Dutch Oven Recipe
Dutch Oven Roasted Camp Chicken
This is an easy recipe for someone just starting to Campfire Cook in a Dutch Oven. This chicken recipe will make you look like a great chef. Put this together, add heat and forget it. Come back later and it is done and it taste good. This is the kind of recipe when “Simple” is “Better”.
4 – 5 lb Chicken Broiler or Roaster
Stalks of Celery
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
Vegetable Oil
To Butterfly a Chicken – Learn More Here
Lightly oil chicken, this will help brown and crisp the skin. Sprinkle both side of the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Cut celery stalks into thirds.
Lightly oil a 12″ Dutch Oven. Add the cut celery in a flat layer on the bottom. The celery will act like a trivet and keep the chicken raised up off the bottom on the Dutch Oven. Lay chicken on top of vegetable and put lid on Dutch Oven. (We used a bakers rack to get more space under the chicken)
Cooking Tip: Position the chicken so it does not touch the lid. If it touches the lid, put a small piece of foil at that point. Do not put charcoals directly on the lid over the chicken where it is touching. This will burn it.
In the oven, bake the chicken at 350° for 1-1/2″ hour, check for doneness (180°) or till the juices run clear. Cooking Outside, add a ring of charcoals around the lid and 3 or 4 in the center next to the handle. Add 5 underneath in a circle towards to outside edge. After about 30 minutes rotate to lid 90° and then rotate the whole oven 90° as this help to even out the heat. Be sure to let the chicken rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.
You can see in the final picture how the fat has melted out of the chicken and why it should be raised up. The chicken is very tender and pulls right off the bone, it does not get any better than this.
If you want barbecued chicken, Lightly brush sauce over the chicken during the last few minutes of cooking.
This dish has many variations. Change the spices and / or add salsa for an International flair.
Also, midway through the cook time a few redskins and other vegetables can be added the Dutch Oven.
I hope you enjoy this recipes.
Sweet and Heat Smoked Sausage Dinner
This Dutch Oven Camp recipe is very similar to a chuck wagon cowboy recipe called “Big Old Mess”. Big Old Mess is very filling and easy to make. This is a very easy starter recipe for the beginning camp cook.
1 lb Smoked Sausage
1 Bell Pepper
1 Anaheim Pepper
1 Large Sweet Onion
1/4 tsp Hot Pepper Flakes
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce, Nothing Fancy
2 tbsp Hot Sauce
2 tbsp Cider Vinegar
Vegetable Oil
Serves two hearty appetites.
Cut the smoke sausage into 1″ thick rounds and set aside. Cut onion and peppers into large bite size chunks and set aside. In a measuring cup add barbecue sauce, hot sauce, cider vinegar, brown sugar and hot pepper flakes. Stir well to desolve the brown sugar and set aside.
This recipe will require shifting charcoals from top to bottom twice to complete the dish, but its worth it.
Start with 20 charcoal briquettes. Put 10 coals under a 10″ Dutch Oven. Add a tiny amount of vegetable oil, wipe oil to cover bottom of the Dutch Oven. Add the smoked sausage to the Dutch and brown on both sides. Add the chopped vegetables and sauce mixture to the Dutch Oven, stir and cover. Remove all but 4 or 5 coals from the bottom and put on top with the remaining coals. Bake for about one hour stirring ocassionally. Add more coals as needed. Once the vegetables are tender, remove lid and put about 10 coals underneath. Bring mixture to a slow boil to reduce and thicken the sauce. Be careful not to burn the sauce. If it gets too hot remove a few coals from underneath.
Serve the Sweet and Heat Smoked Sausages with refried beans and tortillas. The hot peppers and hot sauce can be bumped up for the heat lovers and the cider vinegar is what gives it that little sour twang. “Oh Boy” is this GOOD!
To learn more about charcoal placement and temperatures
Visit “Cooking with Charcoals”