by Lone Star Dutch Oven Society
There are lots of ways to cook outdoors, but the Texas State Cooking Implement, the Dutch oven, is one of the most versatile outdoor cooking implements ever made.
The Dutch oven was adopted as the Texas State Cooking Implement on June 18, 2005. The Dutch oven is believed to date back to the early 1700s in England and was brought to the New World by Dutch traders. Exactly when the cooking implement came to America is uncertain, but it traveled west with the wagon trains and in Texas, it was used by the Spanish explorers, early settlers, ranchers, and chuck wagon cooks.
The Dutch oven is ideal for moist-cooking methods such as items you would bake in your kitchen oven, but is also handy for searing food like you would on a flattop griddle. The oven has remained a popular cooking utensil and in 1995, the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society (LSDOS) was formed and began promoting its use throughout the state. The Texas legislature said, “Renowned for its portability and durability, the cast iron Dutch oven has been a cooking mainstay of Texans from the time of the pioneers to the current day, and it is indeed appropriate that it receive special legislative recognition for its role in our state’s history and culture.”
A camp Dutch oven is a Dutch oven with three legs and a flanged lid. The legs elevate the oven to allow coals to be placed below it and the flange prevents coals from sliding off the lid. As with other Dutch ovens (those without legs and a flanged lid), camp Dutch ovens come in various sizes and depths. Likely the most common size is a 12-inch diameter oven; 12-inch refers to the diameter of the lid. Recipes that call for a 9” x 13” baking dish convert well to a 12-inch Dutch oven.
Camp Dutch ovens can be used to cook over a campfire or hot coals. You can cook anything in a camp Dutch oven that you can cook in your oven at home. The key to successful cooking in a camp Dutch oven is being able to control the temperature inside the oven, and there are a couple of ways to do that. One way to control oven temperature is to suspend the oven over a fire or hot coals and place hot coals on the lid. The temperature is determined by the amount of coals on the lid and the height of the oven above the fire. The other way to control the oven temperature is to use charcoal briquettes with the oven placed on a cooking table. The hot charcoal briquettes are placed under the oven and on the lid. Charcoal briquettes emit a specific amount of heat so that the temperature inside the oven can be accurately controlled by managing the number of briquettes used. The folks that cook with LSDOS usually use this method to accurately control heat.
COOKING OUTDOORS IN A CAMP DUTCH OVEN
Baking and roasting require good heat control and it’s not just about how many coals to use but also where the coals are placed to ensure that the heat is evenly distributed throughout the oven. When you are searing or boiling something in the camp Dutch oven, the coals are placed directly underneath the oven so that the bottom of the oven gets very hot. But, if you do this when baking, the bottom of whatever you are baking will burn. When baking, you should never put the coals directly under the bottom of the oven; put them at the edge of the oven. When properly placed, you can look down the side of the oven from overhead and see about half of each of the bottom coals. The top coals should be, as much as possible, placed around the edge of the lid. This will cause the heat within the oven to circulate much like it does in a convection oven and the temperature will then be uniform throughout the oven.
Camp Dutch ovens can be used to boil, simmer, fry, stew, or braise. With the lid removed you can sear beef or chicken, steam rice, or deep fry fish and potatoes. They are great for gumbo, stews, soups, and chili. Put the lid on and the Dutch oven is perfect for baking biscuits, cornbread, or cobblers. Anything you can cook in a skillet can also be cooked in a Dutch oven.
Lone Star Dutch Oven Society holds three statewide events each year. They kick off the year with their Board Meeting in January. Dennis Clute, Chapter Advisor for the Chisolm Trail Chaparral Chapter (meeting at Cleburne State Park on the second Saturday of the month) says, “The event we call the Board Meeting is a three-day event that is interrupted by an hour-long meeting. We are about food, fun, and fellowship and not so much about meetings.” The LSDOS Membership meeting is held in the Fall and, like the Board meeting, is a three-day event which includes a short meeting. Lastly, there is the Big DOG which is also a three-day event and is held in the Spring. These statewide events are held at locations where folks can camp or rent cabins and are held in different locations each year.
In addition to chapter DOGs and the statewide events, LSDOS members put on demonstrations at various locations. If your organization is interested in having a Dutch oven cooking demonstration you can contact them by clicking on the “Contact Us” button at the bottom of their website homepage.
If you are interested in being a member of LSDOS, membership costs $20 per year for the whole family. For more information about LSDOS including how to join the organization, go to https://lsdos.com. Check out their cookbook Texas Treasury Dutch Oven Cooking which can be found online and in some stores.
