.blogger.com. Steve and I have been Dutch oven cooking for a long time together and he found a job posting and emailed it to me. I sent in a resume and was hired to cook 2 weeks in the middle of nowhere on the Rubicon Jeep Trail near Georgetown, Ca. I get flown in by helicopter with my ovens and get to camp and cook for 2 weeks! plus fly in and out 3 to 4 times to shop and buy the food and keep camp stocked! HOW COOL!

Cooking classes Aug 15 and 22, 2009 in Manteca, Ca

2009-07-08T00:45:00.000-07:00

Bass Pro Shops is the place and August 15 and 22 are the dates of two fantastic classes i will be teaching from 10 am to 6 pm on both days. The 15th will be Dutch oven cooking and the 22nd will be bbq, low and slow.

Both classes are free to everyone who wishes to attend and will have samples of the dishes prepared. There will be fruit cobbler, biscuits, corn bread, appetizers and more on the 15th for Dutch oven cooking. There will be ribs, smoked sausage "fatty's" a smoked stuffed sausage roll, smoked almonds, pulled pork and more. Classes will last about 1 hour each on both days. Also on the bbq class will be how to get the most out of your smoker and using your Dutch oven in your smoker.

Come on by and check out the classes, see new cook books, and learn some new tips; all while tasting food cooked and prepared in Dutch ovens and in your smoker. Contact Bass Pro Shops for more information!

My Review of Camp Chef Propane Campfire

2009-06-09T21:46:00.001-07:00

REI

This forest-friendly option allows you to enjoy the comforting atmosphere of a campfire wherever you go.

Awesome safe camp fire!

ncdodave Tracy, Ca 6/9/2009

Gift: No

Pros: Easy To Assemble, Quality Materials, Weatherproof, Good Size, Easy To Clean, Attractive Design, Well Constructed, Very Sturdy

Best Uses: Large Spaces, Outdoor Gatherings, Camping

Describe Yourself: Midrange Shopper

add a small bag of lava rocks to improve on the look and heat distribution! i bought a bag of these lava rocks from a suggestion i saw at a sports show and the lava rocks make it even a better performer! This portable camp fire runs on the highest setting for about 20 hours on a 20 pound propane tank and puts out a lot of heat. since it is propane powered it is considered a stove and is a great substitution for a camp fire during fire restrictions where only camp stoves are allowed

: Using Product

: Picture of Product

()

i.d.o.s. region 2 d.o.g.

2009-04-28T22:23:00.000-07:00

I love going to a dog when ever I can but, when it is only a short 30 minute drive from home, its even better. When it's a multi-day or weekend dog that's even better! Last weekend was such an event! Hosted by the Central California Dutch oven Chapter of IDOS at the KOA campground on the Delta. Beautiful weather graced the whole weekend and wonderful Dutch oven cooks from all over California brought their cast iron pots, best recipes, and all the gear needed for a group of new and old friends to have a grand potluck style meal! Fire pits were lit and raging fires warmed cool bodies after sun set. We all had a great time roasting marsh mallows, telling stories and catching up on long time since last meetings. Friday evening came and went and before we all knew it Saturday morning was upon the 100 or so D.o. cooks and many were enjoying breakfast while planning on whch classes to attend and what new gear to buy from one of four or five vendors including Coleen Sloan, Chuck wagon Supply, Mel Cottons, Camp Fire ina Can and a couple others I dont remember names.

Randy Brown, who just moved from the California Central Valley to Salt LakeCity, Ut. brought his new chuckwagon out to share with everyone and put on a class on chuckwagon cooking and history.

Coleen Sloan taught a class on using the Volcano cook stove with your Dutch oven. Then Gary House taught a Dutch oven pizza baking class which was also very popular.

Just before Dinner the Dutch oven dessert cook off was held and David Herzog taught a class on Dutch oven competitions. Fun was had by all. After dinner at 6 pm there was a whole lot of raffle prizes to raffle off including 6 Dutch ovens and the huge Maca oval oven, won by Ria from the BADOGs group in the S.F. Bay area.

The Maca was so heavy that Ria's son proudly lifted and carried the oven for mom. I had to attend my brother in law's wedding on Sunday so, I missed out the closing events on Sunday, I'm sure breakfast was great and next year will be even a bigger event!

2009 Region 2 DOG in Lodi, Ca! Come Join us!

2009-02-24T23:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know about everyone else around and in this group but, this
little get together is gonna be something you dont want to miss! I
mean camping right on the Sacramento River with tons of great food new
friends and old friends too and Dutch oven gadgets for sale! why not
come into the central valley and check it out!? I live only 30 minutes
away from the R2 Dog this year and will be camping with my iron
christmas tree, cook books and teaching a few classes also! I'm trying
to build some extra cooking tables also to sell! We are going to have
chuck wagon cooking demos, vendors, movies and more! Who from this
group will be in attendance? I'll be there for sure!
--- In dutchovencooking@yahoogroups.com, "Gary" wrote:
>
>
> Central California Dutch Oven Adventures
>
> Is proud to present the
>
> 2009 Region II DOG
>
> being held on the
>
> San Joaquin Delta
>
> April 24 - 26th, 2009
>
> KOA Stockton Delta Campgrounds
>
>
> Registration fee per family $25.00 (Fri – Sun) Individual $10 (Fri
> – Sun) Sat only $5.00 per individual Campground cost and
> reservation info
> KOA Stockton Delta Campground
>
>
>
> Campground site (Full RV hook-ups)
>
> $34.99 per night
>
> Cabins (sleeps up to 6)
>
> $99.99 per night
>
>
>
> Reservations:
>
> (209) 369-1041
>
> Ask for "Rea"
>
>
>
> For additional info or to be a sponsor please contact:
>
>
>
> Gary House 209-480-8406
>
> CCDOA@...
>
> http://www.2009region2dog.webs.com <http://www.2009region2dog.webs.com/>
>
>
>
>
>
> Schedule of events:
>
>
>
>
> Friday
> 9:00am Registration starts.
>
> 7:00pm - 9:00pm Cracker Barrel get together.
>
> Campground movie.
>
>
> Saturday
> 8:00am Chuck Wagon Cooking Demo
>
> 9:00am Group breakfast
>
> 10:00am - 11:00am - Baking breads
>
> 11:00am - 12:00pm - Dutch oven Pizza Demo
>
> 12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch break
>
> 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Cook-off secrets and tips
>
> 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Dutch oven stack cooking
>
> 3:00pm - 5:00pm - Desert cook-off
>
> 6:00pm - Group dinner.
>
> 7:00 pm Awards and raffle.
>
> Campground movie
>
>
> Sunday
> 9:00am - 10:00am Group breakfast
>
>
>
> All events and times are subject to change.
>
>
>
> <http://www.2009region2dog.webs.com/>

Please Pray!

2009-02-05T20:39:00.000-08:00

I got news 2 hours ago at around 6:30 pm that I was not needed this weekend at the hunting camp.
There was a serious accident and one of the trucks went off a cliff and the hunt i was to cook for has been canceled.

Please pray for speedy recoveries and no major injuries for these people as I do not have more information.

Dream Job!

2009-02-01T22:01:00.000-08:00

Well, shortly after a series of mishaps, a stubborn vehicle, and long weekend in Sacramento, ca. I managed to hok a contract cooking for a hunting lodge near Monterey, Ca. I was talking to a gentleman at the ISE show about what I do, teaching Dutch oven Classes,catering for small groups and Cooking for hunting camps during the hunting season. Then this other man listening in on my conversation slips me a business card to his hunting lodge and says" we need to talk". I follow him back to his booth and he proceeds to tell me about his lodge and where it is located and asks me what Icharge. I tell him and i give him my card. I dont even get home Monday morning and he has left 2 messages on my answering machine asking if i can cook for him that coming up Friday and Saturday.
After cooking for him he asks me to stay available because he will definately contact me soon with more work. How sweet!!!

Broken motor mounts and turkey at Bass Pro!

2008-11-30T14:17:00.000-08:00

Well, things turned out o.k considering the night before I was supposed to go to Sportsman's Warehouse in Rocklin I broke a motor mount in my Jeep and it took out the alternator. So Sportsman's warehouse will be moved to the middle of December.

