Now I know with a title like that I’m opening myself up to attacks from my more sophomoric readers but for the first and last time I’m talking about cast iron Dutch Ovens
and not the other kind (if you must know). Dutch Ovens went west with the pioneers. The pioneer women would make the days bread in the oven in the morning and allow the dough to rise all day so they could be ready to bake the bread when the wagon stopped in the evening. A dutch oven is so much more than just a big heavy pot. By using the heavy lid with hot coals on it the dutch oven can be used as an actual oven. For my first foray into dutch oven cooking I used it as a big heavy pot but I did cook over hot coals. I’d rather start off slow and work my way up. Bread is on the agenda soon though.
For my first attempt I made Sweet and Spicy Meatballs. For the meatballs you need:
2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 onion, diced fine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup bread crumbs
Mix the egg, onion, salt, pepper, and bread crumbs together, add the ground beef and mix thoroughly with your hands. Form the mixture into meatballs about the size of a ping-pong ball. Brown them in the Dutch oven using only bottom heat. I cooked them in small batches so it wasn’t overwhelming. When the meatballs are done cooking drain any grease out of the oven and return the meatballs to the oven. Cover them with the sauce.
Sauce:
1 12oz Jar of grape jelly
1 12oz jar of chili sauce
juice of a lemon
A shot of hot sauce to taste
Pour the sauce over the meatballs and cook at a simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
They were awesome! I will definitely make these again and my guests raved about them also.
On a side note I used a chimney for the first time to get my charcoal going and I can’t imagine why I haven’t used one before, it works like a charm. If you have worried about cooking with charcoal because you were literally or figuratively scarred by your Dad and his love affair with lighter fluid this is the tool to get!
Here is a great blog to check out for more info on Dutch Oven cooking, Mark’s Black Pot
Inspired by The Beginners Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking
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Can you expand on the charcoal chimney concept?
The chimney is basically a pipe with a grate and some holes in it. It lets you light a few pieces of newspaper underneath the briquettes. They catch fire and burn nice and hot, all without the good old shot of lighter fluid we’ve all be come accustom to over the years. Gone are the days of Dads everywhere lighting off small Hiroshima’s in the backyard in the name of grilling.
I used to make my own fire chimneys out of metal coffee cans. I’d use an old can/bottle opener and make ^^^^^ around the base of the can and poke some old welding rods through to keep the charcoal off the newspaper. They worked fine but wouldn’t last more than one season. Too resourceful sometimes.
That sounds great. I’ll have to add that to my “uses for old coffee cans” file. To bad the metal ones are getting harder to come by.
How do you make the dutch oven?
You’ve got to buy one of those. I got mine from Camp Chef, I got their big boy and it can be a bit of overkill for some stuff. I would start with one a bit smaller to tell the truth.
I dig the prep knife
-Nick
I love my Becker Camp Knife! It is a bit overkill for making meatballs but Julia Child I’m not!
Was or where did you get the grill (?) that you sit the dutch cooker in? Great idea.
Kathy,
That is a Coleman Grill/Fire Pit on wheels that I got a few years ago. It came with the grills and a top for cooking and a cage so you can have a fire going in it also. I’m planning on a permanent fire pit next spring.