Dutch Oven Cooking

Now that cooler temps are upon us, we've started using the DO's for cooking again.  Last night we cooked our favorite chicken dinner and and apple pie.  It's all cooked in the dutch ovens in the fire pit....and only takes an hour or so to cook.  If you're "roughing it" camping, or just want an electricity free evening; this is a wonderful meal!

First you start with chicken leg quarters...I allow one leg per person, unless they are teenage boys...better go 3 each for them and add another dutch oven to the stack!

If your DO is well seasoned, just arrange the legs in the bottom.  If the DO needs something, rub the inside with a bit of lard.  Don't forget to season the chicken.  I use a salt-free poultry herb blend, then sprinkle with sea salt.  Next add 1 large sliced onion.

Then add about 3 pounds of scrubbed new potatoes.  Any potatoes will work, but the new potatoes have thinner skin.

Again, add seasoning and salt.  Then add 2 ribs of celery, cut into large chunks, 4 carrots (scrubbed & left unpeeled) cut into large chunks, some ears of corn....and whatever other veggies you'd like to toss in!

Again, add seasoning and salt.  We also added some smoked sausage on the very top.  Smoked sausage gives the meal a faint smoky flavor and besides that, we can't hardly eat a meal without it!

Then add a quart of water (try to add it in one spot so as not to rinse the seasoning off the vegetables)....

And then the most important part of the dinner assembly.....BUTTER!  Top it off with a few pats of butter before putting on the lid....(about 1 stick)

Next we start work on the apple pie.  I get the dinner and dessert assembled while Bob is building the fire. 

I cheat and use frozen pie crusts whenever possible.  When they go on a big sale, I try to buy at least a dozen boxes or the kind in the pan....because on sale they cost about 50 cents per crust....WAY worth the money to me since I can't make a decent crust!  That's a 1 pound hunk of butter....between the 2 dishes we use about 3/4 of it.  And 1 quart plus 1 pint of my home canned apple pie filling.  The last ingredient is cinnamon sugar.

First you cut slabs of butter and place them in the bottom of the DO.

Next you lay out one of the pie crusts along the bottom, pressing gently against the pan and poke a few holes in it with a knife....

Then you add a few more pats of butter, and sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar....

Now the base is done and you add both jars of pie filling, then a few more slabs of butter....and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar....

Then just lay on your top crust, poke a few steam hole in it, more cinnamon sugar, and it's ready for the pit!

Here are both dishes before going to the fire....

Place the lids on, then set the larger oven in the fire first, covering the lid completely with red coals.  Then set the smaller oven on top, covering it's lid completely with red coals also.  Wait 15 minutes and then turn them 45º.

Every 15 minutes, they get another turn....

For a total of 4 turns.  That's 1 hour of cooking....and they're done!!

Pit cooking is so easy and FUN!  I'm thrilled that our evenings are cool again.