Passport to Texas

Biscuits in a Dutch oven.

Recreation/Cooking: Seasoning Your Dutch Oven Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Cast iron Dutch ovens have been around a long time.

05—You may have seen something that your grandmother had –an old pot that she sat on the stove that was black.

Tim Spice is a Dutch Oven enthusiast. The ovens have changed little since great-grandma’s day, except some now come pre-seasoned.

18—You know, what’s neat is, in the last couple of years, one of the major manufacturers has come out with a pre-seasoned Dutch oven. And I swore as a purist I wouldn’t buy one, and I did get one, and wow – already seasoned – it was fabulous. Jump right in and start cooking.

If you prefer to season it the old fashioned way – use it.

13—And after you cook a few times it will be season. And what we mean by ‘seasoned’ is, as you cook, micro-layers of carbon build up on the cast iron, and gives it a non-stick quality.

Groups, such as the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society are dedicated to preserving this kind of cookery.

12—And you can just do a search on your favorite engine, and you’ll find lots of different things. Some of these groups have ‘dogs’ is what they call them – Dutch oven gatherings – where they get together and they just all cook their favorite food, and have a grand old time.

Find recipes and links to Dutch oven groups at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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LONE STAR DUTCH OVEN SOCIETY: http://www.lsdos.com/index2.html [copy and paste link into your browser]

RECIPES FROM TIM SPICE

Hello folks. It is easy to get started with Dutch Ovens cooking. Here are some simple and great recipes! You want to cook these over a 350-degree heat. And to determine that, place your hand six-inches over the hot coals and count — one Mississippi…two Mississippi…three Mississippi…. If you can keep your hand over the coals for three seconds, then you have a temperature of 350-degrees. TS

CHICKEN STEW

Heat your Dutch oven over the coals with 1/8 inch of vegetable oil. When it is hot (not smoking), carefully place a cut up chicken in the oil and brown the chicken on both sides. When the chicken is browned cover the chicken with stock, (I use pre-made stock from the grocery).

Dice half an onion, place in the pot with one Bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots and celery and continue to simmer until the chicken falls off the bone, approximately 45 minutes.

When the chicken is done, you may thicken the stew with flour or cornstarch.

For an added bonus, get some biscuit mix and make dumpling in a plastic baggie. Cut a hole in one corner and squeeze out golf ball sized dough right on the top of the stew. Cover and heat until the dumplings are done in the middle. Add a few more coals to the top for a golden brown dumpling.

NOTE: You can use this same recipe to make beef stew by just substituting beef for the chicken.

COBBLER

Nothing beats a hot cobbler sitting around the campfire!

Start with canned fruit. (Peaches for the traditionalist.) For a 12 inch Dutch, 4 standard size cans will do. I use 2 cans of fruit and two cans of fruit pie filling.

Drain the fruit and reserve the liquid. Place the fruit and a few dabs of butter in the Dutch oven along with brown sugar and cinnamon. (I have a big sweet tooth so I use up to a cup of brown sugar, you may use less or none at all.)

Next, take 1/2 a box of yellow cake mix and place it in a plastic baggie. Mix with the reserved fruit juice and water until it is a little thicker than cake batter. Cut a small hole in one corner and pipe the batter on top of the fruit mixture. Then take a handful of dry mix and sprinkle on top of the cobbler.

Place the Dutch oven on the coals and maintain a 350-degree oven for approximately 45 minutes. If the top is not browning after 30 minutes add more coals to the top.

If the fruit filling is not bubbling gently, add more coals to the bottom. Finally, 5 minutes before the cobbler is done sprinkle with pecans. GUARANTEED TO PLEASE!

You can cook most anything in a Dutch oven.

Recereation/Cooking: The Forgiving Dutch Oven Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Cast iron is a durable metal with an outstanding capacity to hold and transfer heat. No wonder it’s used to make Dutch ovens.

07—A Dutch oven is a cast iron pot that pioneers used to cook their meals in over an open fire.

Tim Spice is manager of boater education at TPW and an accomplished Dutch oven cook.

07—I’ve done some stuffed Cornish game hens and quiche. Whatever you can bake in your oven you can bake in a Dutch oven.