I went to the new Bass Pro Shops in Manteca Thanksgiving night for an event that Bass Pro holds across the country. Its called the annual turkey camp out and its a Thanksgiving camp out of sorts. In Manteca we had 4 turkeys, 8 cobblers, pop corn, biscuits and gravy for breakfast, s'mores, coffee, hot chocolate and Christmas movies on a 40 foot movie screen on the side of the building. It was awesome!

I taught classes on baking cobblers, making popcorn in your Dutch oven over a camp fire, making the perfect camp coffee, and different methods on cooking your holiday bird (with the help of promotions manager Larry Leidelmier).

This is the Beer can smoked turkey; using a 12" Dutch oven to hold up the turkey and keep all the drippings for gravy.

This is a 14# bird finished cooking an a Maca 15 after only 2 hours! Cooked to juicy perfection!

This is one of 2 birds Larry taught. This one is cooked in the new infra-red turkey fryer. It took 90 minutes to cook a 12# bird with no oil and the taste was amazing injected with a garlic pepper injection marinade.

This turkey, Larry cut in half and smoked in a 55 gallon drum and smoked with some hickory and pork fat for the smoke. He wasn't happy with the way it turned out but it was still pretty tasty!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey Day and will have an even better Christmas!

Busy November; Ca. Classes

2008-11-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

I have been very busy around here with my new job and dutch oven demonstrations and Dutch oven Gatherings (DOGs) I wanted to thank you for your compliments and your comments on my blog also. I'm trying to write more on the blog and need to do so and do it regularly.

I will be teaching classes this coming weekend on Saturday at Sportsman's Warehouse in Rocklin, Ca if you are interested and available, I'd love to say hello. I'll be cooking a small Thanksgiving meal of sorts including turkey, pumpkin pie or cheesecake, potatoes and stuffing. All in Dutch ovens. Then on thanksgiving evening to Friday morning I will be spending the night at Bass Pro Shops in Manteca, Ca right off Hwy 120 teaching classes and cooking cobblers, pop corn and camping over night at their annual camp out in the parking lot. Bring your tent and camping stuff for this one its gonna be a blast! Including movies from the theater on the side of the building throughout the night for free. there will be tons to do at both events. I hope to see you there! bring your ovens and questions to both events!

Sportsman's Warehouse Dutch oven class info:

Bass Pro Dutch oven info in camping classes:

2008-08-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Mixed Berry Cobbler for 50

1 #10 can sliced apples, diced or chopped
10 lbs. frozen mixed berries, thawed
1 cup sugar
8 oz. butter
½ cup cornstarch
¾ lbs. cold butter, cut in ½” slices
1 lb. brown sugar
1 cups AP flour
2 cups rolled oats

In a large bowl, combine berries, sugar, and cornstarch, mix well to combine without breaking berries. Add apples and gently stir. Pour mixture into an oiled, 20” Dutch oven and spread to an even layer. Dot 8 oz. butter evenly over fruit mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine butter, flour, brown sugar, and oats. Cut butter into mixture with your fingers or pastry cutter until well combined and the butter is the size of green peas. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the top of the fruit. Cover and bake 1 ring of briquettes under and 1 ½ rings on top of Dutch oven. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, checking after 40 minutes. If boiling up through the topping, remove from bottom heat and add ½ ring to the top and cook 15 minutes more to brown and crisp up topping. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping if desired.
Serves 50 to 60

I made this for a wedding last night and it turned out awesome! The greatest thing is I was asked to make it gluten free for the brides family. I made it all GF instead of making a small special cobbler. What a wonderful cobbler! the only thing missingwas the ice cream!

COME ONE COME ALL!!!

2008-05-06T01:05:00.000-07:00

9^th Annual Carson City Rendezvous Dutch oven Cook-off and D.O.G. June 13,14, &15

June 13, 14, and 15, 2008 are the official dates for the Carson City Rendezvous Dutch oven event in downtown Carson City, Nv. This event has been organized and run by David Herzog for the past eight years, making 2008 the ninth year this event has been part of Carson City’s annual celebration of the Pony Express. The Dutch oven D.O.G. and cook-off are the mainstays of the Dutch oven event. Dave and other Dutch oven cooks from all over the Western United States, also teach classes and do numerous Dutch oven demonstrations from seasoning and caring for cast iron to baking cheese cakes, making candy, and making ice cream.

The Carson City Rendezvous also features a mountain man camp and primitive merchant’s row, Civil War rein-actors, cowboy action shooters and stuntmen, Indian pow-wow and dances, all sorts of food, and live entertainment from far and wide. Last year The Comstock Cowboys, and Sourdough Slim, were the Headlining shows on the main stage. This is the 25^th year for the Rendezvous which gets bigger and bigger each year, with Michael Martin Murphy headlining on Friday night. Last years attendance for this free event was well over 23, 000 people. What a crowd to cook for, over 8,000 each day!

Last year the Dutch oven event had two wall tents and 6 pole tents erected around the cooking area. Wow, 2 huge Maca ovens at one event, all cooking food to be served to hungry spectators! Steve Karoly from Shingle Springs, Ca and Richard Smith from Campbell, Ca taught numerous classes on cooking various dishes and cast iron care. Dick Wild from Eureka, Ca is bringing his packing skills and demonstrating using pine cones as a heat source, and how to slow roast an orange glazed chicken. Smith’s Grocery has been the major sponsor for the Dutch oven event for the past seven years and we look forward to working with Smith’s again this year and years to come. We also have Sportsman’s Warehouse as a sponsor and booth supporter by bringing stocks f cast iron and accesories to get started in Dutch oven cooking. In the works for 2008 is the possibility of a sponsorship or booth support from the brand new Cabella’s store also in Reno, Nv

This year there are already 3 primitive wall tents and teams arriving for the weekend to help with the demos and enter the cook-off. Don Alt will be bringing back his Chuck Wagon and it looks like there will be at least one more chuck wagon also. Although the Rendezvous has “primitive” attractions the Dutch oven event is, by no means primitive in any sort. Camp Chef and Lodge have both shown their support by donating prizes, pamphlets and banners. We are in the continuing process of gathering more sponsors and donations for prizes, etc. The discussion of a Dutch oven ice cream cook-off is in the works also for some extra fun for all. For those who do not wish to compete in the cook-off on Sunday are invited to cook with us Saturday afternoon and share your creations at the D.O.G., which is a free event for al participants. There is an option to purchase a presale ticket for a 12 ounce slice of prime rib Saturday evening at the D.O.G. but you don’t need to purchase a ticket to partake in the potluck or cook. Tickets for the prime rib are available at the event and must be purchased by 1 p.m. Saturday at the event.

Also new for this year is a B.B.Q. Competition starting Friday afternoon with judging commencing at around 4 p.m. and tasting with the DOG at 6 p.m. Contact Dave for BBQ registration packets to enter. The fee is a modest $50.00 compared to sanctioned events which cost $300.00 and more. The winners have the possible valued prize to cook in the world famous J.A.'s Nugget rib competition in 2009. I say possible because logistics are still being worked out with the Nugget.

We welcome all IDOS and LSDOS members to join us this weekend for a grand event and Dutch oven party! If you’re not a member of one or both of these Dutch oven societies, You can join us without being a member! By the time you meet the Dutch oven cooks you’ll want to join one or both societies to have more fun than ever and learn more than you will use in a lifetime! There is plenty of room for everyone to pitch a tent or camp in their R.V. Please contact David Herzog or Maxine Neitz to reserve your space early since they are filling up and we need to coordinate the R.V.’s and trailers close by. Carson City Rendezvous is truly a family event for all ages and there will be many Dutch oven demonstrations, and classes offered throughout the weekend. The best part of this weekend is the cost to stay and camp with us! There is no fee! That’s right zero, zilch, nada! What a deal! If you must feel it is necessary to stay in a hotel or motel, please reserve your room now! Most likely by the end of April you will not be able to find a vacancy in Carson City on this weekend as rooms fill quickly. Like I mentioned before, there are more than 20,000 people who visit the Rendezvous over the 3 days. Now, is the time to make your plans to attend and show off your cooking skills.

i got my lodge 5!!!

2008-05-06T00:57:00.000-07:00

After over 4 years of patience and lots of bidding on online auction sites like ebay, I finally got a very collectable Lodge 5" Dutch oven! Let me tell you folks I am stoked! The best part is I paid well under $200.00 including shipping for it! It is in near new condition and has a beautiful seasoning on it. So I have an official topper to my Cast Iron Christmas tree!

