We love to cook in our dutch ovens when we are camping, but we also like to pull them out when the weather cools in the Fall and cook in our own backyard. Usually the kitchen is being used for canning so it is nice to BBQ and cook over the fire during this time. Plus, my boys like any excuse to use the fire pit. Dutch oven cooking is easy to do!
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Dutch Oven Cooking
I make chicken and veggies a lot since it is yummy, filling, and uses up produce from the garden. I pulled some carrots, onions, and potatoes for this dish.
I like to use briquettes for dutch oven cooking. The Electro-Torch is perfect for getting the briquettes started without any added lighter fluid. Hold it close to the briquettes and press the button. In less a minute or two, you will have flames!
I used a whole roasting chicken in the dutch oven along with the cut up veggies. Rainbow vegetables make for a prettier dinner!
Sometimes I add herbs to butter and add it under the skin of the chicken, but I am trying to cook healthier so I skipped the butter this time. You can also coat it in olive oil and then add seasonings and herbs.
This time I just salt and peppered it and added thyme and rosemary from my herb garden.
I added 10 coals to the bottom and 10 coals to the top. I let it cook for almost 2 hours. The meant literally fell off the bones! So yummy!
I wish you could smell it! The combination of the smoky coals and the dinner made me feel like I was in the mountains.
I decided to make dessert for the kids. Apple pie is a favorite of theirs and it felt very Fall-ish :) I used my FAVORITE pie crust recipe that I have been using since college. I have the recipe down below.
I use this crust not only for dessert pies, but for quiche and chicken pot pie!
I have a full video on instagram and TikTok.
I am curious, what is your favorite pie?
Flakey Pie Crust
Notes
Regular crisco can also be used but the butter flavored crisco is what makes this recipe really stand out!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup butter flavored shortening
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Add flour and salt to a bowl. Use a fork to mix in the shortening until all the flour is coated. Add the water, vinegar, and egg. Continue to mix with the fork until well mixed. Use your hands to knead and mix completely.
- Divide into two balls. Roll out onto parchment paper. line the bottom of a pie pan (or dutch oven) with one of the rolled out pieces. Use a form to poke holes in the bottom. Add your filling. Place the other rolled out piece of dough on the top. Pinch the bottom layer of dough together with the top layer all along the edge.
- If baking in the oven, bake at 475 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
- If baking in a dutch oven outside with briquettes, place 5-6 hot briquettes under the dutch oven and 8-10 hot briquettes on the top of the dutch oven. Allow to cook for about 30 minutes and check. As soon as the crust is gold brown it is ready. Since the temperature of coals is less exact than an oven, make sure to stay near the fire area and check on it.
My husband would LOVE this pie! But I don't cook anymore, so I should copy the recipe for HIM to make! That way of cooking looks like it's been around a few hundred years or so!
Beautiful meal and I know it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe for pie crust.
This post was so inspiring that I went and got a camp dutch oven on craigslist, a chicken and veggies from the farmer's market, and tried to make this for dinner. Unfortunately, it was a complete disaster. I ended up having to chop it all up and dump it in the pressure cooker to have dinner ready before bed. The dutch oven appears to be the same you used, with the 12 on the lid, and the same height. I used 10 lit ashy-grey charcoal briquettes on the bottom and 10 on the top. After an hour or so, the outside of the pot was barely lukewarm to the touch. I lit up another batch of charcoal to replace the first set. Another hour and a half later, I decided it was time to open the lid to take a peek - and the chicken was still nearly raw!
Before I put this thing back on craigslist, would you happen to have any insight to what could have gone wrong? Your meal looks so delicious!
Oh man! I am so sorry! I have been cooking in Dutch ovens all of my adult life (mostly camping) and never had one NOT heat up. My dinner took 2 hours in the Dutch oven instead of 1 if it had been cooked in an oven inside. So it does take longer. I didn't check mine at 1 hour but I am sure it probably would have been partially raw. Don't give up! Maybe try more briquettes and let it cook a bit longer. Also, you could try putting the briquettes on when they are still partially black instead of waiting until they are all gray. Sometimes if it is cold outside or windy, the coals will cool off faster and you may have to replace them with fresh coals.
I am sorry your first experience was not a 100% positive one. I hope you have better luck with round 2 :)
Thanks so much for replying! Now that I think about it, it was pretty windy out. The coals were probably cooling down too fast! Good call!
I'll give it another try with less wind and maybe a few more coals!
It wasn't a total loss. The chicken ended up making good soup :)
I'll definitely try again.
Thanks!!