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Choosing a Dutch Oven<\/strong> Iron or Aluminum? You can buy either a traditional cast iron or a cast aluminum dutch oven in a variety of sizes. Iron is known for the even distribution of temperatures and gets a great patina or \u201cseasoning\u201d on the cooking surfaces. The main advantage of aluminum is the decreased weight\u2014and they can certainly be great long-term outdoor chef tools. Partner Steel even makes a square dutch oven with the advantages of better nesting with less wasted space.<\/p>\n There are lots of resources on taking care of your cast ironware, so we won\u2019t go into depth here. Just remember to keep soap away from the cookware, and lightly oil all cooking surfaces (including the bottom of the lid) after each use and cleaning.<\/p>\n Terms and Tools St. Patrick’s Day From a\u00a0Dutch Menu:<\/strong> Green Beer, Green Brownies, and Cole Slaw For our brownies, we used one box of Betty Crocker brownie mix, and one 16 ounce tub of white frosting mixed with three drops of food coloring. We didn’t modify the recipe at all, but we cooked it in a greased 10\u201d dutch oven with 6 coals on the bottom and a full ring + 2 coals on the top. Go by the recommended timing on the box, but also, get used to using your nose to notice the first whiffs of baked dessert goodness. Usually, you can count on the brownies being done shortly after the first strong whiff of chocolate.<\/p>\n Our Cole Slaw is a simple \u00bd cabbage, 2 grated carrots and \u00bd cup raisin affair, with dressing consisting of 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar with salt and pepper to taste.<\/p>\n Use a 14″ dutch; Serves 12<\/p>\n 2 lbs small red potatoes, quartered \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01 cup shredded cheese Cooking with dutch ovens requires good timing with your prep, so that the coals are ready when you need them, and the meal can finish cooking for all your hungry river friends. Don\u2019t light the coals until all of the food has been prepped and you\u2019ve started to cook.<\/p>\n Boil the potatoes until they’re almost soft and slightly undercooked. While the potatoes boil, brown the meat by itself in the dutch oven until done. Scoop out, set aside and discard the liquid.\u00a0Add the stick of butter, sour cream, salt and pepper to the potatoes. Mash until slightly chunky and set aside. Saut\u00e9 the onions, carrots, thyme and rosemary for 3 minutes stirring frequently, add the fennel and cauliflower, cook until mostly done. Add cooked meat, thawed peas, tomato paste, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar and soy sauce. Stir until everything is well coated. Remove from stove. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the meat and veggie mixture, top potatoes with cheese. You might need to press everything down just a little for the lid to fit nicely. Any cheese touching the lid will fry, which isn\u2019t that big of a deal. Cook with 7 or 8 coals on the bottom, a full ring of coals on the top, and a few around the lid handle. Bake 30-40 minutes.<\/p>\n Irish Soda Bread<\/strong> Use a 10″ or 12″ Dutch; Serves 12<\/p>\n \u00bd cup white sugar \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01 Tbsp caraway seeds <\/p>\n
\nFor outdoor cooking with a dutch oven there are important features that differ from what you\u2019d need for your kitchen or backyard grilling. Because we\u2019ll be cooking with charcoal above and below the dutch, you\u2019re going to need a dutch oven with legs on the bottom and a lip on the lid. You can get away with buying one with no legs by using small rocks or crushed aluminum cans. However, it\u2019s difficult to make an alternative lip for the lid. (If you have any suggestions for an improvised lip, let us know in the comments.) I\u2019ve considered using just the ring portion of a two-piece cake pan, but haven\u2019t tried anything yet for our lipless dutch oven.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d2kl15j267vxtq.cloudfront.net\/duct-tape\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/31183450\/St-Pattys-30_AME-100x100.jpg\")
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\nChoosing the Charcoal
\n<\/strong>Don\u2019t skimp on the good stuff. I really like using the name brand coals because they deliver a consistent burn time and temperature for all the briquettes. Off-brand coals have the tendency to quit on you right during a delicate cake bake. (Blame Murphy but either way, no bueno.) Heat more coals than you need by about 30% and be sure to have a secondary station to place the burning coals that you aren\u2019t using on the dutch. Some people use math to figure out exactly how many coals to use. If that works for you, go for it. I like to have an\u00a0extra reserve in case I need to increase my heat for one dish and reduce the heat for others. Make a pyramid of coals, soak with fluid, wait a few minutes for the fluid to soak in then use a lighter to get the coals lit. When making a cake or other desert, do this as soon as you start mixing the batter, at the beginning <\/em>of dinner preparation.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d2kl15j267vxtq.cloudfront.net\/duct-tape\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/31183507\/St-Pattys-9_AME.jpg\")
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\nFull Ring<\/strong> – an entire ring of briquettes at the lip of the lid, tight and touching.