I haven't decided on what to cook in it yet but, it will be a tasty treat for sure! I will be sure to have this rare and valuable little gem chained down!

Winning Recipes D.O. cook off, Redding, Ca 3/1/08

2008-03-07T00:49:00.000-08:00

Here are the recipes that Won me First place at the Nor Cal Sports and Rec. Show in Redding, Ca on Sat. March 1, 2008 for the Dutch oven competition!
MAIN DISH

Dutch oven Paella

½ cup olive oil, divided

12 chicken thighs

3 Tbs. Emeril’s Essence

2 ½ tsp. Kosher salt divided

2 lbs. Spanish chorizo, substitute Mexican Chorizo if not available, diced into1/4” half moons

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups red bell peppers, chopped, about 2-3 peppers

2 cups green bell peppers, chopped, about 2-3 peppers

4 Tbs. minced garlic

2 tsp. Saffron threads

2 qts. chicken stock

4 cups medium grain rice

2 lbs. jumbo shrimp (shells and tails on, back split)

1 lb. mussels, cleaned and de bearded

1 lb. steamer clams, cleaned

2 ½ cups frozen peas, thawed

In a large mixing bowl or tub season the chicken with 2 Tbs. essence and 2 tsp. salt. Toss the thighs to cover with seasonings. Heat a 20” Cabela’s Dutch oven lid over a checkerboard pattern of briquettes, then add ¼ cup of the olive oil to the lid. Once the oil starts to smoke cook the thighs on each side for 4 minutes per side to sear. Remove the chicken from the lid, and set aside.

Add remaining oil and chorizo and brown, stirring occasionally until well browned, about 7 minutes. Add onions, and peppers and continue cooking until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and sauté 3 minutes, then add garlic and saffron. Spread this mixture evenly across the lid then place the chicken thighs across the top of the mixture in a single layer.

Pour about 1 qt. of the broth into the lid or as much liquid it will hold without over flowing. Cover with bottom and add more broth as needed in 15 to 20 minute intervals, adding as much as possible without over flowing until all the broth is used up.

When the last of the broth is added, place the shrimp, mussels, and clams around the entire dish and cover. Cook 15 minutes, remove cover and sprinkle peas over the top, cover and remove from heat, let rest 7 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve from the lid on a lid trivet in the center of a table.

Serves 8 two breasts per person, 16 one breast per person.

*NOTE: This recipe may be doubled by cooking in the 20” Dutch oven by using the oven traditionally right-side up.

BREAD

Dave’s Sourdough Beer Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sourdough starter, room temperature

3 Tbs. honey, or sugar if honey is not handy, can substitute same amount of Splenda®

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 cup warm beer, the darker the more flavor

½ cup butter, melted

1 tsp. granulated garlic, optional

Add the honey or sugar to the sourdough starter, set aside for 30 minutes. In a medium bowl combine flours, soda, powder, and salt, stir well to incorporate well. Add sourdough starter and beer. Stir until just moistened. Pour dough into a greased 10” deep Dutch oven. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Add garlic to melted butter if you like then pour over the dough at the end of the 10 minutes. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest 10 more minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

DESSERT

Sin on a Stick Sandwich

Cookies:

1 box Dunken Hines Chocolate Fudge Cake mix

2 eggs

½ cup (1 cube) melted butter

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Pour cake mix into a medium bowl and stir in eggs and butter to make a moist dough, stir in chocolate chips. Preheat a 12” or larger Dutch oven lid and Dutch oven set up upside-down on a lid trivet

Cut 1 piece of aluminum foil for each batch of cookies baked. Spoon 6 Tablespoon sized cookie dough balls on foil then place foil on the Dutch oven lid and cover with the pot. Bake 15 minutes with 12 coals under and 18 coals on top of pot. Use a wok ring to keep coals on the pot. Remove foil sheet with baked cookies and place another sheet with measured dough on the lid. Repeat until all cookies are baked. Let cool

Makes 3 dozen (I get 2 dozen from a box ‘cause my cookies are a little bigger than 1 Tbs.)

Deep Fried Snickers Centers:

½ to ¾ cup AP flour

½ cup powdered sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup club soda

20 miniature sized Snickers bars

1 to 1 ½ qts. vegetable oil for deep frying

Bamboo skewers

Heat oil in a 8”deep or 10” deep Dutch oven to 360°. Stick bars onto a bamboo skewer then freeze for 30 minutes or place on dry ice for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, egg, vanilla, and soda in a medium bowl and stir to a consistency of thin pancake batter. Some additional soda or flour may need to be added. Dip each bar into batter and deep fry for 1 ½ minutes to 2 minutes until golden brown, drain on a paper towel.

To assemble the sandwich, place a cookie on a paper plate and place a deep fried Snickers bar on top of the cookie and press a second cookie on top then lightly dust with powdered sugar. Leave on the bamboo skewer for “Sin on a Stick”

Dutch oven Classes for the whole family 2/16/08

2008-02-10T23:06:00.000-08:00

I am teaching a series of family oriented Dutch oven classes at Sportsman's Warehouse in Rocklin, Ca on February 16, 2008 starting at 10 a.m. The topics are geared to getting the WHOLE family into camp cooking beyond hot dogs and hamburgers. The classes will have some hands on opportunities for those in attendance. Topcs will include, Dutch oven cooking with children, Dutch oven meals in 60 minutes or less and Disaster preparedness and cooking in emergency situations. There will be several other clinics also but the fore mentioned are the main topics of the day.

Recipe packets and booklets will be available for those who would like one. If you need more information please go to http://castironitis.webs.com and fill out the information in the contact us page and I'll gladly answer your questions there.

Dooking Demos in Rocklin, Ca 2-16-08

2008-01-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

For those of you in the Sacramento, Ca area I am holding another day of cooking classes in Rocklin, Ca at Sportsmans Warehouse from 10 a.m. to about 4 p.m. The classes are free for everyone who attends and will be full of all kinds of Dutch oven cooking information! Just because it's February doesn't mean its to early to be thinking about camp cooking!

Topics will include Camp cooking with your children, easy and quick dutch oven meals in less than 60 minutes and Disaster Camp Cooking. I'm planning on 3 to 5 classes through out the day, so, come by and learn something new and tasty to do with your Dutch oven!

ISE Sacramento, Ca Cook-off

2008-01-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone who reads this and wants to have a chance to win over $250 in prizes for first place needs to register for this free cook off immediately. You will have access into the show on the day of the cook off and meet some great people and a chance to win a oval Maca Dutch oven, set of breeze shields, all kinds of camp chef items including gloves, lid lifters, cook books and much much more! Heres the complete list for 1st 2nd and 3rd place.

ISE/IDOS cook-off prizes

1^st place

1 Personalized Maca Dutch Oven $150.00 value
Invitation to 2009 IDOS World cook-off
1 BreezeShield wind guard (http://www.breezeshield.com/)
1 set Lodge Twig Handle Spatula, Spoon, Fork and Ladle (http://www.Lodge.com/)
1 Lodge red cooking gloves (http://www.Lodge.com/)
1 Lodge red leather aprons (http://www.Lodge.com/)
1 Lodge "Field Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking" cookbook (http://www.Lodge.com/)

2^nd place

Camp Chief Dutch Oven (http://campchief.com/)
1 BreezeShield wind guard (http://www.breezeshield.com/)

1 Lodge red cooking gloves (http://www.Lodge.com/)
1 Lodge red leather aprons (http://www.Lodge.com/)

1 Lodge "Field Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking" cookbook (http://www.Lodge.com/)

3^rd place

1 Lodge red cooking gloves (http://www.Lodge.com/)
1 Lodge red leather aprons (http://www.Lodge.com/)

1 Lodge "Field Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking" cookbook (http://www.Lodge.com/)

Contact:

Gary House

Oakdale, California

209-480-8406

http://www.ccdoa.webs.com

CCDOA@sbcglobal.net to enter

Game Hen Recipes

2007-12-27T12:07:00.000-08:00

on a friends blog "Marks Black Pot" There was a request for Game Hen recipe's so Guys here they are! Also check out the blog on "Cast Iron Cooks of the West"
Dave

Quail and Morel Mushrooms

David Herzog

1 c. fresh Morel mushrooms or ½ c. dried

2 quail, halved between the breast and back

½ c. all-purpose flour

4 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 medium onion

½ tsp. garlic salt

½ tsp. liquid Maggi seasoning

1 dash hot pepper sauce

½ tsp. dried thyme

¼ c. tomato puree

1 c. chicken stock

Black pepper to taste

Juice from ½ lemon

Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

For fresh Morels, soak in salted water for 30 minutes to
remove any debris. Rinse with cold water, pat dry, and cut in half
lengthwise.

