Dutch oven cooking

[reavilh]

We went camping this weekend. And while I've cooked a lot of soups and stews in my dutch ovens, this is the 1st time I cooked biscuits in them for biscuits and gravy Saturday morning. They turned out great. I simply made a bed of coals, sat the oven in them, then shoveled some coals on the lids. Next thing I want to try is making a cherry pie.

Does anyone else play around with cooking in dutch ovens?

[TennOC]

Blackberry cobbler is great cooked that way. Cherry should work.

[older than dirt]

Did a pineapple upside down cake in a cast iron chicken fryer . Worked so good tryed to take a picture of it but we were not as good at photo work as we were cooks so no pic's . If you like to try new stuff pineapple upside down cake can't be to hard I did it after BBQ & beer. :D

[lorna-organic]

I take it you are asking about outdoor cooking, Reavil? I have two Dutch ovens which I use all of the time (in the house or my solar oven).

[reavilh]

I use mine inside, also. They make a great pot of beans.

[lorna-organic]

I love slow cooked Boston baked beans, one of my specialties. Back home (New England), they say you need a bean pot but Dutch ovens or crock pots do just fine.

[Ajla]

Could somebody please post a picture? I'm sure all houses here have ovens, and living in Holland I would presume them Dutch, but still something tells me you're talking about something else?!?! :confused:

[RozieDozie]

Ajla, here's a site for you. :) http://www.idos.com/

I'm a dutch oven, iron skillet cooking Mamma! :) I use my dutch ovens outdoors and indoors and love them. In the winter time, I use them in the fireplace for cooking all kinds of things. They hold the heat really well.

[tweed]

Ajla, here's a site for you. :) http://www.idos.com/

I'm a dutch oven, iron skillet cooking Mamma! :) I use my dutch ovens outdoors and indoors and love them. In the winter time, I use them in the fireplace for cooking all kinds of things. They hold the heat really well.

Cornbread ain't cornbread unless it's made in a cast iron skillet! :)

Steve

[crazyknitter]

I love slow cooked Boston baked beans, one of my specialties. Back home (New England), they say you need a bean pot but Dutch ovens or crock pots do just fine.

Could you PLEASE post your recipe for Boston baked beans? I have been looking for a good tried-n-true recipe for this.

[Soilchica]

This recipe for bread looks delicious: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/the-bread-in-his-words/

Sadly, I don't have a dutch oven and have to wait until we visit my in-laws to try it out.

[Emerald]

I use mine in the house for the "No Knead Bread" and it turns out great! But there is nothing like a nice big venison roast slow cooked for the day and then shredded with sauce for sloppy bambi around the camp fire.

[crazyknitter]

I use mine in the house for the "No Knead Bread" and it turns out great! But there is nothing like a nice big venison roast slow cooked for the day and then shredded with sauce for sloppy bambi around the camp fire.


YUM!!!! What time is dinner?

[Emerald]

YUM!!!! What time is dinner?

I know! If it wasn't gonna rain I would have the hubby start a fire out in the pit and set one to cooking right off! My one weakness is Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (I know it has that dreaded HFCS in it but well sometimes I just gotta do it!:eek:) and it was onsale for .88cents this week so we have about 6 different types in the cupboard.
__We have been thinking on what to have for dinner and it might be turkey tacos on fresh made pita bread-- since I learned to make pita bread I just can't stand to pay over $2 for a package of flour tortillas. I am so Cheap:eek:I mean frugal.:D

[reavilh]

Cornbread ain't cornbread unless it's made in a cast iron skillet! :)

Steve

I prefer sweet cornbread, and dice a jalapeno or two in it,MMMMMMMMM!:D

[lorna-organic]

Crazy, I wing the measurements on my Boston beans. I can tell you what I put in them. I like to use the small great northern beans (soaked overnight). A crock pot is the easiest way to make the beans, as they have to cook for a long time. I put a pound of presoaked beans and about a quart of water--enough water to cover the beans by at least an inch, into a crock pot or Dutch oven. More water can be added later if too much evaporates. I dice raw bacon, three or four strips, add that to the pot. I rough chop two onions and add them to the pot. Dry mustard is essential, about a teaspoon. Molasses should be added, about a tablespoon. I put in about a tablespoon of maple syrup, too. Salt to taste, probably about 1-1/2 teaspoons, possibly more. Add the salt in increments and taste along the way so you don't overdo it. Cook for a long time, at least ten hours. Typically Boston baked beans are cooked overnight in a bean pot or a Dutch oven in a low oven (250-300 degrees). If you want to bake the beans in the oven, start them off on top of the stove, until they reach a boil, then put them into the oven. I usually cook them overnight in the crock pot because of the long cooking time required.

