Dutch Oven World Champions

Doug Martin, left, and Matt Pelton are the IDOS World Champs.

Matt Pelton of  Provo and Doug Martin of Draper won the International Dutch Oven Society's 2012 World Championship Cook-Off on Saturday during the International Sportsmen's Expo.

The event attracted teams from Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Washington, and Idaho, as well as Utah, the headquarters (or I guess you could say "hotbed") of IDOS. I covered the event for the Deseret News (you can look for the story posted on Desnews.com Tuesday evening).
Robert Love, an IDOS member who has photographed the competition for years, supplied the photos for my Deseret News story and for this blog. Thanks, Rob!  

This was the duo's first time at the World Championship — the first time a "first-time" team had ever won. Most of the contestants who were cooking in Saturday's finals had cooked in at least one or two past World Championships.

When asked the secret to their success, Matt said, "It's practice, practice, practice, every weekend for the past six months. We've probably cooked 60 loaves of our winning bread recipe, and about 40 of those cakes.  We've cooked for our friends and family, and we solicited people to cook for them if they would pay the food costs."

Winning Chocolate Four-Layer Cake. (Rob Love photo)

The investment paid off, as the two won with recipes of Hibachi Surf and Turf, Rustic Tuscan Bread, and a Chocolate Layer Cake & Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. 

 To get a berth at the event, teams had to win an IDOS-sanctioned cook-off in their region, and then qualify in the semi-finals held Thursday and Friday evening at the ISE at the South Towne Expo Center.  

Winning Hibachi Surf and Turf   (Rob Love photo)

Each team cooks three dishes: a main dish, a bread, and a dessert, all with burning charcoal as the only heat source. There were some with regional twists, such as a Cajun-seasoned Snap' N Pork with alligator stuffing from Bill Ryan and Jeff Jimes of Bossier City, La., and prickly pear cactus used in Duck Breast with Raspberry Sauce from George and Carolyn Dumler of Tucson, Ariz. The Dumlers took 4th place overall.  

Bill and Toni Thayn took second place with Asian Inspired Beef Tenderloin Filets with Sushi, Buttery Rosemary Rolls, and Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake. Third-place winners Mark and Cindy Romrell of Kearns did Blueberry BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Honey Wheat Bread with Five Tempting Toppings, and Caramel Spice Cake.  Fifth place winners, Jason Jensen and Mike Lambert, both of Stansbury Park, served New Mexican Pork Tenderloin and Sweet Potato Tamales, Five Topping Bread, and Apricot Cheesecake. 

The International Dutch Oven Society pays homage to the black cast-iron pots with a rich history. Pioneers lugged them across the plains, and they were an integral part of cowboy chuckwagons. But the dishes cooked at the World Championships have evolved w-a-y beyond the those simple stews and johnnycakes cooked over a campfire!

The recipes for all the contestants' dishes are sold at www.idos.com for $15 plus shipping. Also for those who want to learn about Dutch oven cooking, there's a spring convention May 5 at the Davis County Fairgrounds in Farmington. The convention features cooking demonstrations, seminars and samplings, and you can find out how to join IDOS and locate a chapter in your neck of the woods. 

FRUGAL FRIDAY: BUDGET-WISE DUTCH OVEN BBQ CHICKEN

Dutch Oven BBQ Chicken, simmering over coals as sauce thickens.    

Last Saturday, I had some of my extended family over for a summer Dutch oven cook-out. I've been wanting to do it for a long time, but it was hard to arrange with everyone's conflicting schedules.   I finally realized if I waited for a date that everyone could come, summer would be over and the party would never happen.

As it was, we ended up with around 20 people.  Next time, I'll try to catch some of the other folks,  including my brother's family in Maryland.

Since our backyard slopes into the neighboring park, it's a perfect site for a do-it-yourself waterslide. The kids could cool off and have a lot of fun together.  Meanwhile the rest of us could sit on the deck and sample all the good food everyone has brought, and catch up with each other's lives. Kim took everyone on rides in his dune buggy too.

Heather, Aggie, Kim and Vern talk about Porter Rockwell.

Ellie and Jayden.

Amy and Stephanie.

My sister, Hallie, recently took a photography/hiking trip in Italy's Dolomite Mountains, and I asked her to bring her laptop so we could see some of the picturesque photos she took. (I wish I could somehow absorb all of the tips she got from the experts on the trip with her!)

She also brought  a "taste of Italy," with prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe, and tomato slices topped with chopped olives and basil. My sister Christi and her daughter Chelsea did a session at the Bountiful Temple, so stopped at Costco for some wonderful salads and the biggest hot dogs I've ever seen! My cousin Heather made a beautiful salad (and brought me some lettuce fresh from her garden as well!) Heather's son Justin made some yummy no-bake cookies.  I know I'm forgetting some of  the other good stuff, as I was busy visiting, cooking, watching the kids on the waterslide, etc.  This is why I forgot to take more photos as well!

I originally planned to serve hot dogs and burgers. But, I didn't want to be focused over the grill much of the time, unable to talk and visit much.  Hot dogs come already cooked, so it's not as crucial to just get them warmed through with some grill marks.  But, burgers need some attention to make sure they aren't overcooked and dry, or undercooked and a food poisoning hazard.

So I did Dutch Oven BBQ Chicken, because it's a super-easy dish that you can prepare before guests arrive. The dying coals will keep it warm for late-comers, too.  We still had the hot dogs for kids who might balk at trying something new, which my daughter Amy cooked.