For dried Morels, pour 1 c. boiling water over mushrooms
in a bowl and let soak for 30 minutes. Remove, rinse in cold water,
pat dry, and cut in half lengthwise.

Dredge the quail halves in flour and set aside. Heat butter
in a 12” Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until
the onion is translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the quail and sauté
until lightly browned on both sides. About 4 to 5 minutes on each
side.

Stir in mushrooms, garlic salt, Maggi, pepper sauce, thyme,
tomato puree, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and
simmer 15 minutes. Remove lid and simmer until sauce has thick-
ened, about 10 minutes more. Season with pepper to taste, stir in
lemon juice, garnish with parsley and serve.

Serves 4

Creamed Snipe

10 snipe (Cornish game hens)
1/2 Cup sherry
1 medium onion, grated
2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
parsley
1/2 teaspoon thyme
lemon slices
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup butter

Dry snipe inside and out with paper towels. Combine salt, black pepper and thyme. Rub seasoning inside and out of snipe. Saute snipe in butter until brown and remove to covered Dutch oven. Add onions and chicken stock to butter in frying pan. Cut fire, add sherry over snipe. Cover casserole, bake in 350-degree oven until done. Remove snipe, finish sauce with cream, heat until thickened a little (do not boil), add brandy and pour sauce over birds. Serve hot on platter. Garnish with parsley and slices of lemon.

Serves 10

This would be a fun and great recipe to prepare for those friends who have never been on a Snipe Hunt. When they get back show them your catch in the Dutch oven! And have a belly ache of laughs!

Chef Al's Cranberry Chicken or Cornish Game Hens

3-4 chicken breasts or 3 game hens 8 oz. bottle Russian dressing

1 can whole cranberry sauce 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

1 small box Stove Top dressing

Wash and dry chicken or game hens and season the outside. Mix the stuffing mix and stuff the game hens, wrap the balance of the stuffing mix in foil and set aside. Place chicken or game hens in a greased, warm 12” Dutch oven. Mix the onion soup mix, cranberry sauce, and Russian dressing together and pour over the chicken/game hens. Place the foil wrapped stuffing mix in the Dutch oven and bake at 350° for 1 hour 15 minutes, until legs fall off.

Dutch oven ornament

2007-12-20T18:02:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture and directions for a Dutch oven ornament by Fran from the dutchovencooking yahoo group.

Dutch oven Pheasant

2007-12-14T21:37:00.000-08:00

My wife pulled out of the freezer 2 nights ago, a Pheasant a friend gave us from a recent hunt, with a warning of bird shot possibly in some of the meat. She wanted me to cook the Pheasant tonight for dinner and later told me she was inviting friends over. "Now, that's a problem honey, a Pheasant has enough meat for 3 or 4 people and now I must make it feed 9?" She told me she trusted me and knew I could figure it out. I did and here's what I did. BOY IT WAS GOOD!!!

2 onions, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 apples, cored and cut into eights
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup dried blueberries
1 banana, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
6 slices bacon
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 pomegranate, seeds removed

In a 12" Dutch oven, place the onions and carrots in the bottom. Stuff the cavity of the bird with one apple and all the berries. Chunk the remaining apple and place it with the onions and carrots. Place the stuffed bird in the center of the Dutch oven on top the vegetables. Put some of the pomegranate seeds in the cavity of the bird and rub 1/4 of pomegranate all over the skin of the bird. Place 1/2 banana on each side of the breast over the wings and legs to hold the banana on the bird. Cover with 4 pieces of bacon side by side, lengthwise, covering the top of the bird. Cross the remaining 2 slices of bacon across the thighs. Sprinkle Italian seasoning all over bacon and vegis. Pour in chicken broth against a side of the oven, away from the bird. Cover and bake 90 minutes at 350 degrees F.

I also made rice pilaf, and dinner rolls to complete a dinner since the vegis cooked with the bird. Dessert was a fruit tart. Delish!

Dutch oven Black Pot Demo's at SW in Rocklin, Ca

2007-12-02T22:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday started at a dark and early 5:30 am to hook up my trailer packed full of heavy iron pots, cooking gear and instant fire in the form of propane. To start the day off wrong I forgot one of my new and full 5 gallon bottles of propane to light charcoal and fire up the portable camp fire to keep warm. forecast temperatures for the Sacramento were 55 degrees and when I arrived at 8:30 to set up and get ready to start at 10:00 it was still around a chilly 38 degrees. People in the Sacramento area love their black pots and love to learn more! There was a group of 20+ people right at 10 and they watched, and asked questions until 2:30pm. I also built a new "gadget" to help when teaching classes so that the whole group could see inside the Dutch oven and what I was doing. If I were to buy a demonstration table with overhead mirror or even just the mirror, it would cost over $2,000. I built one for a whole $40.00 and the next 2 are going to cost even less since I had 3 pieces of mirror cut all at once at $10.00 a cut! In the picture you can see the overhead mirror and the area I was teaching in. I didn't have a person available to take pictures with my expensive camera so I just snapped a few for reference and posting here and there online. I can not sell my cookbooks when I do demo's at SW because it is not an item which they carry so I contacted the person in charge and they may start carrying my books but, it must be approved first. Dishes we cooked as a class were sourdough beer bread, chicken tortilla casserole, and Sin on a Stick(better known as deep fried snickers bars). The next class will be at the ISE Show in Sacramento on Jan 17 to 10, 2008. The next oneat SW will be in February and I will be joining the Lonestar Dutch oven Society for their DOG on December 9 in Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos, Ca

Dutch oven Christmas Tree!

2007-12-02T22:06:00.000-08:00

Well, for those of you who frequent my blogs here and the IDOS Forums here are pictures of my proud made Dutch oven black pot Christmas Tree!

Chinese in a Dutch oven!

2007-11-23T02:06:00.000-08:00

I had to work today on Thanksgiving and wanted something other than more turkey and ham for dinner. So, in the middle of the night last night or was it early morning I decided to try something new! I love tomato beef chow mein with pan fried noodles. Which are smaller than regular chow mein noodles. I found a recipe and i liked it for a starting block. I made some changes and cooked away in a 10" Dutch oven and it turned out well.... There are no left overs and everyone at work wanted to know what Chinese restaurant I bought it from. Here's the recipe and a new addition for my cook book. It's delicious!

Dave’s Tomato Beef Chow Mein

David Herzog

1 6oz. package pan fried noodles

1 lb. skirt steak, sliced thin against the grain

1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. soy sauce

1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. corn starch

2 tsp. sugar

2 medium onions, wedged and separated

1 large green bell pepper

2 large or 3 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 8^th’s

4 Tbs. oil

2 Tbs. minced ginger

2 Tbs. minced garlic

Sauce:

2 cups chicken broth

2 Tbs. corn starch

½ cup catsup or ¼ cup tomato paste

¼ tsp. Kosher salt

3 Tbs. sugar or equal measurements of Splenda®

Slice the beef in 1/8” thick slices across the grain. In a medium bowl combine all ingredients for the sauce and set aside. Be sure to stir well to keep in a slurry.

Boil noodles in a 10” Dutch oven for 2 minutes, drain, rinse and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine beef soy sauce corn starch and sugar, mix with your gloved hands to combine well.

Heat 2 Tbs oil in a wok over high heat and fry the noodles until lightly browned, turning only one time. Remove noodles from wok and set aside. Heat 1 ½ Tbs. oil over high heat and add beef, stir frying until beef is cooked through remove beef and add remaining oil to wok.

To smoking oil, add ginger and garlic and stir fry 15 seconds. Add onions and stir fry 1 minute, add peppers and stir fry 1 minute. Return beef to wok and stir sauce then add to mixture, stir until thickened. Add noodles and tomatoes, gently toss to separate the noodles. Enjoy!

Serves 4 to 6

Turkey in a Dutch oven part 1 of 3

2007-11-18T01:29:00.000-08:00

The third way and my favorite quick way to cook a turkey is the Beer Can turkey! BBQ it in your 12" Dutch oven with out a lid and the results are beautiful! No basting to worry about and it cooks in a little more then 2 1/2 hours for a 18 pound bird. Why it cooks so fast? It cooks from the inside and outside at the same time! Thats Beer Can BEAUTY!