[crazyknitter]

Crazy, I wing the measurements on my Boston beans. I can tell you what I put in them. I like to use the small great northern beans (soaked overnight). A crock pot is the easiest way to make the beans, as they have to cook for a long time. I put a pound of presoaked beans and about a quart of water--enough water to cover the beans by at least an inch, into a crock pot or Dutch oven. More water can be added later if too much evaporates. I dice raw bacon, three or four strips, add that to the pot. I rough chop two onions and add them to the pot. Dry mustard is essential, about a teaspoon. Molasses should be added, about a tablespoon. I put in about a tablespoon of maple syrup, too. Salt to taste, probably about 1-1/2 teaspoons, possibly more. Add the salt in increments and taste along the way so you don't overdo it. Cook for a long time, at least ten hours. Typically Boston baked beans are cooked overnight in a bean pot or a Dutch oven in a low oven (250-300 degrees). If you want to bake the beans in the oven, start them off on top of the stove, until they reach a boil, then put them into the oven. I usually cook them overnight in the crock pot because of the long cooking time required.


Thank you.

PS - I stay away from corn syrup for the most part as we cook just about everything from scratch. So, the few things we buy that are not made from scratch, few have corn syrup in them, and because it is so little, I do not worry to much over it.

[lorna-organic]

You are welcome, CrazyKnitter. I'm not sure what your reference to corn syrup is about. Do they put corn syrup in canned baked beans?

[momol]

Thanks ,Rozie. I used to think that a "Dutch oven" is an oven built-in a kitchen and either used gas or electric...:o.
I think my Le Creuset casted iron pan will do the same trick as they can be used both for cooking and baking ,but it is so heavy.


Ajla, here's a site for you. :) http://www.idos.com/

I'm a dutch oven, iron skillet cooking Mamma! :) I use my dutch ovens outdoors and indoors and love them. In the winter time, I use them in the fireplace for cooking all kinds of things. They hold the heat really well.

[indigogirl17]

Dutch Oven Cooking (Plastic Comb)
by Dick Stucki (Author), Bonneville Publishing Co. (Editor), Bonneville Productions Inc. (Illustrator)

I recently was at a friend's house and she had the book listed above, with sound recipes.

[Imp]

Some of the dutch ovens for the outside cooking have a rim to the lid to hold the coals on better. Biscuits and cobblers cooked so are wonderful.

Always remember the number thing for the coals- if you have 25 coals, 13 on top and 12 on the bottom ( an extra coal or two for the top always to keep the heat more even),

[Ajla]

Ajla, here's a site for you. :) http://www.idos.com/

I'm a dutch oven, iron skillet cooking Mamma! :) I use my dutch ovens outdoors and indoors and love them. In the winter time, I use them in the fireplace for cooking all kinds of things. They hold the heat really well.

Thank you! I've definitely never seen anything like it over here, not with the legs on, but I do have cast iron and earthenware pots for slow cooking.

[ovenbird]

This recipe for bread looks delicious: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/the-bread-in-his-words/

Sadly, I don't have a dutch oven and have to wait until we visit my in-laws to try it out.

I love the pioneer woman's recipes, her pictures and her nickname for her significant other!

[ovenbird]

Thank you! I've definitely never seen anything like it over here, not with the legs on, but I do have cast iron and earthenware pots for slow cooking.

They are very versatile for indoor and outdoor cooking. Maybe you should import some of them from the U.S.! Lodge is a common brand of cast iron cookware.

[momol]

:confused: Guys and girls, why is it called Dutch Oven ? It has barely any oven shape:confused:

[Emerald]

:confused: Guys and girls, why is it called Dutch Oven ? It has barely any oven shape:confused:

I think it is because it was from Netherlands originally and over the years it just became the generic name for any nice big caste iron pot with a lid-- they have changed over the years to become the kind that has the legs and the indented lid for coal cooking.
__ It seems that the Dutch first used the dry sand casting to make iron pots, and that is why it is also called caste iron. You might want to look that up to make sure tho, I read almost non-stop, and forget exactly where I might have read that.:o

[tweed]

I prefer sweet cornbread, and dice a jalapeno or two in it,MMMMMMMMM!:D

That sounds good!
Try making some cornbread and loading it with diced green peppers and onions and adding some shredded cheddar cheese.
You wanna talk about G-O-O-D!

