Cooking-Outdoors

It’s just a DOG! Or is it just a Dutch oven Gathering?

"The Outdoor Cook" — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:39:23 +0000

I had the great pleasure of meeting up with the Central California Dutch oven Adventures group a couple of weeks ago at Lodi lake in Lodi, California. The weather was awesome and the food, well, beyond awesome. Great friends make this even more fun and there were quite a few of my friends there! Thanks everyone for cooking with me and letting me cook with you!

Thought I would share some pictures with you:

Want to know more about Central California Dutch oven Adventures group? Then visit them at http://www.CCDOA.webs.com

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Chipotle Cheddar Chile Beer Bread

"The Outdoor Cook" — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:12:54 +0000

Sometimes inspiration strikes and it all comes together. Dutch oven, Beer, Bread, Cheese, my favorite sauce and Cooking Outdoors. For me it was exciting because I love to create new recipes and this time I actually wrote it down to share. How many times have you managed to put a fantastic meal together from scratch and then say “I need to write that down”. Whoops, all gone …

Not this time, I tell ya!

Beer bread, the ultimate outdoor cooking bread. Fast, easy and requires beer, I love it.

Chipotle Cheddar Chile Beer Bread

Ingredients

3 cups self rising flour

3 tbls sugar

1 tps salt

8oz Chipotle Cheddar Cheese (I used Bravo Farms Original Chipotle Cheddar)

1 small can diced Chiles (Hot or Mild) undrained

2 tbls All Spice Cafe Chipotle Garlic Sauce

1 can of beer (Cheap can like Pabst Blue Ribbon)

Preparation

Cube the Chipotle Cheddar Cheese up and add to all of the other dry ingredients, mix thoroughly. Now add your All Spice Cafe Chipotle Garlic Sauce and beer, mix till it is blended (do not over mix, lumpy is good). Poor this into a grease 10″ Dutch oven or a Bread loaf pan for the grill. It will look like a wet glob of flour and that is perfect. No rising or kneading necessary.

Bake at 350° F for 40 minutes. Outdoor Cooking with a 10″ Camp Dutch oven will require 7 coals on the bottom and 13 coals on the top. Grilling your Beer Bread will require indirect heat.

It’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and thumping the bottom sounds a dull thump when you rap it.

Warm Beer bread with a slight kick to it! The cheese was gooey and tasty, crust had a wonderful crunchiness to it. Great for sopping up some soup or sauces! But, I ate mine just as it was, warm, crunchy, gooey and delicious!

This was a big hit at the last Dutch oven Gathering I was at. I you try this recipe, please let me know what you think!

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Hot new releases from All Spice Cafe!

"The Outdoor Cook" — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:32:29 +0000

All Spice Cafe Announces Six New Products!

Venice, CA. March 1, 2010 – All Spice Café is very proud to announce that six new products will be introduced at the 22nd Annual National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 5th thru 7th, 2010. The fiery new products have been under development for over a year and the Fiery Foods & BBQ Show is the perfect place to introduce them to the world.

Following in the footsteps of the existing gourmet hot sauce product line, using the latest fiery trend in extreme-capsaicin peppers, the World’s Hottest Pepper (as named by the Guinness Book of World Records), the Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper is in the newest All Spice Cafe Sauce, the Jolokia Ghost Pepper Sauce. Keeping with the mantra of having heat without loosing the flavor, we created this sauce to meet the desires of the chilehead community for extreme heat, but kept true to our product line and have a sauce that is full of flavor. This sauce makes Buffalo style Hot Wings, can be added to a bloody mary, or just about anything you want to add some fire to.

Next in the new lineup are two dry seasoning rubs, which also use the Jolokia Ghost Pepper: Ghost Adobo Rub and Ghost Jerk Rub. Over many years of backyard cooking and catering, we have used a generic dry spices mix that was basically the Latin-American spice mix Adobo Seasoning. We started making our own recipe and got our hands on some of the Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper, adding it into our recipe. After years of making our Caribbean Spice Sauce, we felt that these spices would make a great jerk seasoning and adding the Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper to give it a really nice fiery kick.

With the dry seasoning rubs, we are introducing a Crushed Jolokia Ghost Pepper Grinder, using only crushed up dried Bhut Jolokia Peppers and presenting them in a traditional pepper grinder. It’s a great way to add a kick of heat on whatever you are eating. This way you won’t get any on your hands (don’t touch your face or other body parts if you do!) and you control how much you use. Just keep it on the table and give a little twist to give anything some heat.

And then for something completely different, we are offering two fiery-sweet snacks: Sweet Habanero Candied Popcorn and Sweet Ghost Pepper Candied Popcorn. Think of caramel coated popcorn that you might get at the carnival or amusement park and then hit it with some fiery pepper heat. After a lot of hard work, refining the recipe, learning a lot about candy making, and finding someone to help us produce this fiery sweet snack, we finally have a product that we really feel is something everyone will love. Initially we are coming to market with 2 heat levels, Habanero (XXX-Hot) and Jolokia Ghost Pepper (X-Treme Heat) for the serious chileheads out there. In the future we hope to have some milder versions for the rest of the world. With a good balance of sweet and heat, this crunchy snack is totally addicting and just one handful isn’t enough.