Dave’s Famous Beer Can Chicken or Turkey

For chicken:

1 3 to 4 lb. whole fryer chicken, rinsed and patted dry

1 12 oz. can of your favorite beer

2 Tbs. granulated garlic

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

Apple wood chips

For turkey:

1 14 to 20 lb. turkey, rinsed, and patted dry

1 can Fosters beer

6 Tbs. granulated garlic

2 Tbs. kosher salt

1 Tbs. freshly ground black pepper

3 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)

Apple wood chips

Preparation for the chicken and turkey are similar rub the garlic salt and pepper all over the outside and inside cavity of the bird open beer and remove about 2 regular swallows. Push pepper (s) into can of beer, 1 tsp. garlic and rosemary sprig(s) into beer also. Carefully push beer can into the cavity of the bird, then stand the chicken in a 8” or 10” Dutch oven. Stand the turkey in a 12” deep Dutch oven. Carefully set the Dutch oven and bird into the bottom of a Weber kettle B.B.Q. and place hot ready briquettes around the Dutch oven. Use about 30 briquettes for a chicken and a charcoal chimney full for the turkey. Scatter wood chips over charcoal and place the lid of the Weber on top and bake the chicken for 45 minutes and the turkey for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until meat falls off the bones or thigh juice runs clear. DO NOT LIFT THE LID UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST 30 MINUTES! Carefully remove bird and Dutch oven from B.B.Q. let rest 10 minutes before serving. You can save the juices to make a remarkable gravy for mashed potatoes or stuffing!

Turkey in a Dutch oven part 2 of 3

2007-11-18T01:06:00.000-08:00

B.B.Q. turkey in a D.o. saves all the juices for gravy

B.B.Q. Turkey is the next way I cook my Thanksgiving Turkey and even though I don't use a Dutch oven for this recipe is is definately worth publishing. My mother started doing her turkey this way when I was in High School and I have carried on the recipe with several changes of course. But the method is the same and the results are a succulent B.B.Q.ed juicy bird that make mouths water and has the whole family fighting over the left overs including the bones for stock!

B.B.Q. Turkey

David Herzog

1 Turkey, up to 30 lbs.

¼ c. garlic salt

1/8 c. coarse ground black pepper

2 Tbs. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

21 ½” Weber B.B.Q.

5 lbs. Royal Oak charcoal

Defrost turkey. Mix garlic salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin in a small bowl. Rub pepper mix all over the turkey, inside and out. Start coals and place in 2 piles, one for each side of B.B.Q. (about 30 coals each pile). When coals are white, place turkey on cooking grill in the center, between the 2 piles of coals and cover. Cook 10 minutes for each pound. DO NOT lift the lid to look into the B.B.Q. to check the bird. After coals have burned out, check for doneness by slicing a small cut between the leg and thigh. Bird is done when juices run clear, about 3 ½ to 4 hours.

Turkey in a Dutch oven part 3 of 3

2007-11-18T00:50:00.000-08:00

Turducken in a 22" Maca ready to serve

Turkey Day is quickly coming upon us all and I have 3 different ways I cook my Thanksgiving bird in Dutch ovens! The first is Turducken! I've made 3 so far and they all turn out awesome cooked in my massive 22" Maca. You may be able to squeeze one in a 16" Deep if you can find one! Below is the recipe from Chef Paul Purdome. I use his recipe because it explains how to do everything including deboning the birds. The only difference is that I cook it at about 300 degrees F. for four hours instead of 10 to 12 hours at 200 degrees and I use my Dutch oven to cook it in instead of the home oven. I've also done one in a vault smoker at 225 degrees which turned out awesome and smokey!

Chef Paul Prudhomme's
TURDUCKEN

Since the Turducken takes about 12 hours to cook, you will need to plan your time wisely. The quickest way is to get friends or family members to make the dressings (or, if you're on your own, you will need to make the three dressings the day before boning the fowl and assembling the Turducken).

Cover the dressings tightly, and refrigerate them for several hours so they will be well-chilled before you place them in the meat. You can bone the meat (be sure to save the bones for stock) and assemble the Turducken the day before cooking -- and family or friends can have fun helping you with this, too! Keep the Turducken refrigerated until ready to cook. Make the gravy after the Turducken comes out of the oven.

To stuff the Turducken itself, you will need about 7 cups of the andouille dressing, about 4 cups of the cornbread dressing, and about 3 cups of the oyster dressing. It's also nice to serve additional dressing from bowls at the table, so we've told you in the list of ingredients how many times to multiply each dressing recipe to have plenty extra.

If you're inexperienced at boning fowl, start with the turkey; because of it's size, you can more easily see the bone structure. After boning the turkey, the duck and the chicken will go much faster. Remember, each time you do a Turducken it gets easier; it doesn't take magical cooking abilities, it just takes care. What is magical is the way people eating your Turducken will feel about your food!

NOTE: If you're really inexperienced with boning fowl, and this is scaring you off from making the Turducken, have your butcher do it for you. That's really the hardest part -- the rest is fun!

Ingredients for assembling the Turducken:

4 recipes Andouille Smoked Sausage Dressing

2 recipes Cornbread Dressing

4 recipes Oyster Dressing

One 20 to 25 pound turkey

One 4 to 5 pound domestic duckling

One 3 to 3-1/2 pound young chicken

About 7 tablespoons Creole seasoning or Chef Prudhomme's commercially packaged Cajun Poultry Magic seasoning

5 recipes Sweet Potato Eggplant Gravy

Tools needed:

One small hammer

One 3-inch needle; a "packing" needle with a curved tip works well

One 15x11 inch baking pan, at least 2-1/2 inches deep

One pan, larger than the 15x11 pan, that the smaller pan will fit inside with room to spare

Make the three dressings, then refrigerate.

Boning the fowl

It's helpful to keep the following in mind:

1. Your goal is to end up with one large piece of essentially boneless turkey meat; the finished product will contain only the tip end of each leg bone and the first two joints of each wing. You will end up with one piece of completely boneless duck meat, and one piece of completely boneless chicken meat.

2. Be careful not to pierce the skin except for the initial slits. Cuts in the skin tend to enlarge during cooking and make the end result less attractive, as well as more dry.

3. Allow yourself plenty of time, especially if you're a beginner. And even if you're experienced, approach the boning procedure with a gentle, careful touch -- the meat is not tough and you want to end up with as much of it as possible.

4. Bone one side of each bird -- either the left or the right -- before doing the other side.

5. Use a sharp boning knife and use mainly the tip; stay close to the bone at all times with the knife. 6. It's worth the time and effort!

To bone the turkey:

Place the turkey, breast down, on a flat surface. Make an incision the entire length of the spine through the skin and flesh. Starting from the neck end and using the tip of the knife, follow as closely to the bone as you can cut, carefully teasing the skin and meat away from the frame. Toward the neck end, cut through the meat to expose the shoulder blade (feel for it first and cut through small amounts of meat at a time if you have trouble locating it); cut the meat away from around the bone and sever the bone at the joint so you can remove the blade.

Disjoint the wing between the second and third joint; free the heavy drumstick of the wing and remove it, being careful to leave the skin intact. Continue teasing the meat away from the backbone, heading toward the thighbone and being careful to keep the "oyster" -- the pocket of meat on the back -- attached to the skin instead of leaving it with the bone.

Cut through the ball-and-socket joint to release the thigh bone from the carcass; you should now be able to open the bird up more in order to better see what bones are still left to deal with. Continue teasing the meat away from the carcass until you reach the center front of the breast bone. Then very carefully separate the skin from the breast bone at the midline without piercing the skin (go slowly because the skin is very thin at this point).

Repeat the same boning procedure on the other side of the turkey, with the turkey still breast down. When both sides are finished, carefully remove the carcass. Save carcass for stock or gumbo.

Remove the thigh and leg bone on each side as follows: being careful not to break through the skin, use a small hammer to break the leg bone completely across, about two inches from the tip end. Then manipulate both ends of the bone with your hands to be sure the break is complete. Leave the tip of the bone in, but remove the leg bone and thigh bone as one unit. To do this, cut the meat away form around the thigh bone first, using the knife tip; then, holding the thigh bone up with one hand, use the other hand to carefully cut the meat away from around the leg-thigh joint. (Don't cut through this joint, and don't worry if it seems as if you're leaving a lot of meat around the joint -- it can't be helped, and besides, it will add flavor to the stock you make with the bones!)

