Easy Dump-and-Bake Spanish Rice and Chicken Casserole Baked in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Easy one-pot dinner meal with Pobalno Chilies, Ground Beef, and Cheese. A no-fail beauty in your 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven.
Easy one-pot dinner meal with Pobalno Chilies, Ground Beef, and Cheese. A no-fail beauty in your 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven.
Easy one-pot dinner meal with Pobalno Chilies, Ground Beef, and Cheese. A no-fail beauty in your 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven.
Some folks like to get everything out and ready before they start the fire. Others like to get everything ready while the fire is heating up. It’s up to you. Me? I like to get everything out and ready before I light the fire. First, I don’t like racing the briquettes. That’s when I feel like the briquettes are hot and ready but my ingredients are not. Second, I kind of like to enjoy my coffee there while I watch the charcoal briquettes burn and heat up. On a colder morning, I enjoy a good warming-up in front of that charcoal chimney.
The Sausage: You don’t have to use a whole pound of sausage. And, you don’t have to use breakfast sausage; Italian sausage works good too. AND, you could use ground beef. AND! You could mix the different sausages and meats.
The Tater Tots: I have to be honest, I am not a big fan of using processed foods in my recipes. But, at the same time, I am a big fan of “easy.” Sometimes, “easy” ain’t so good. But, sometimes “easy” is VERY GOOD! This is one of those kinds of “easy.”
Frozen or thawed? The tots can be frozen when you put them in…but…it’ll take longer. Likewise, we really don’t want them to be completely thawed and at room temperature. Here’s the consideration: We have brought them to camp in our cooler or ice chest and they will have thawed some by the time we get there or by the time we are ready to use them. And, we pulled them out and opened the bag before we lit the fire. They will thaw a bit more. Yes, they will still be cold and hard. It’s okay. They will cook in that pot…no worries.
Another option would be to use about 2 pounds of baked potatoes that have been cooled and shredded up with a cheese shredder. If you go this route, you will need to consider the salt content. The dish may need a bit of salt added over those shredded potatoes when you add them to the top of the dish as the tater tot substitute.
Another tip if you are using shredded baked potato is to create a bit of a hash brown from the potatoes before adding them to the top of the recipe (see Step 17).
I suggest baking the potatoes the evening before and keeping the cooled potatoes in the ice chest or cooler. Or, baking the potatoes at home and packing them with you to camp. The skin? I would just leave it there on the potato. Mamma always said, “you eat that skin; that’s where all the vitamins are.” I don’t know about where the vitamins are but it’s A-OK to leave the skin on those baked potatoes and just shred them up.
A note about using baked potatoes: You will need to adjust for the salt…but…as always: Salt to taste. Here’s an article I have on the Salt-to-Taste copout (tongue in cheek): https://beerandiron.com/salt-to-taste.
First, set everything up and have it at the ready including your tools and utensils. It’s inevitable that you’ll be looking for the one thing when it’s time.
This recipe will do very well in a 12-inch regular (shallow) camp cast iron Dutch oven. A 10-inch may work but I’d suggest a deep 10-inch Dutch oven.
I didn’t include the list of in-camp Dutch oven supplies you’ll need for cooking in your camp cast iron Dutch ovens. The tools I listed her are recipe-specific. If you’d like me to list a full list here to include the Dutch oven-specific needs, let me know and I’ll start doing that from now on.
4 Slices of Bacon
1 Pound / 450g of Breakfast Sausage
1-2 Bunches of Green Onions (chopped with the green chives separated from the white bulb bottoms)
2½ Cups of Grated Cheddar Cheese (divide out ½ -1 cup for the last steps).
2 Cups of Milk (any fat)
4 Large Eggs
½ teaspoon of Pepper
Salt to Taste
2 lbs. Tater Tots, Frozen
Step 1: In a bowl, crack the four eggs, add the milk and pepper, and scramble very well.
Step 2: Open the Sausage and create a large flat patty-like shape, almost like a large disk of sausage.
Step 3: Cut the bacon perpendicular and into small strips. Just make a little pile of bacon pieces near the sausage.
Step 4: Cut the green onions. Start at the green, chive ends and make thin cuts all the way towards the transition area. When you reach the white bulb area, cut the white area and keep it separated from the green chives. Don’t over-think this step…a little more of green with white or white with green…it’s all good.