Steve

[bunkie]

we cook with a couple dutch ovens we got from a thrift shop soooo many many many years ago. nothing like cast iron to cook with!

love that pioneer woman's site! great pics! going to have to check out the recipes, too.

em, lookey here at what i found!!! :D

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-55450.html

I did find this forum http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f76/sweet-baby-rays-honey-bbq-sauce-19696.html and on the forum they suggest this as a copycat of Sweet Baby Ray's Best Honey BBQ sauce recipe http://www.recipezaar.com/100579

The Best Honey BBQ Sauce
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon chipotle hot sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon dried mustard

Secret Rib Rub (use 2 Tbls)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an air tight container until needed.
**Ifyou are going to use this on ribs, chicken, pork, ect try seasoning the meat with the actual dry rub before cooking then slather on the sauce.
Mmm Mmm Good!

mmmm....lorna! when living in Maine, i so enjoyed the Harpswell Bean Hole Suppers!

http://www.umaine.edu/folklife/bhbhistory.htm

[momol]

I think I saw some of these old fashioned casted iron cooking pot in one of our local open Museum, it has simple cooking pot shape that come with a long hanging handle which used for cooking in an open fire. The Duch oven in the link look really different. Thanks for the explanation :).

These day we still can find casted iron cooking ware but mainly from France, one of it is the "Le Creucet" product. We still have 4 pieces of Le creucet cooking ware, a wok, a pan (with long handle and a glass lid), a big cooking/soup pan (with casted iron lid) and a steak grill. These utensils are loads heavy :(.

I think it is because it was from Netherlands originally and over the years it just became the generic name for any nice big caste iron pot with a lid-- they have changed over the years to become the kind that has the legs and the indented lid for coal cooking.
__ It seems that the Dutch first used the dry sand casting to make iron pots, and that is why it is also called caste iron. You might want to look that up to make sure tho, I read almost non-stop, and forget exactly where I might have read that.:o

[FourDeuce]

You can cook over a campfire(or any other heat source), but it doesn't have to be in cast iron. I often use a large pot for baking when I go camping. Here's a couple of pictures showing how I do it:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k271/FourDeuce_01/005-1.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k271/FourDeuce_01/006.jpg

[Ajla]

I think it is because it was from Netherlands originally and over the years it just became the generic name for any nice big caste iron pot with a lid-- they have changed over the years to become the kind that has the legs and the indented lid for coal cooking.
__ It seems that the Dutch first used the dry sand casting to make iron pots, and that is why it is also called caste iron. You might want to look that up to make sure tho, I read almost non-stop, and forget exactly where I might have read that.:o

Maybe they are from Germany originally, and the Deutsch and the Dutch got mixed up, as they sometimes do?

[hikingonthru]

We went camping this weekend. And while I've cooked a lot of soups and stews in my dutch ovens, this is the 1st time I cooked biscuits in them for biscuits and gravy Saturday morning. They turned out great. I simply made a bed of coals, sat the oven in them, then shoveled some coals on the lids. Next thing I want to try is making a cherry pie.

Does anyone else play around with cooking in dutch ovens?

Only for about 25 years now. Started cooking with them as a Webelos scout. We have a good range of sizes that we own. My favored method is the beanhole method for roasts and poultry and such. Buckwheat pancakes cooked on a 14 inch overturned dutch oven lid is to die for. We used to take old metal 2L drink bottle tops to elevate pans off the floor of the oven for baking without burning the bottom of the bread...hard to find those anymore! :)

Love cooking in the dutch oven!

My least favorite is a Lodge with no legs and one of those "self-basting" lids. Cannot recall where I got it, but it was apparently meant for only inside use.
The lid is hard to clean. Other than that, I have never met a dutch oven I did not like.

One of my favorite dutch oven memories comes from Scout campout weekends. On Saturday nights, we would have campfire and do skits, songs, and tell jokes as boys WERE wont to do in those days (mid 80s). Then we would, no matter the weather, play a game of fox and hound in the pitch black. We'd be pretty dogtired and the Scoutmasters would whistle us in. Mr. Earl Waters would always have a dutch over cobbler of some sort baked in a couple large sized dutch ovens.
We would all get a bowlful and eat it around the dying campfire before heading off the sleep! (Smart scoutmasters - let us run ourselves out then fill our gut full of warm food. Nothing but snores the whole night!)