Then use the blade of the knife to scrape the meat way from the leg bone; remove the leg-thigh bone. With your hands or the knife, one by one remove as many bin bones from the leg meat as possible. Then, if necessary, pull the tip of the leg bone to turn the meat to the inside, so the skin is on the outside and it looks like a regular turkey again. Refrigerate.

To bone the duck:

Place the duck, breast down, on a flat surface and follow the same procedures you did to bone the turkey, except this time you will remove all of the bones, instead of leaving in part of the wing and leg bones.

To bone each wing, cut off the first two joints of the wing, leaving the wing's drumstick. Cut the meat from around the drumstick and remove this bone.

When you reach the thigh, follow the thigh-leg bone with the knife blade to release the bone as one unit; again, be careful not to cut the skin.

Trim some of the excess skin and fat from around the neck area. Cut the skin in small pieces and reserve it for making the gravy. Discard the fat. Refrigerate the duck and skin pieces.

To bone the chicken:

Use precisely the same procedure to bone the chicken as you used to bone the duck.

To assemble the Turducken:

Spread the turkey, skin down, on a flat surface, exposing as much meat as possible. Sprinkle the meat generously and evenly with a total of about 3 tablespoons of the Creole seasoning, patting the seasoning in with your hands. (Be sure to turn the leg, thigh and wing meat to the outside so you can season it too.)

Then stuff some of the cold andouille dressing into the leg, thigh and wing cavities until full but not tightly packed. (If too tightly packed, it may cause the leg and wing to burst open during cooking). Spread an even layer of the dressing over the remaining exposed meat, about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick. You should use a total of about 7 cups dressing.

Place the duck, skin down, on top of the andouille dressing, arranging the duck evenly over the dressing. Season the exposed duck meat generously and evenly with Creole seasoning, using about 1 tablespoon, and pressing it in with your hands. Then spread the cold cornbread dressing evenly over the exposed duck meat, making the layer slightly less thick than the andouille dressing, about 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with the chicken and the oyster dressing.

Enlist another person's help to carefully lift the open Turducken into an ungreased 15x11 baking pan that is at least 2-1/2 inches deep. (NOTE: this pan size is ideal because the Turducken fits snugly in the pan and stays in the proper shape while cooking).

As you life the Turducken into the pan, fold the sides of the turkey together to close the bird. Have your helper hold the turkey closed while you sew up all the openings, making the stitches about 1 inch apart. When you finish sewing up the Turducken on the first side, turn it over in the pan to sew closed any openings in the other side. Then tie the legs together, just above the tip bones. Leave the turducken to cook, breast side up, in the pan, tucking in the turkey wings.

Place the Turducken pan in a slightly larger pan with sides at least 2-1/2" deep, so that the larger pan will catch the overflow of drippings during cooking. Season the exposed side of the Turducken with about 2 tablespoons of Creole seasoning, patting it in with your hands. Refrigerate until ready to bake.

Bake the Turducken at 190°F, about 12 hours, until done, or until a meat thermometer inserted through to the center reads 165F. (NOTE -- there's no need to baste, but you will need to remove accumulated drippings from the Turducken pan every couple of hours so that the lower portion of the turkey doesn't deep fry in the hot oil. When done, remove the Turducken from the oven and let rest and cool for 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the gravy with some of the pan drippings and the reserve duck skin.

With strong spatulas inserted underneath (remember there are no bones to support the birds' structure), carefully transfer the Turducken to a serving platter and present it to your guests before carving. Be sure to make your slices crosswise so that each slice contains all three dressings and all three meats. Serve additional bowls of the dressings on the side.

SWEET POTATO EGGPLANT GRAVY

1/2 cup drippings from the Turducken, plus the reserved duck skin

4 cups eggplants, peeled and chopped

1-1/2 cups onions, chopped

1 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

3 bay leaves

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1-1/2 teaspoons white pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons cayenne

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

8 cups chicken stock, turkey stock or duck stock

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" dice

3 tablespoons Grand Marnier

1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped

Place the drippings and duck skin in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 cups of the eggplant and sauté until eggplant starts to get soft, translucent and brown, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the onions and remaining 1 cup eggplant. cook until the onions start to brown, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the finely chopped sweet potatoes. Continue cooking and stirring for 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1 teaspoon each of the white and red peppers, the mustard and thyme. Stir well, scraping the pan bottom as needed.

Stir in 1 cup of the stock into the vegetables and cook 2 minutes, then add 1 more cup of stock. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/4 cup of the sugar and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add another 1 cup of stock and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup more stock. Cook 10 minutes, then add another 1 cup of stock and cook 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer 13 minutes. Stir in another 1 cup stock and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and strain well, forcing as much liquid as possible through the strainer.

Place the strained gravy in a 2 quart saucepan. Add the diced sweet potatoes and 1 cup stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes, skimming any froth from the surface. Stir in the Grand Marnier and continue simmering for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the green onions, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, white and red pepper, and the FINAL cup of stock. Bring gravy to a boil and simmer until it reduces to about 3 cups, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Yield: About 3 cups.

ANDOUILLE SMOKED SAUSAGE DRESSING

4 tablespoons oil

4 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped green bell peppers

1-1/4 pounds andouille

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

2 cups turkey, duck or chicken stock

1-1/2 cups very fine dry French bread crumbs

Place the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add 2 cups of the onions, 1 cup each of the celery and bell pepper. Sauté until the onions are dark brown but not burned, about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the andouille and cook until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the remaining 2 cups onions, 1 cup celery and bell pepper, the butter, paprika, garlic and Tabasco, stirring well. Reduce heat to medium and cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the stock and bring to a simmer; continue cooking until the oil rises to the top (until the water evaporates), about 10 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs. Remove from heat.

Transfer mixture to an ungreased 8x8" baking dish; bake uncovered in a 425°F oven until browned on top, about 45 minutes, stirring and scraping pan bottom well every 15 minutes.

CORNBREAD DRESSING

Cajuns like their cornbreads and dressings sweet, so the crumbled cornbread we start with in this dish is sweet (the cornbread referenced in the link below should have the sugar increased from 1/3 cup to 2/3 cup). If you prefer less sweet dressings, you may omit the sugar entirely.

Seasoning mix:

4 tablespoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons salt

1-1/2 teaspoons white pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Dressing ingredients:

4 ounces (1 stick) butter

4 tablespoons margarine

3/4 cup onions, finely chopped

3/4 cup green bell peppers, finely chopped

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

3/4 pound turkey, duck or chicken giblets, boiled until tender then ground (preferred), or finely chopped

1 cup turkey, duck or chicken stock

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

5 cups finely crumbled cornbread (increasing sugar to 2/3 cup)

1-2/3 cups evaporated milk

3 eggs

Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and margarine with the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and bay leaves over high heat. Sauté about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the seasoning mix and continue cooking until vegetables are barely wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the giblets, stock and Tabasco. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add the cornbread, milk and eggs, stirring well. Spoon dressing into a greased 9x13" baking pan. Bake at 350°F until browned on top, about 35-40 minutes.

OYSTER DRESSING

Seasoning mix:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Dressing ingredients:

About 20 small to medium oysters in their liquor, about 1/2 pound

1 cup cold water

6 ounces (1-1/2 sticks) margarine

1-1/2 cups onions, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup green bell peppers, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 cup very fine dry French bread crumbs

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1/2 cup parsley, finely minced

Combine the oysters and water; stir and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Strain and reserve oysters and oyster water, refrigerate until ready to use.

Melt 4 tablespoons of the margarine in a large skillet over high heat. When margarine is almost melted, add 3/4 cup of the onions, 1/2 cup each of the celery and bell peppers. Sauté over high heat until onions are dark brown but not burned, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a small bowl, combine the seasoning ingredients and mix well. When onions are browned, stir 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix and the garlic into the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining 3/4 cup onions, 1/2 cup celery, 1/2 cup bell peppers and 1 stick margarine, and 1/4 cup of the green onions, 1/4 cup of the parsley, and the bay leaves. Stir unti margarine is melted.