Step 5: Open the pack of tater-tots and have them nearby.
Right now, we have our egg mixture ready, the sausage is ready, and bacon is prepared, our green onions are chopped, and the tots are at the ready. Come on baby, light the fire!
Step 6: Set 24-30 or more charcoal briquettes to fire in the charcoal chimney.
Step 7: While the fire is heating, place your 12-Inch cast iron camp Dutch oven near the charcoal chimney to pre-heat / pre-warm.
Now, let’s cook!
Step 8: Once the briquettes are ready, place the 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven over 24-30 or more charcoal briquettes to heat up very hot.
Step 9: Add the bacon to the hot Dutch oven and cook until crispy. When the bacon is done, scoop the small pieces out, and set them aside (maybe on a paper towel to catch the excess oil). This is where you will find the wok shovel to be invaluable. Use the wooden spatula to scoop the bacon bits into the wok shovel and set them aside.
Step 10: Let the bacon fat in the hot 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven get very, very hot. Then add the large, patty-like shape of breakfast sausage to the hot pot. We want to brown and caramelize the sausage on one side and then the other BEFORE we break it up.
Add the sausage in one large chunk. Don’t (yet) mix or break up the sausage. Let the sausage sear and brown a bit on one side. Then, flip the large patty over and brown the other side. This WILL add a layer of flavor that does make a difference.
Step 11: Once the sausage has browned nicely, break up the sausage and cook thoroughly. There may be quite a bit of fat and oil produced during this process. That’s okay. If there is quite a bit of liquid fat in the pot, move the sausage to one side of the pot and use a few paper towels to soak up the excess grease.
Leave about 2-3 tablespoons of fat in the pot for sautéing. If you need more oil, add some butter or oil to the pot and let it heat.
Chef Tip: Most of the time when cooking in camp, the Dutch oven sits on slightly unlevel ground and things will “pool” to one side of the pot. PERFECT! Move the browned sausage to the “uphill” side of the pot and then let the fat drain “downhill.”
Chef Tip: That greasy paper towel makes for a great fire starter. Chunk it or save it for the next fire.
Step 12: Add the white bulb parts of the green onions to the pot and mix with the sausage. Sauté until the onions are soft and ready.
Step 13: Pull the pot from the fire so we can put our dish together without the fear of burning stuff.
Step 14: Spread the sausage and onions out evenly over the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Step 15: Add 1-2 cups of cheese to the top of the sausage. I usually don’t measure the cheese; I usually use a couple of handfuls of cheese and just make a nice layer there above the sausage. DO NOT mix or stir in the cheese with the sausage.
Step 16: Pour in the egg mixture and evenly over the cheese-covered sausage. Careful here and go slowly. Pouring the egg in too fast will “wash away” the ingredients that are already in the pot. Pour slow and in a circular motion. DO NOT stir the pot.
Step 17: Add the tater tots to the top of everything. Use your hand. If you pour in the tater tots from the bag, the weight of the tots will “push” the ingredients aside. Use your hand and add a few at a time. “Sprinkle” them on the top. Some will sink; that’s okay. DO NOT mix in the tater tots. Just let them sit on the top.
If you are using shredded baked potatoes, grab a handful at a time and cover the mixture with the shredded potatoes. Then, decide if you’d like some salt. If so, sprinkle a bit on the top of the potatoes.
Step 18: Return the lid to the pot. From the pile of briquettes we have already, transfer 16-18 hot charcoal briquettes evenly on the lid.
Step 19: Set 8-10 hot charcoal briquettes in a circle about the size of the diameter of the bottom of the Dutch oven and set the Dutch oven over these 8-10 briquettes.
Step 20: Turn the pot in 10-15 minutes. Rotate the lid in one direction 1/3 of a turn. And then, turn the whole pot 1/3 of a turn in the other direction. Do this 2-3 times.
Step 21: After 30 minutes, use a fork to sneak out a tot. Give it a taste test. Is it done? Does it need more time? Are the eggs done? You may need to bake for another 15 minutes.
Step 22: When the tots are fully warmed and the egg is fully cooked, remove the pot from the fire. Remove the lid and set aside on a lid stand. Place the remaining bits of cheese on the top (1/2 – 1 Cup), sprinkle the cut green onion chives over the top, and evenly spread out the bacon bits we cooked earlier. Put the lid back on the pot.