And it's probably more economical than burgers. I bought the boneless, skinless chicken breast on sale for $1.69 per pound, and the boneless, skinless thighs for $1.59 per pound.  (In comparison, the last time I bought ground beef, it was around $3 per pound.)

And since my son, Jess, pronounced it the "best chicken I've ever tasted," I'd call it a success.  The leftover chicken can be shredded and served on buns the next day, or used to make BBQ chicken pizza.
Here's my recipe:

DUTCH OVEN BBQ CHICKEN
1 12-inch Dutch oven
Charcoal briquets
5 to 6 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast and/or boneless, skinless thighs (if you don't want to have to do any slicing, use chicken tenders)
2 large onions, chopped
1 red or green bell peppers, chopped
2-3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons Weber Canadian Chicken seasoning (similar to Montreal Steak seasoning)
2 18-ounce bottles of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used Kraft Original and KC Masterpiece Original)
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

Light the briquets about 90 minutes before you will be serving the chicken. (I use a chimney and a piece of newspaper).  While the briquets are burning, slice the chicken breasts horizontally so they are about 1-2 inches thick and 3-4 inches long (about the size of chicken tenders).  If using thighs, cut each in half.  The cutting is easier to do if the chicken is partially frozen.

Chop the onion and peppers.

By this time, the briquets should be ready for cooking. Place the Dutch oven on top of about 16 to 18  hot coals. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven, and add the chicken, onions, peppers and seasoning. Stir the chicken to keep it from sticking. Cover it with the lid, and place about 12 briquets on top of the lid.  Allow the chicken to cook about 20 minutes, then take off the lid and stir so all the chicken pieces cook evenly.  When chicken is no longer pink, add the barbecue sauce and tomato sauce. Stir well.

Place the lid back on the chicken. Allow chicken to cook another 15 minutes.  Then take off the lid and let the mixture bubble and simmer for 15-20 minutes so the sauce can thicken.  Makes about 15-18 servings.

CAMPING TRIP!

Time for s'mores.

There's always room for s'mores!

Our family and some friends recently took a camping trip near St. Anthony, Idaho. I will never be The Campout Queen.  But being out in the Great Outdoors does seem to foster good memories. I'll never forget those crazy stories we told around the campfire.

 We had some great food. Angela Stanton made some fabulous kabobs of skewered shrimp, steak and veggies one night.  We had sausage, bacon, eggs, hash browns and french toast for our breakfasts.  We had hot dogs and burgers, too. And of course, we had s'mores.

 I get anxious about keeping all the food cold.

Here's why:  I was once driving a group of LDS Young Men/Women home from camping at Lava Hot Springs, and all the kids in my car got sick.  Every few miles, I had to pull over  to the side of the road so they could throw up.  Luckily I made it home, was able to unpack and scrub out the car before my stomach erupted as well, and I was absolutely miserable for the next 24 hours.  Turned out that nearly all the other kids and leaders had  also been sick.  I'm pretty sure it had to do with some hamburger patties gone bad. 

 So this is why I tend to be hyper-vigilant on camping trips.  It seemed that the fridge in our rented RV wasn't keeping everything cold enough, and the ice in the coolers seemed to turn to quickly turn to water in the warm weather.

When I came back to the convenience store for yet another two bags of ice, I said to the owner, "Gee, it seems like that ice sure does melt fast," and he smiled and said, "Yeah, that's the beauty of it."  I saw the dollar signs behind that smile.

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

Black Forest Cherry Cobbler

Jayden, Jess and Anthony share a ride.

I got a chance to use my Dutch ovens making "Dump Cobbler." For the Peach Cobbler,  I used two cans of peaches, topped it with a  yellow cake mix, and let it bake with eight coals on the bottom and about 15 on top, for somewhere between a half hour and  45 minutes, until the top was browned.


 For the Black Forest Cherry Cobbler, I used a large can of cherry pie filling, topped with a chocolate cake mix, and poured in a half-can of Dr. Pepper for  leavening, moisture and flavor.  I baked it with 15 coals on top, 8 on the bottom for about 20 minutes, then I added some chocolate chips on top and baked it about 15 minutes longer.  It was very dense and pudding-like, and I loved the cherries.

We offered some leftover Peach Cobbler to the father and son campeing next to us, and they marveled at my "homemade" dessert.  I don't know if a cake mix and can of peaches qualifies as homemade, but I'll take the compliment.

Vegemite, Mate!

Vegemite, mate! 

While judging the International Dutch Oven Society's World Championship two weeks ago, I met Saffron Hodgson, who was representing Australia and the state of Washington in the cook-off.  She and her son gave me a sample packet of Vegemite, which says “proudly made in Australia since 1923.” I stuck in my purse and forgot about it until tonight as I was rummaging around for my checkbook and pulled out the packet. 

If you were around in the ‘80s, you might remember the Australian band, Men At Work, singing “I come from the land down under....” Somewhere in that song, there’s a line, “He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich.”  (For those of you who thought it was “a bit of my sandwich”.... you were wrong.) 

So what is it?  It’s a dark brown paste made from yeast extract. It reminds me of brown engine grease in looks and sticky consistency. It smells and tastes somewhere between yeast and a beef bouillon cube.  In Australia, it’s used to spread on toast, sandwiches and crackers as you would butter. The British have a similar spread, “Marmite.”  

 I've heard that Marmite and Vegemite were developed as an alternative to butter.  (What, they couldn't be content with margarine?)  “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Vegemite” doesn't have the same ring to it. I imagine it’s one of those acquired tastes that grows on you, such as the pungent flavors of olives or capers. Bit for now, I'll leave Vegemite to the Australians.