Continue cooking about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining seasoning mix and enough bread crumbs to make a moist but not runny dressing. Remove from heat. Stir in the drained oysters. Spoon dressing into an ungreased baking pan and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, discard bay leaves and stir in the butter and the remaining 1/4 cup each green onions and parsley.

Upcomming Calendar!

2007-11-05T02:32:00.000-08:00

I'm already looking at a busy year in Dutch ovens and Black pot cooking!
Lets start off in Rocklin, Ca at Sportsman's Warehouse, on December 1, 2007 at 9:30 am I will be conducting several D.o. classes Take a look at the SW website as soon as it is posted (next week?)

Next is the International Sportsman's Exposition on January 17 - 20, 2008 at Cal Expo, Sacramento, Ca. I will be accompanied by as many as 10 other Dutch oven cooks doing demonstrations and class continuously on all 4 days with a 3 pot competition on Saturday and either a chili competition or iron chef competition on Friday.Contact me for entry information!

For those who like to watch me get creative I am competing in the Sports and Rec. Show in Anderson, Ca on February 29, March 1 and 2, 2008 in 3 different Dutch oven competitions. Contact Dave Cole for more details at castandfire at aol dot com.

In June in Carson City, Nv is the annual Carson City Rendezvous and Dutch oven Events. This is the 25 th year of the rendezvous and the 10th year for the cook off so it will be a huge event! The date is June 13 -15, 2008. Contact me for more info.

No dates set yet for the next 2 events but I will be teaching at both and they are IDOS events. The first is the Region II D.O.G. and also the 2008 IDOS Fall Convention. Both may be held in Central Ca this year. More details coming soon!

These are all events I am committed to at this time and my available time is filling fast! If you want to schedule a class or special event let me know asap! I need 30 days for a class and up to 6 months for other events.

2007-11-02T01:24:00.000-07:00

Dutch Oven’s are Hot in Central California!

David Herzog

February through May is the time to be in Central California from the Bay to Lake Tahoe if you’re a Dutch oven cook or just an enthusiast. There was a D.O.G. on February 10 in Pleasanton with 10 cooks attending the event. The weather was moist but, held out for the event. Host Richard Smith was even seen on a skateboard at the skateboard park next to the cooking area while food was cooking. There was enough food to feed 60 people and plenty of leftovers!

March and April was full of cook-offs, from Redding in the north to Colusa, and Turlock in the southern portion of Central California. April was a calendar full of D.O.G.’s within a period of two weeks with the group in the Bay Area having their D.O.G. on the same day as a Rendezvous up near Sonora. While the weather was drier in Redwood City, I went to the rendezvous and got soaking wet in the rain and hail. The Central California Dutch oven Adventure chapter held their D.O.G. on April 15 with a small group attending. Gary House, the chapters director is very excited as the chapter has two members with chuck wagons to share at Dutch oven events in the future.

May is no exception with Central California Dutch oven Adventure chapter holding a D.O.G. at New Melonies Lake on May 19. There are also several Mountain man rendezvous’ happening throughout the Sierras. So if you live in or near the Central California area, bring your Dutch oven and join a group for lots of fun and even more great food! Contact Gary House at ccdoa@sbcglobal.net for chapter information and a calendar of events. Richard Smith at thecleanerstore@sbcglobal.net for Bay Area information.

Slow cooking Prime Rib in Rock Salt

2007-11-02T01:14:00.000-07:00

Cooking Prime Rib in Rock Salt

The key is keeping the meat and everything else DRY This is very, very important. I let the roasts set out for about 2 hours before starting the cooking process. This makes a more tender piece of meat when it is cooked. I rub the prime rib roasts with my favorite mixture of seasonings and set the roasts aside. In the mean time I start 3 Weber charcoal chimneys full of charcoal. Next, I place 1" of rock salt into the bottom of my 22 Maca. Then I put 2 roasts onto the rock salt in the bottom of the oven. I pour in more rock salt to cover the 2 roasts about 1/2". Then I place the next 2 roasts ontop of the first 2 and fill the oven with more rock salt and cover with more rock salt. It takes about 50 to 60 pounds of rock salt and I use water softener salt because its $12.00 per 80 pounds, compared to 1.59 per 5 pound box of ice cream salt. NOTE there is no difference! Cover the Dutch oven and I place 1 chimney of briquettes in a ring around the bottom and 1 1/2 on the lid. 3 hours later I have 95 pounds of delicious prime rib ready to be devoured!

Here is why the meat does not get salty. MOISTURE. Plain and simple. You need moisture to get the saltyness into the meat, thats why the rub flavors get into the meat and not the rest of the salt. I've heard many cooks who spray water over the salt to "harden it" what that moisture does is alow the salt to penetrate the meat and makes it more salty. When you pack the roasts into a dry oven, the rock salt acts much like cast iron and transferrs the heat directly to the meat in a even fashon all around the meat, leaving no hot or cool spots. The rock salt also makes a great moisture bearier, keeping the juices inside the meat. That's how it works in a nutshell.

ISE Show in Sacramen

2007-01-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

I.S.E. Show in Sacramento, Ca

For those of you who couldn't make it to the ISE Show inSacramento, Ca, You missed a wonderful and fun event. IDOS Presidentand world champion Dutch oven chef Randy Macari; Past IDOS Presidentand world champion winner Clyde Miller and Joe, all taught Dutch ovenclasses and answered questions throughout the 4 day event. We alldecided to keep classes very simple to get the beginner Dutch ovencook all excited about using their Camp Dutch oven. That decision wasa good one! We had class sizes average about 25 people! Some weresmaller and several had about 50 to 60 or more people involved in theclass.
We baked a frozen Mrs. Smith apple pie, several frozen Degorinopizzas, canned cinnamon rolls, Chinese steam buns, smoked pork chopsin a UDO, Mountain man breakfast, several roasts, stew, and chili. ISEwouldn't allow us to hand out samples to the public so, we ate verywell along with vendors around our booth. These simple demonstrationsand classes were the key to our success! Many inexperienced cooks wereinspired and experienced cooks were amazed at what we were doing withour Dutch ovens. We explained to everyone that they could make oursame dishes as complicated as they wanted to. People asked aboutcooking in a 5" D.o. when I did the cinnamon roll class, I made apoint to show that a Pilsbery pop n fresh cinnamon roll fits in a 5"D.o. perfectly. They were amazed! I hope to answer some questions here and even more in Pleasantonat the DOG February 10, 2007 Valentine's D.O.G. in Pleasanton @ ValVista Community Park. The park is @ 7350 Johnson Dr. The park has aSkateboard park, Roller Hockey rink, play ground and lots of picnictables and BBQ pits.

ISE Show, Sac. Ca

2007-01-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

International Sportsman’s Exposition Jan. 18-21, 2007

Join me at the Cal Expo in Sacramento, Ca. on January 18 -21 for four fun filled days of Dutch oven demonstrations, classes and seminars. I will be outside the Sportsman’s Warehouse booth all four days covering baking, frying, stewing, brazing, roasting and stir frying in outdoor camp Dutch ovens. IDOS president Randy Macari and past presidents Ron Hill, Clyde Miller will also join me in teaching classes and running demonstrations.

Drop by and say hello, share recipes and ideas, buy some more cast iron to try and cure your castironitis. I look forward to meeting you all and hope everyone is keeping those coals hot and ovens cooking with goodness!

SW Grand Opening pictures

2006-12-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

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Here’s several pictures from the Sportsman’s Warehouse grand opening in Rocklin, Ca on December 2, 2006. Richard Smith, Bridget Ebert and family, and Steven Karoly and son all came out to help with demos and classes. The administration from Camp Chef and Sportsman’s Warehouse were at the event also and were all impressed with our little group of cooks and what we were cooking. Good job everyone and a BIG THANK YOU!!!

Cast Iron Basics

2006-10-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Cast Iron Basics
(some of the most important things you need to know!)