Step 23: Place all the hot briquettes you have on the top of the lid of the Dutch oven (remove all heat from the bottom of the Dutch oven). If you have a few extra, you can add them as well. We are now BROILING the ingredients to really toast the tots and cheese. Let the cheese melt and toast for about 5-10 minutes. Check after 5 minutes to make sure you don’t burn it.
Step 24: Once the cheese is melted and the dish is ready, it’s time for breakfast!!
I use a wooden spoon or a wok shovel to cut and scoop out from the pot and directly into the bowl. ENJOY!
And the recipe is now yours!
This is a crowd-pleaser for sure. You’ll likely feed 4-6 people with this one.
Creating this recipe at home in a home Dutch oven is very doable as well. If you do bake this recipe at home and in your home’s oven, leave the lid off the Dutch oven while you bake.
CHEERS!
You all keep on cooking in those cast iron beauties and enjoying those glasses of that fermented barley pop.
We’ll see you next time.
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Tenderized and Brined Chicken Breasts rolled and centered with Pepper Jack Cheese, buttered, and corn flake-battered on a bed of vegetables all cooked in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven. This is a crowd-pleaser for sure.
From Fire-to-Plate, I’ll show you how to create this recipe using either Chicken Breast, Bone-in / Skin-on Chicken Thighs, or Skinless / Boneless Chicken Thighs…in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven!
You are about to learn fresh-from-the-Dutch-oven, crisped-by-iron, flaky-by-butter, pillows of the cast iron camp Dutch oven. These biscuits are soft and yet crispy at the same time.
There are a few things that I really love in my life. I am sure we share a few of those loves with life and liberty being mutually loved and desired. Friends, I am going to make a preemptive assumption that we’ll be sharing a third love once you’ve tried these biscuits.
We’ll use Half & Half in our example. This recipe will work with Buttermilk, Kefir, Old Milk, and even Beer and Milk.
This recipe is as easy as they come, and most of the preparation can be done at home before leaving for camp.
Here’s an older version of this recipe that I posted some time back: https://beerandiron.com/beer-buttermilk-biscuits-cast-iron-recipe/
For this recipe, I am using the 10-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven. When I make this recipe at home, I use my 10.25-inch cast iron skillet.
For low-calorie biscuits, use your 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven. No, not really…but here’s what I mean:
When rolling out your dough, create a round that is the same size as the bottom of your cast iron Dutch oven. The 12-inch has a wider base and your biscuits will be a bit thinner (and have fewer calories per biscuit) than those created in the 10-inch oven.
For a fatter biscuit in a 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven, increase the recipe to one-and-a-half times the listed ingredients. You could double the recipe if you’d like. Start with 1.5x the recipe and if your biscuits are not “pillow-ey” enough, then next time 2x the recipe.
Note on the Biscuit Cutter: You could just roll balls of dough and bake the biscuits that way. You could even use a knife cut the biscuits into squares. Even a paper cup that has the rim torn off (to create the sharper edge) will work.
Note on the Pastry Cutter: I have forgotten my pastry cutter before and have just whittled up the butter with my pocket knife and worked it into the flour with my fingers. It will “warm up” the butter, but will be okay.
I have even forgotten the bowl I need to mix the dough in and used a zipper bag (the one I stored something else in) to mix the dough. They were MESSY, but we had biscuits that morning.
You will forget something. NO WORRIES! Use what you have. You can make this work (unless you forget the flour…yeah…that’s not going to work).
2 Cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
8 Tablespoons Butter (a Stick)
1 Cup (PLUS) Half and Half Cream (more or less)
1 Scrambled Egg for Glazing (Optional)
½ to 1 Cups of Flour (for Dusting)
Step 1) Mix the dry stuff together: 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Step 2) Cut the 8 tablespoons of butter into the dry mixture. You’ll end up with a dry, oatmeal consistency.
Step 3) Pour in your cup of half and half. But you could use buttermilk, kefir, spoiled milk, vinegar-ed milk, or even just plain old milk. You’ll need a cup or more depending on the liquid’s consistency and how packed your cups of flour ended up being. You could even use plain yogurt but you’ll usually need much more than a cup of yogurt due to the thickness of the yogurt.