[Imp]

Dutch ovens are wonderful for slow cooking and for the "economy cuts" of meat- the flavors can ber awesome ater a slow cooking of beef shanks. Or a stew, tender and so savory after a slow cooking.

La Crueset is mainly for indoors, I would think, and is very good cookware. We have a few pieces of that, too, and another older brand that was bought out by LC long ago. I love putting some tough stuff in there and spicing it, a long slow cooking period and then the best flavors!

[momol]

Thanks Imp :).

I have not been using my Le creucet cookware for several years as they are so heavy. I do use the shallow pan for making pan cakes ,but also not that often. Lately I have been using my earthen/ceramic cooking pot for stewing beef or making soup (slow cooking) as it is not as heavy plus due to smaller size it is easier to use for 2 person meal.
I will surely be using my bigger Le Creucet pan when my corn are ready for popping... I get excited just by talking about making the pop corn :o.

Dutch ovens are wonderful for slow cooking and for the "economy cuts" of meat- the flavors can ber awesome ater a slow cooking of beef shanks. Or a stew, tender and so savory after a slow cooking.

La Crueset is mainly for indoors, I would think, and is very good cookware. We have a few pieces of that, too, and another older brand that was bought out by LC long ago. I love putting some tough stuff in there and spicing it, a long slow cooking period and then the best flavors!

[FourDeuce]

:confused: Guys and girls, why is it called Dutch Oven ? It has barely any oven shape:confused:

Actually an oven can be any shape as long as it can hold in hot air. ;)

[Emerald]

Maybe they are from Germany originally, and the Deutsch and the Dutch got mixed up, as they sometimes do?

___I totally understand that- Michigan has a huge Amish community and I have grown up knowing about them and how they ended up with the name Pennsylvania Dutch, my Grandma was from Germany and would sit and chit-chat with the ladies in German. You can't beat their cheeses and meats--there is a small store north of me that sells the most Heavenly Peppered bacon!:D
__ I like to research stuff and had to research cast iron with my Daughter when she was a Girl Scout. I knew that I read about the Dutch sand casting and that Dutch trading vessels used to bring the cast iron to the Americas. I did find a couple of web sites that had that info.
http://www.chuckwagonsupply.com/history.htm

http://www.dutchovensdirect.com/dutch-oven-history/

___I own two that are a bit small compared to the big ones with legs for camp cooking- one very old one that belonged to my neighbor and since she was in her 70's and could no longer easily use them due to the weight she and her hubby gave me almost all of their cast iron cookware and the dutch oven was given to them by her mother as a wedding gift, and used too, can you see a modern bride who would be happy with a hand me down gift!:eek:
___ My hubby and kids went and bought me a lodge enameled cast iron the same size that is nice and easy to clean after making chili in it- but you would never want to put it in the fire. We have about 4 frying pans two with lids and a nice oval griddle that, to me at least, looks like it might have been the top oval plate on a wood burning cook stove, as it is very rough on the bottom but nice on the top. Two of the frying pans have just huge amounts of gunk built up on the bottom but I can burn that off in a hot fire outside and just re-season them.

[tweed]

Actually an oven can be any shape as long as it can hold in hot air. ;)

Yup.
That's neat how you have the rack in the bottom of your "oven" to make biscuits, FourDeuce.
Nice pics.

Steve

[FourDeuce]

The racks are the latest evolution I came up with to bake a whole can of biscuits(2 pans) at once. I started out using an upside down pie plate on the bottom of the pot as a spacer, and that worked, but saw the wire racks make it a bit easier to get the biscuits out of the pot.
BTW, you don't HAVE to put coals on the top of the pot to brown the top of the food. The pot I use for an oven has a plastic handle, so I don't put coals there. As you can see from the picture, the biscuits do get brown.

[Imp]

I was speaking of the cast iron with the coal rim lid- you place coals on top for a more even heat in the dutch oven when cooking outside.

It has the side effect of browning things better, yes, but it is about even amounts of heat top and bottom.

I really love my old cast iron, though we have larger pieces we do not use often at all since there's just the 2 of us now and big meals get to be too much ( and I don't want to do a lot of freezing).
The smaller pieces get a work out, though- I love slow cooking and "self basting" in the cast iron and the La Crueset types of cast iron.

We still have legged and non-legged large dutch ovens, too many to list of the fry pans and lids, several chicken cookers. It's all Griswold for the most part and some Wagner and La Crueset, but no Lodge.