\n(minus #)<\/strong> – full ring minus a number of briquettes, with the remaining evenly spaced.
\nDomino Ring<\/strong> – an entire ring of briquettes stacked up and leaning against each other.
\nSpin the lid<\/strong> – rotate the lid by 180 degrees to more evenly distribute the heat. You may need to do this if you have a directional breeze.
\nHotmitts<\/strong> – Don\u2019t burn yourself. Hottmitts also make it easier to finesse the coals when you don\u2019t have to hurry with your placement. Be comfortable.
\nTongs<\/strong> – Get some sturdy long handled tongs that can take the heat. Mark them for your dedicated coal handling tongs. Sometimes the burning coals can mar the tongs and it’s nice to keep them separate from your salad serving tongs. (Disclaimer: We recommend not using the type in our photos! They are too short.)
\nChannel Locks<\/strong> – INDISPENSABLE! Get a good 12\u201d set of these pliers and keep in your camp kitchen. A good set of channel locks also open cans of condensed milk for morning coffee nicely.
\nRaised fire pan with lip<\/strong> – Buy two galvanized steel oil changing pans for about 10 bucks each. Use one upside down as a stand for the top, upright one. Keeps the sand or grass from getting toasted. Even if you already have a great fire pan for grilling, these are a great addition to a stack of dutch ovens. If you\u2019re in the market for a burly fire pan, I recommend the NRS fire pan<\/a>. It\u2019ll last forever.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d2kl15j267vxtq.cloudfront.net\/duct-tape\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/31183457\/St-Pattys-20_AME.jpg\")
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\nShepard’s Pie
\nIrish Soda Bread
\nGreen Frosted Brownies
\nCole Slaw
\nGreen Beer<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>What better way to get into the Irish spirit than by coloring your beer green? We put just one drop of green food coloring into a 12 ounce can of Rainier, and the beer was very<\/em> green. If I had to guess, it would only take two drops of food coloring per pitcher of any pilsner.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d2kl15j267vxtq.cloudfront.net\/duct-tape\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/31183513\/St-Pattys-2_AME-100x100.jpg\")
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\nShepard’s Pie\u00a0<\/strong>
\nIn its simplest form, Shepherd\u2019s Pie is saut\u00e9ed ground meat, vegetables, gravy or brown sauce, topped with mashed potatoes and cheese. Traditionally, Shepherd\u2019s Pie is made with lamb, goat or other sheep meat. Cottage Pie is the proper name for that which is made from beef. I\u2019ve heard the name Shepherdless Pie for the vegetarian variation. In fact, Jamie Oliver has a great recipe for Shepherd\u2019s Pie with lentils and sweet potatoes. In our version, we used equal parts ground lamb and beef. Usually, the recipe calls for Worcestershire sauce; we opted for a combination of soy sauce and apple cider vinegar.<\/p>\n
\n1.75 lbs ground lamb and beef \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01 cup sour cream
\n1 small or medium cauliflower, chopped \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 4 Tbsp soy sauce
\n1 large white onion, diced \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
\n1 small red onion, chopped \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 3 oz tomato paste
\n1 bulb of fennel, chopped \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00bd cup red wine
\n4-5 medium carrots, chopped \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00bd Tbsp rosemary
\n1 bag frozen peas, defrosted \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a03 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 Tbsp dried thyme flakes)
\n1 stick butter \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0salt & pepper<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d2kl15j267vxtq.cloudfront.net\/duct-tape\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/31183508\/St-Pattys-7_AME-100x100.jpg\")
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\nThis is a quintessential quick bread is both sweet and savory, great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It doesn\u2019t rely on any yeast to rise and yet fluffs nicely due to the chemical reaction between the baking soda base and buttermilk (or alternative) acid. This was the first time making soda bread in a dutch oven for us and we were a little apprehensive. It turned out to be easier and tastier than expected. This is a repeat meal addition for sure!<\/p>\n
\n4 cups all-purpose flour \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2 eggs, lightly beaten
\n2 tsp baking powder \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 1 \u00bc cups whole milk
\n1 tsp baking soda \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01 \u00bd Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white)
\n\u00be tsp salt \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00be cup sour cream
\n2 cups currants or raisins \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0butter (for greasing the dutch and for serving)<\/p>\n
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