Step 4) Mix around with a rubber or silicone spatula big enough to handle the load. A big bamboo wooden spoon would work too.
Step 5) “Flour” or dust the top of your table or working surface and plop out the dough onto the floured surface. Then, dust the top of the sticky dough with a bit more flour.
Step 6) Flattened and fold over the dough a few times; don’t knead the dough like bread. Make a single, large, round circle from the all of the dough about as big around as the diameter of the bottom of the pot or pan you’ll be baking these biscuits in.
Step 7) Cut the individual biscuits out from the dough. A biscuit cutter works best but a coffee cup, paper cup, or even a knife to cut square biscuits. But don’t worry about being perfectly round or even on each and every one. It’s okay to have weird shapes and odd sizes.
Step 8) Place the cut biscuits in a 10-inch cast iron camp Dutch oven that has been buttered up real nice. Trust me when I say “buttered up.” Butter is the key to keep these biscuits both flavorful as well as keeping them from sticking. Butter is the key here.
Step 9) Scramble an egg up real good and using one of those kitchen paint brushes (basing brush), paint the top of those dudes with a thin layer of scrambled egg.
Step 10) Put the lid back on your camp cast iron Dutch oven and place the oven over 6 or 7 briquettes. Place 13 or 14 briquettes on top of the lid.
Step 11) Let the biscuits bake for about 10 minutes. Then, give the Dutch oven and the lid a ⅓ turn. Lift the lid just a bit and take a peek. Note not only the tops but also the bottoms of the biscuits (as well as you can visualize). Are the bottoms toasting well? If not, close in those bottom briquettes a bit closer to the center of the circle toward the middle of the Dutch oven.
Step 12) Wait another 10 minutes and take another look-see. They are likely done at this point. Cook longer if you plan to eat right away. But, if you have other things to cook or that are still cooking, remember this: that hot pot will continue baking those biscuits even after you remove the heat from the pot.
Once they’re done, get the jelly out, and start munching.
Enjoy
Chef Tip: Note the time you will keep those biscuits in that pot as you cook the other ingredients. As they cool, they will steam and condensation will form. If they sit in the pot too long, they will get soggy from their collected steam moisture.
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Chicken Breast, Lemon, Beer, Capers, and Butter. This is a super-easy recipe for most any night of the week. Easy at home and easy in camp.
I got me a 13-year-old turned 14 this month and that boy loves this recipe, “What we havin’ for dinner?” This is a casserole and the one thing that can hold up a meal is waiting on a doggone casserole to “dry up.” This is…
Kugel (kʊɡl̩) (pronounced kuh-gull or koo-gull) is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish, often served on Shabbat and Yom Tov (I’m not Jewish and admit that I had to “DuckDuckGo’d-it.”). It’s been around for generations. Basically, a Kugel is a baked casserole, most commonly made with potatoes (and I am seeing some with noodles). BUT, we’re making ours with turnips and parsnips so we don’t get a big BUTT. That’s a joke. We’ll likely share a Kugel recipe with potatoes.
I call this recipe “Kinda-Like-A-Kugel” because I use turnip root instead of potatoes…I’m allergic to potatoes… every time I eat too many of them my belly swells up too big and the scale says that I’m heavier… there’s no cure!
Most of the recipes here on beerandiron.com have beer as an ingredient. Some will have ingredients that are less-than-popular…not “less-delicious,” just “less-popular.” You know, those fresh ingredients that the grocery store checker-outer-person has to ask the customer, “what was this again?” The food varieties you see in the produce section of any grocery store (in the USA) is only a tiny fraction of the varieties that are out there. We have “tomatoes” on our list and, when tomatoes are out of season, we are limited to the 4-5 varieties of tomatoes offered. Did you know that there are over 10,000 tomato cultivars in the world? WOW!
So, when I get a recipe that includes things like turnip roots and parsnips, I love to share those. Plus, deep down, I love teasing my grocery store lady when she asks, “what do they call these white carrots again?”
If you’re not Jewish, you’ll likely start thinking about how amazing this would be if you put a bunch of sausage in it. That’s what we were thinking while we were enjoying it. But, we kept it down-to-Earth and maintained the Kugel tradition.
I am always sharing fresh, flavorful, recipes cooked up in well-seasoned cast iron awesomeness with a bit of my liquid, hop-based, happy-maker as an ingredient.
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