Dutch Oven Cooking

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Cast iron is a durable metal with an outstanding capacity to hold and transfer heat. No wonder Dutch ovens are made from it.

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

Tim Spice work for Parks and Wildlife in education and outreach. He’s also an accomplished Dutch oven cook.

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, Spice recommends starting with a foolproof recipe.

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, Spice recommends, doing a test run indoors.

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.

Find Dutch oven recipes at http://www.lodgemfg.com/recipe.asp.

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

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