Lodge is lighter and not as well cast, with a rougher interior surface that doesn't take a seasoning as well. I've known several people with lodge brand iron have handles break off, plus Lodge does those wooden handles- they shrink and swell with moisture and eventually break or crack, plus you cannot go from the stove top to the oven broiler for a finish with those at all. I also think that the Lodge brand doesn't heat as evenly, due to experience with them and the casting forms they use.

But, then we still season with either lard and/or bacon fat, for that sealed finish and good release of foods.

[bluelacedredhead]

I have my Grandfather's Cast Iron Dutch Oven complete with handle and lid.
I've been using it myself for more than 25 years. And like the others who have posted before me, I love it. I use it to bake casseroles, make chili as well as roasts. Sometimes pot roasts with liquid; sometimes not.

The only drawback is, I'm starting to find it heavy and awkward for me to hold with one hand to scrape the leftovers into a dish. Might be time to invest in a much smaller version for myself, and pass Grandpa's on to the younger generations.

[Emerald]

After reading some of the posts on how Lodge is a bit lighter and not as well made I decided to look at the enameled lodge DO that I got for my Birthday last year and while it is a beautiful DO and well made--- It is not a lodge :o boy is my face red! The bottom says "Tramontina" made in China :eek: I did test it for lead and it has none so I guess I will just have to check things more carefully. I do have many Tramontina cookware items and really love them-- I just wish that they were made in the USA.

[Ajla]

Thank you Emerald, those are interesting sites! Did you ever try earthenware for slowcooking?

[morgansgardenofdoom]

Anyone have a recipe for shepherds pie in the dutch oven?

[Emerald]

Thank you Emerald, those are interesting sites! Did you ever try earthenware for slowcooking?

I used to have a large earthen ware pot with a lid that I used for slow cooking pork with beans in a rich sauce of tomato and molasses and onions, garlic and that kind of stuff-- but it somehow got broken one year and not one person in the house will admit to doing it!:eek: I figure that since it happened when I was working and there was only the hubby and son at home at the time it was a "dish washing" accident!
__I did have a nice collection of the pyrex type cooking dishes but I myself killed many of those by either dropping them, or exploding them! I know I set one on a hot burner (we had electric stove at one rental house) that I didn't know was on-- I pulled it off and set it on the table to cool and about 4 or 5 minutes after pulling it from the burner it exploded like a bomb! At least the kids were outside and I was in the basement doing the laundry, and no one got hurt-- we even had to pick glass out of the ceiling tiles!:o

[Ajla]

I used to have a large earthen ware pot with a lid that I used for slow cooking pork with beans in a rich sauce of tomato and molasses and onions, garlic and that kind of stuff-- but it somehow got broken one year and not one person in the house will admit to doing it!:eek: I figure that since it happened when I was working and there was only the hubby and son at home at the time it was a "dish washing" accident!
__I did have a nice collection of the pyrex type cooking dishes but I myself killed many of those by either dropping them, or exploding them! I know I set one on a hot burner (we had electric stove at one rental house) that I didn't know was on-- I pulled it off and set it on the table to cool and about 4 or 5 minutes after pulling it from the burner it exploded like a bomb! At least the kids were outside and I was in the basement doing the laundry, and no one got hurt-- we even had to pick glass out of the ceiling tiles!:o

How frightening, another good reason to stick to the Dutch oven then!

[FourDeuce]

I was going through the Dutch Oven cookbooks, and found some interesting information about baking in a pot. It's not the heat from above or the hot air inside the pot which is the main cause of browning the top of the baked food. It's allowing enough moisture to vent which does it. I guess I've been getting lucky all these years by checking to see if the biscuits are done, and allowing enough moist air to be released each time.:)

[jpsmithny]

Check out the "Boy Scouts' Dutch Oven Cookbook" online for any recipe you could want.

The breakfast casserole is excellent.

Many recipes can be adapted easily to a slow cooker also.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/124758/Boy-Scouts-Dutch-Oven-Cookbook

[lorna-organic]

Thanks, for posting the link, JPSmith. There are lots of good recipes in that collection.

[Emerald]

Check out the "Boy Scouts' Dutch Oven Cookbook" online for any recipe you could want.

The breakfast casserole is excellent.

Many recipes can be adapted easily to a slow cooker also.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/124758/Boy-Scouts-Dutch-Oven-Cookbook

If most of the recipes can be adapted to the slow cooker, it only stands to reason that most of my slow cooker/crock pot recipes can be adapted to my dutch oven right?
I do remember making a pull apart bread called monkey bread in a big dutch oven for Girl Scouts- I might have to dig out my old box of Girl Scout stuff and see if I still have the books and all- I know that somewhere else I have the Brownie/Girl Scout leader stuff that I bought when I was a leader for my Daughters troop. Thanks for the Ideas JPSmithny! And Welcome to the Idig forum family!:D

[murphysranch]

I liked the Australian Camel Dish. Interesting ingredients and challenging proportions.