For the new Dutch oven enthusiast, Tim recommends starting with a foolproof recipe.

17—Stews are easy. Liquid recipes are forgiving in a Dutch oven. So, I just tell people to start with that. Pick a great beef stew or a chicken stew and go after it. Vegetables, stock and the meat of your choice – and just let it cook away. And you’ll have a great meal in a short period of time.

If you’re worried about using your Dutch oven for the first time in the wide open spaces, Tim says to do a test run in your home oven.

16—If I want to try something on a fire, I’ll get my Dutch oven out and I’ll cook it in my oven so I don’t have to worry about temperature control. I can focus on recipe adjustment. Let’s face it, when you’re out in the woods, camping – you’re trying to have a good time –you don’t have a full kitchen behind you. So, that’s what I do. I use it a lot.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Dutch ovens getting a workout at camp.

Recreation/Cooking: Going Dutch (Oven) Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If your summertime meal planning includes al fresco dining…a Dutch oven will make cooking up tasty treats a snap

06—And you can cook anything that you would at home, on a fire, outdoors, while you’re camping with your family or friends.

Dutch oven enthusiast, Tim Spice, heads up boater safety at Parks and Wildlife. In use since the 1700s, Dutch ovens are made of cast iron.

10—Today the Dutch oven has legs on the bottom and a rim on the lid so that you can put coals under it and on top of it and cook as you would in your oven at home.

The key to Dutch oven cooking success is temperature control.

22—You hold your hand six inches above the coals…thousand one…thousand two….thousand three…if you have to pull your hand away sooner because it’s uncomfortable from the heat – it’s hotter than three-fifty. If you can hold your hand longer than three seconds, it’s colder than three-fifty. And, since most food is cooked at three hundred and fifty degrees in the oven, that’s where you’ll want to start gauging your heat.

Tim says the best way to learn how to Dutch oven cook is to just do it.

12—Don’t be intimidated by that Dutch oven. Grab one and take it home and practice. And then, take your folks out to the state park and spend the day and have a great meal at the end of a great day outdoors.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Caprock Canyon trail

Recreation: National Trails Day Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

National Trails Day, which is Saturday June 7 this year, encourages us to celebrate the outdoors on foot.

04— Most of our parks have programs and trail-type events every weekend of the year.

But, Thomas Wilhelm, with Texas State Parks, says there are special trail events around the state this Saturday.

12— Bastrop is having a special hike so you can see the rejuvenation efforts that are taking place in Bastrop following the wildfires. Estero Llano Grande and Resaca de la Palma down in the valley are having special bird-centric hikes.

There are other hiking events and even trail building, maintenance and repair opportunities at parks across the state, too. Thomas Wilhelm says, in the end, the point is to get outside and experience nature.

23— Being on the trails is the first step to really embracing nature. It’s low impact. You’re just doing something we do every day – you’re just doing it in a different atmosphere. So, you really get to experience things that you may overlook day-to-day, even though it’s right there beside you (even though it’s right there beside you). So, it starts people on the path to really appreciating nature and wildlife and everything that’s around them.

Find information about National Trails Day and Texas State Parks trail information at texasstateparks.org.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Hiking in Big Bend State Park

Recreation: State Park Trails Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Hiking is a popular outdoor activity at Texas State Parks.

07— Our trails really give people an opportunity to experience everything about state parks without getting too involved.

Thomas Wilhelm works with state parks. He says while hikers and walkers do get closely involved in the appreciation of nature, they do not need to involve themselves in training or even buy specialized equipment to spend meaningful time on the trails.

12— We have hikes from beginner level paved hikes all the way to very difficult hikes. So, regardless of your skills or your interests – there’s a trail that’s perfect for you [in a state park].

This includes equestrian trails and ADA Accessible trails. The trails in Texas State Parks offer hikers opportunities to experience native flora and fauna, as well as solitude, peace and calm. And, for those who like to exercise their brain along with their bodies…

15—There’s also opportunities with interpretive hikes that have panels along the way that explain what’s happening. So, you’re either learning something about nature or about history — or whatever it may be. So it’s both a relaxing experience or an enlightening experience.

Find trail information at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show for today…Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.