Dutch Oven Cowboy Stew

This is a recipe I have wanted to try.  I found this recipe from a cookbook I bought from The American Chuck Wagon Association called Second Helpings.  This is not a typical tomato based stew but it has bacon so you know it is good.  We changed things a little bit due to what we had on hand.  I took pictures of the cooking steps this time.

Brown the diced bacon in a 14 in dutch oven

Next the meat and and brown in the bacon grease. 

Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until onions are translucent.

Add the apple cider vinegar and beef broth.  Simmer until reduced by half.

Mix the flour and water in a small bowl and stir into the stew.  

Add the potatoes and cook until carrots and potatoes are tender.

We served ours with homemade biscuits and my family really enjoyed this meal.

Cowboy Stew

1/2 lb bacon, diced
2 lbs cubed stew meat
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch celery, chopped
1 lb carrots, chopped
1/2 apple cider vinegar (this adds a tangy flavor but you could leave this out if you like)
2 qt beef broth
1 cup flour
1/2 cup water
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the bacon in the a 14 in dutch oven.  Next the meat and and brown in the bacon grease.   Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until onions are translucent.   Add the apple cider vinegar and beef broth.  Simmer until reduced by half.  Mix the flour and water in a small bowl and stir into the stew.  Add the potatoes and cook until carrots and potatoes are tender.

Thanks for reading, and get out there and get cooking!

Dutch Oven Super Potatoes

My wife has been asking me to make her Nana's Super Potatoes in the dutch oven for Easter.  These are a family favorite and you cannot attend a holiday dinner with her family without having these potatoes.   The recipe is super simple but they make for a great side dish to any meal.

Super Potatoes
6 large potatoes (boiled, peeled and shredded) You can also use frozen hash browns
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
2 Tbs butter cut up

Toss all ingredients and put in a greased 12 inch dutch oven.  Top with cut up butter and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the sides and top have started to brown and the cheese and butter are melted.

Thanks for reading, and get out there and get cooking!

Smoked Chicken

I own a smoker but many times I just use my large weber barbeque and using offset heat I am able to smoke things.  This is great for those who are unsure if they want to invest in a smoker but they can cook this way to see how they like it.

For the rub today I just did it really simple.  I brushed some canola oil over the chickens and then sprinkled it with a little seasoning salt and lemon pepper.  Other times I have done my barbecue rub.

In the bottom of your barbeque place the hot briquettes on to one side and then a large foil roasting pan (I buy mine at the Dollar Tree) on the other side.  Fill the pan with water.   Put the grill on and then place your chicken on a roasting rack and set it directly on the grill over the water pan. I have a spray bottle with apple juice that I use to baste the chicken about ever 30-40 minutes.   About halfway through cooking and when the chicken is a great brown color on top I wrapped the chicken in foil and cooked until done.   When your chicken is fully cooked bring it inside and let rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing to keep the juices in.  A little piece of the skin came off before taking the picture, but it was a fantastic and juicy chicken.

We have cooked our Thanksgiving turkey this way and I don't think we will ever go back to oven roasting it.

Thanks for reading, and get out there and get cooking!   

Dutch Oven French Bread

As I have said before I use to struggle with making bread in the dutch oven.  But after learning some tricks and techniques they come out great.  I used this recipe for french bread.  It is a simple and easy recipe.  Now the trick for making bread in the dutch oven is to always preheat the dutch oven and use a thermometer.  This bread I cooked it until internal temperature of 190 degrees and it came out perfect.  When you are doing the second rise do it on parchment paper, as you are preheating the dutch oven and then place it in the dutch oven when ready to bake.  I also used an egg wash to help it brown on top.

Thanks for reading, and get out there and get cooking! 

Dutch Oven Enchiladas

Now I know this looks like my chimichangas but these are my wife's enchiladas and they are delicious.
Here is her recipe for Chicken Enchiladas.  But when we make them in the dutch oven instead of rolling them we layer the tortillas, kind of like you would with a lasagna.  Also with the filling we add black beans, corn, green onions and sweet mini peppers just to bulk things up and it taste really great that way.

Here is an example of what I do.  Pour a little sauce on the bottom of the dutch oven.  Top it with a tortilla and then spread 1/3 of the chicken mixture.  Repeat with another tortilla and chicken mixture, until you end up with a tortilla on top.  Pour the remaining sauce over it and top with cheese and green onions.  I used a 12 inch dutch oven and cooked it at 350 degrees using 17 briquettes on top and 8 on the bottom and cook it for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese it nicely melted and everything is warmed through.

We like to eat this with rice and tortilla chips.  I will do another post about making rice in the dutch oven later.

Thanks for reading, and get out there and get cooking! 

Dutch Oven S'mores Dip

Here is a S'more dip that was great for our family and less messy for little ones.  I got the idea here S'mores Dip but changed things a little.

S'mores Dip
1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 small package chocolate chips
1 13 oz marshmallow fluff

In a 10 inch dutch oven mix the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk.  I only used a few coals on top and bottom and slowing melted the chocolate chips.  I checked and stirred it every few minutes until melted and combined.  Add the marshmallow fluff and swirl it into the chocolate.  You don't want to completely combine them, you want to be able to see swirls of both chocolate and marshmallow.

Serve with graham crackers.

Thanks for reading, and get out there and get cooking!