Game Hen Recipes

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

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

Dutch oven Pheasant

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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!