Chuckwagon Express

Volume I, Issue 2, June 1999

< www.chuckwagonsupply.com >

Dutch ovens and accessories make great Father’s Day or Birthday gifts.

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Dutch ovens do require some preparation before they should be used. To "season" a Dutch oven means to bake on a coat of cooking oil to protect the iron surface of the oven. Cast iron Dutch ovens can rust if not treated or "seasoned" properly.

To season Dutch oven simply wipe the entire cleaned surface with a cooking oil, lard or grease. Pre-heat your regular oven at home to about 350-400 degrees F and place the oil coated Dutch oven in the regular oven for approximately 30-45 minutes. Take the Dutch oven and lid out of the oven and coat it with another layer of oil. Then return them to the oven and bake for another 30-45 min. Turn off the oven and let the Dutch oven cool. It is now ready to use.

If you currently have a Dutch oven that is rusty, clean the oven out thoroughly and re-season.

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What size of Dutch Oven should you use?

Our "Tips and Techniques" web page has a new chart that will help you decide the right oven size for your group. Navigate to www.chuckwagonsupply.com/faqs.html. If you need to add an oven or two to your inventory check out our on-line catalog. We have or can order any size oven you need.

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With Father’s Day coming, Why not cook Dad up a delicious Dutch oven meal of BARBEQUE PORK RIBS and COWBOY POTATOES. Add a salad and some MONKEY BREAD (recipe in May’s newsletter) and you’ve got a melt in your mouth meal.

15 top briquettes

Place ½ - ¾ pound country style pork ribs per person in the Dutch Oven (judge amount used based on meat fat content). Cook at 300° until nearly done. Replenish the briquettes about every 45-60 minutes.

Drain off all the liquid in the oven. Add your favorite barbecue sauce, enough to coat the ribs in sauce. Simmer for an hour more.

COWBOY POTATOES 12" Dutch Oven

Mark Miles 7 bottom briquettes

20 top briquettes

Serves 15

Chop up ½ pound bacon. Brown in the bottom of oven. Drain off fat.

Add 2 diced onions and cook until clear.

Wash 5 pounds russet potatoes and cut into spears or wedges (leaving the skins on). Add potatoes to oven. Sprinkle on salt and lemon pepper to taste. Mix until onions and bacon are evenly distributed throughout potatoes.

Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir once halfway through cooking time. When potatoes are done, sprinkle ½ pound cheddar cheese on top. When cheese is melted serve.

HINT: Over-stirring potatoes may cause them to breakup and turn dark.

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PREPARING FOOD DURING A POWER FAILURE

This is an excerpt from an article by Roger Huder, Orlando Fire Department:

"Perhaps the single best piece of cooking equipment you can possibly own is a Dutch oven. The Dutch oven is a heavy, flat-bottomed cast-iron kettle with a close-fitting lid and sturdy handle. This one piece of equipment can be use for frying, baking, boiling, roasting and deep-frying. There are two types, one with legs for outdoor use and the one without legs for use indoors. The indoor version can be easily adapted for outdoor use by simply placing three stones underneath the oven to raise it off the ground.* Frying- the lid can be turned over and used as a frying pan. Either on sticks pushed into the ground over the coals or turned upside down top of the oven itself with coals in an aluminum foil bed in the oven.* Baking- the oven can be used for baking with the inside lined foils and the oven placed on coals and coals placed on the lid of the oven.* Boiling- simply fill with water heat and add your vegetables or meats.* Deep frying- simply fill the oven with oil and drop either fish, poultry or meat into the oil. The Dutch oven will provide your family with a versatile tool that will come in handy when camping or surviving after a hurricane."

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contact: newsletter@chuckwagonsupply.com

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Phone: (888) 779-4880

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(c) Copyright 1999 Chuckwagon Catering & Supply, Inc. All rights reserved. This newsletter may be forwarded or redistributed in its entirety only. All other uses or citations must obtain prior written permission by contacting Mark Miles at (888) 779-4880 or by email at info@chuckwagonsupply.com.