Seasoning: Cast iron may be heavy, but with a proper seasoning, is the greatest type of metal to cook in. But, you need to keep your cast iron free from rust and well seasoned to make it “stick free”.
     When someone buys cast iron from the store, the foundry (manufacturer) coats the pot or pan with a coating of some sort to keep the item from rusting. This is done by spraying with a type of varnish or dipping it into hot paraffin wax. This protective coating must be cleaned off before seasoning your cast iron.
     If your Dutch oven is made by LODGE, the protective coating is a sprayed varnish coating, which must be scrubbed off. Heat the Dutch oven inside your home oven to 200oF., then with a hot pad, lower the oven into hot soapy water, and scrub the Dutch oven with a S.O.S. pad. Scrub the inside and outside of the Dutch oven very well, rinse well,  and towel dry. Then place the Dutch oven back into your oven at 225o to dry for about 10 to 15 minutes. The only way to dry cast iron is to dry it completely. I do mine in the oven because, the heat is not concentrated in one spot, as it is on the stove top, which can cause minute cracks.
     If your Dutch oven is made by any of the other companies that make outdoor Dutch ovens, the protective coating is dipped paraffin wax, which can be burned off. Do this outdoors in your gas B.B.Q. or, a kettle type charcoal B.B.Q. like a Webber. In a charcoal B.B.Q., use Mesquite charcoal for fuel because it burns much hotter than briquettes. Start the charcoal or light the gas B.B.Q., set on high and pre-heat the B.B.Q. When the charcoal is white, spread it out a little so that is not to close to the cooking grate. Place the oven onto the cooking grate, upside down, and close the lid on the B.B.Q.
Heat the oven to 450o to 500o for 15 minutes. Close the B.B.Q. and cook the Dutch oven for about 1 hour at 450o to 500o , or until the oven stops smoking. Cool the scrub the oven and dry as directed above.
     To season the Dutch oven, place the oven upside down on the cooking grate and warm the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 450o to 500o . With hot pads, remove the D.O. and rub a light coat of lard, bacon grease, white Crisco, or vegetable oil, using a paper towel
Coat the inside and outside of the D.O. and lid. You only need a light coat of oil, you don’t want the grease to be dripping off the oven. Place the Dutch oven back onto the cooking grate and cook the Dutch oven for about 1 hour at 450o to 500o , or until the oven stops smoking. Remove the oven from the B.B.Q. with hot pads to cool. If the D.O. is a glossy brown color, not black, return to B.B.Q. to cook about thirty more minutes. By doing this outside in the B.B.Q., you don’t have to fill the house with smoke and set off the smoke detectors.

Cleaning; Cleaning cast iron is really quite easy and simple. As the same principal with seasoning, there are as many opinions as there are cooks. The methods I have found to work for me are written hereto share with you. However, as you cook more with cast iron and outdoor Dutch ovens, you will find a method that works best for you and your style of cooking.
     Right after I am finished cooking in my Dutch ovens, I like to a spray bottle filled with a solution of 4 parts of water to 1 part of apple cider vinegar to clean and sanitize with.  Scrape out all the extra bits of food with a spatula then spray the solution into the hot Dutch oven and wipe it out with paper towels. Sometimes, I need to spray and wipe out the oven several times to get it clean. But, it works well and the vinegar has other uses as well.
     Many people will tell you to never clean cast iron with soap and water. I have found this to be an excellent way to clean cast iron and use soap and water frequently myself. Be sure that cast iron is warm, to free the food from the pores easily, and to rinse the cast iron with hot water very well to remove all of the soap.
     The last and most important thing to do after cleaning your cast iron is not applying more oil to the iron. But, is to dry it completely over or in a heat source, to keep it from rusting. When drying cast iron, don’t get it to hot. It only needs to be about 225o for the moisture to evaporate and dry out. Once  the pot, pan, or Dutch oven is cleaned and dried, place a paper towel inside with a little of the paper towel going to the outside to “wick” out any  moisture from inside the pot and lid. Be sure to store your cast iron dry, without oil to keep it from turning rancid.

Storing:

2007 Carson City Ren

2006-10-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

2007 Carson City Rendezvous Dutch oven Cook-off
Hey Everyone!
I have the dates for the Carson City Rendezvous DOG and Cook-off for 2007! So mark your calendars, get those recipes together and register for an awesome Nevada style event!

June 8-10, 2007 is the date for the Carson City Rendezvous and Dutch oven Gathering and Competition.

Friday, June 8 will be full of demonstrations, classes, and fellowship among the public, D.o. cooks and others. Saturday, June 9 there will be more classes, including using your Maca deep Dutch ovens, making ice cream, sourdough, using pine cones for a heat source and many more classes. The DOG will begin at 3 p.m. and serving at 6 p.m. The high light of the DOG is 12 oz. of prime rib for each person at a donation of $10.00 per person. The DOG is free to everyone but, if you want a piece of prime rib you must purchase a pre-sale ticket by 1 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, June 10 is the cook-off. At 7:00 a.m. the free breakfast cook-off begins with judging at 8:45 a.m. A biscuit and gravy breakfast will be served with the breakfast cook-off at $2.00 per person. Come early because there are hungry mountain men and women that wait all weekend for this one!
The Cook-off begins after a 9:30 a.m. cooks meeting, and judging begins at 1:00 p.m. Peoples choice judging begins at 1:15 p.m. with tickets available to the public at $2.00 per person. The winners of the 3 pot cook-off then move on to the world championships! Prizes and money for winners of both cook-offs are being gathered and are increasing as WE continue the organizing process. Smith's grocery has donated $500.00 so far! Many other donations and sponsorships for the cook-off are being gathered and sorted. More on prizes as information becomes available. To enter the cook-off the registration fee is $10.00 per entry of bread, main dish, and dessert. Or $25.00 to enter all three to qualify for the IDOS world championships.
Don Alt will be returning with his chuck wagon and we are trying to get a few more to join us! We also have several groups who are bringing canvas wall tents and other goodies just for the Dutch oven part of the rendezvous. If you would like to join us for this grand weekend in down town Carson City, please contact me a.s.a.p. so I can reserve a free campsite for you and your group to join us!

The Carson City Rendezvous is in its 24th year and is a event that attracts 20,000 people each year! It is a family event which includes Civil War reinactments, mountain man encampments and merchants row, live entertainment including Sourdough Slim, train rides, and much, much more! Contact me for any questions you may have or more information you may need.

castironitis

Rogue Dutch oven Cookers busy in Southern Oregon!

Carson City Rendezvous! June 11-13, 2010

S.C.A. Eagles Lebanon, Oregon Memorial Day weekend

Dutch oven demos, classes and upcoming DOGS!

Zinfully Creamed Fingerling Potatoes

Classes in the month of April!

Newest IDOS chapter!

Off to WCC in Sandy, Utah

Nor cal Sports and Rec show Dutch oven cook off recipes!

2010 World Championship IDOS cook book now available!

Nor Cal Sports and Rec Show DO cook-off

a must read blog for all Dutch oven Cooks!

DOG planned for the 3rd week of October

Moved North!

Moved to Central Oregon

Dates for Bass PRo changed, Date Added

Cooking classes Aug 15 and 22, 2009 in Manteca, Ca

My Review of Camp Chef Propane Campfire

i.d.o.s. region 2 d.o.g.

2009 Region 2 DOG in Lodi, Ca! Come Join us!

Please Pray!

Dream Job!

Broken motor mounts and turkey at Bass Pro!

Busy November; Ca. Classes

COME ONE COME ALL!!!

i got my lodge 5!!!

Winning Recipes D.O. cook off, Redding, Ca 3/1/08

Dutch oven Classes for the whole family 2/16/08

Dooking Demos in Rocklin, Ca 2-16-08

ISE Sacramento, Ca Cook-off

Game Hen Recipes

Dutch oven ornament

Dutch oven Pheasant

Dutch oven Black Pot Demo's at SW in Rocklin, Ca

Dutch oven Christmas Tree!

Chinese in a Dutch oven!

Turkey in a Dutch oven part 1 of 3

Turkey in a Dutch oven part 2 of 3

Turkey in a Dutch oven part 3 of 3

Chef Paul Prudhomme'sTURDUCKEN

Ingredients for assembling the Turducken:

Tools needed:

Boning the fowl

To bone the turkey:

To bone the duck:

To bone the chicken:

To assemble the Turducken:

SWEET POTATO EGGPLANT GRAVY

ANDOUILLE SMOKED SAUSAGE DRESSING

CORNBREAD DRESSING

Seasoning mix:

Dressing ingredients:

OYSTER DRESSING

Seasoning mix:

Dressing ingredients:

Upcomming Calendar!

Slow cooking Prime Rib in Rock Salt

ISE Show in Sacramen

ISE Show, Sac. Ca

SW Grand Opening pictures

Cast Iron Basics

2007 Carson City Ren

Chef Paul Prudhomme's
TURDUCKEN