[Pepper]

After reading some of the posts on how Lodge is a bit lighter and not as well made I decided to look at the enameled lodge DO that I got for my Birthday last year and while it is a beautiful DO and well made--- It is not a lodge :o boy is my face red! The bottom says "Tramontina" made in China :eek: I did test it for lead and it has none so I guess I will just have to check things more carefully. I do have many Tramontina cookware items and really love them-- I just wish that they were made in the USA.

If you get an enameled cast iron and you heat it up with out something in it it will pop the enamel off in chips ii have one .....

[Pepper]

I bake in mine (3 sizes) put a couple of horse shoes in the bottom to keep the pan off the bottom .

[Emerald]

If you get an enameled cast iron and you heat it up with out something in it it will pop the enamel off in chips ii have one .....
Thanks for the tip Pepper! I am so glad you joined the IDig family. I would hate to kill my new DO.

[indigogirl17]

Did a pineapple upside down cake in a cast iron chicken fryer . Worked so good tryed to take a picture of it but we were not as good at photo work as we were cooks so no pic's . If you like to try new stuff pineapple upside down cake can't be to hard I did it after BBQ & beer. :D


LOL. Love pineapple upside down cake

[indigogirl17]

I bake in mine (3 sizes) put a couple of horse shoes in the bottom to keep the pan off the bottom .

great idea!

[reavilh]

Check out the "Boy Scouts' Dutch Oven Cookbook" online for any recipe you could want.

The breakfast casserole is excellent.

Many recipes can be adapted easily to a slow cooker also.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/124758/Boy-Scouts-Dutch-Oven-Cookbook

Thanks for the link. That works

[jpsmithny]

I use mine in the house for the "No Knead Bread" and it turns out great! But there is nothing like a nice big venison roast slow cooked for the day and then shredded with sauce for sloppy bambi around the camp fire.

Emerald,
I've made the no knead bread several times and it truly is delicious.

The kids mouths start watering when they get wind of another loaf being prepared.

[FourDeuce]

For anyone who enjoys GOURMET Dutch Oven cooking, the annual Buffalo River Elk Festival will be held June 26th & 27th this year. It's in Jasper, Arkansas, a very scenic area. I was in that area today, and it's always a treat just seeing the scenery.
They have a Dutch Oven cooking contest, and the competition is fierce. These guys are serious about their dishes. You'll see some of them stack 3, 4, or 5 Dutch Ovens on top of each other and cook all their dishes at the same time. If you attend, you get to watch them doing the cooking and even sample the food after the competition, as well as stuff yourself with plenty of food while they're cooking.
The website for the festival is: http://www.theozarkmountains.com/

Go to the menu for the Buffalo River Elk Festival and click on the Dutch Oven Cookoff to see some pictures of the contest from previous years.

[older than dirt]

I was going through the Dutch Oven cookbooks, and found some interesting information about baking in a pot. It's not the heat from above or the hot air inside the pot which is the main cause of browning the top of the baked food. It's allowing enough moisture to vent which does it. I guess I've been getting lucky all these years by checking to see if the biscuits are done, and allowing enough moist air to be released each time.:)

LOL thats good info. Been cooling with duch oven inside (no legs) & out side (with legs & charcoal lid ring) for long time & didnt know the moisture trick.
O by the way . Looking at my kitchen wall I see 15 pieces of cast iron hanging on it that we use regular enough to keep them that handy & a bunch stashed away & not used very often. Non are LODGE brand but Ive looked at lodge & dont see a problem with it. Its not an antique but for cooking what the heck. To my thinking its a bit heaveyer than most older stuff & not as refined but still seems to be a good sound product.

[fawnmeadow]

I am the proud owner of a hardly used 12x20x4" cast iron pan. The minute I laid eyes on it I knew I had to have it! It's so heavy I can hardly pick it up, but I'm thinking it will cook well on our wood cook stove. Let see, corn bread, potatoes and onions, maybe even a small turkey? I think I need to visit the boy scouts sight for more ideas.

[uncasrabbit]

Mmmmm, boston baked beans. Done best in iron pot in the oven, I think. But you have to make the brown bread to go with it!! Mother was from New England.