About All Spice Cafe – All Spice Cafe is a virtual cafe that has a line of award winning Gourmet Hot Sauces, where it’s more about flavor than heat. All Spice Cafe Hot Sauces are produced in California, with all natural and preservative-free ingredients. Available online at www.allspicecafe.com and at select retail outlets in the United States and Canada – see the website for a current list of retailers.

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

February Newsletter Winner!

"The Outdoor Cook" — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:18:05 +0000

What a great month for Cooking-Outdoors fans! Tons of new people visited the Cooking-Outdoors website and signed up for our newsletter. Thank you each and everyone of you!

With the February Newsletter contest over I can announce the winner of this contest:

Sherry Kerr

Anniston, Alabama

Three incredible Hot Sauces from All Spice Cafe are coming your way Sherry! And a huge thank you to our sponsors this past month All Spice Cafe with out you this would not have been the same!

March Newsletter contest is in the works and I will announce the prize in a couple of days. Remember, everyone on our list is entered to win!

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Camp Chef 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Dutch

"The Outdoor Cook" — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:50:28 +0000

It’s a good day when something new arrives at the front door! My Dutch oven friends at Camp Chef sent me one of their new Camp Chef 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Dutch ovens to try out.

You see, they have been in business for 20 years and wanted to share this with everyone by releasing a limited edition Dutch oven! Becuase they are turning 20 in 2010 0nly 2010 units will be produced. My limited edition is number 440.

This Anniversary Dutch oven is a 6 qt 12″ Dutch oven and is made from their advantage cast iron. It’s pre-seasoned so it will be ready to go, just wash and cook.

Order your Model #SDO12CC Limited Edition 20th Anniversary 12″ Dutch Oven now, because once they’re gone, they’re gone.

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

February 20 is National Cherry Pie Day

"The Outdoor Cook" — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:01:19 +0000

Celebrate National Cherry Pie Day by baking your Cherry pie on the Barbecue!

Wow your friends, impress the family.

Well? Did you really need an excuse?

American Pie Council

Cherry Pie Recipes

Taste of Home Cherry Pie

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Grilled Vegetable stuffed Chicken and Foil cooked potatoes

"The Outdoor Cook" — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:22:28 +0000

I had some beautiful large Chicken breasts and decided to marinate and stuff them for the grill. My choice for the marinade was a commercially produced Hawaiian Teriyaki sauce. A wonderful blend of Hawaiian pineapple juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, onions, sesame seeds and sesame oil. Stuffing was comprised of sliced Red and Yellow Bell Peppers and sliced Green Onions. Side dish was a delicious blend of sliced Red Torpedo onion, Russet Potatoes and Garlic, sprinkled with Olive oil, Garlic salt and Pepper all wrapped up in a foil packet.

Ingredients:

4 large Chicken Breast butterflied

1 large Red and Yellow Bell Pepper each

4 stalks of Green Onion

Butcher string

1 ½ cups Hawaiian style Teriyaki sauce

2 large Russet/Red or Gold Potatoes quartered and sliced

4 cloves Garlic sliced

1 Red Torpedo onion sliced

Garlic Salt, Pepper to taste

Olive Oil

Two large sheets of heavy duty foil about 18” x 18”

Preparation:

Wash, dry and butterfly your Chicken Breasts. Place in a ZipLock bag with 1 cup of Hawaiian Teriyaki sauce and marinade for at least one hour. When done marinating place the Chicken breast with the butterfly cut open on top of two strands of Butcher string. Slice and clean Bell peppers, Green onion and lay several pieces on top of your opened Chicken. Then very carefully close and tie your Chicken breast in two places to hold it all together.

For the Vegetable dish cooked in foil, you will need to place all of the ingredients on top of the two sheets of foil and seal it all up. I like to fold mine like you would close a book then seal the ends by simply folding over a ¼” at least three times.

Grill at 350 degrees using direct heat, turning only once, till the internal temperature of the Chicken reaches 180 degrees (about 20 -25 minutes). Foil packet will take a little longer to cook maybe 45 minutes turning only once.

This meal goes great with a fresh salad and bread!

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Care and Feeding of your Dutch Oven

"The Outdoor Cook" — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:31:11 +0000

Another guest article from a Cooking-Outdoors reader!

Care and Feeding of your Dutch Oven

By The Captain

When you purchase a new Dutch oven, or any cast iron product, you must first remove the protective coating. It is placed there after manufacture to protect from rust. The best way to remove this is with hot soapy water and a wire scrubber. I prefer to scrub it two or three times, rinsing after each time to feel if it is still there. After cleaning, rinse with hot water to clean off the soap.

But what if you purchase a really rusty cast iron pot? You could scrub and scrub and scrub, but I prefer the handiest gadget in my kitchen – the self cleaning oven. Place the cast iron in the oven, place a drip pan on the bottom of the oven to catch the rust, turn on the cleaning cycle and “leave it and forget it.” I recommend this be done at bed time. (Less interruption in the family life) When it is cool it will still be really rusty, but the rust is now easier to remove. Just scrub as mentioned above.

Next, the oven needs to be dried till there is no moisture left on the iron. The easiest way to dry a Dutch oven is to put in a warm (160ish) kitchen oven for 30 minutes or so, then let it cool enough to handle it. Remember, iron gets hot, cast iron retains the heat. The use of an oven mitt is a good thing.

Now you are ready to begin the seasoning process. I prefer vegetable oil, not lard or white shortening. It does not matter, the technique is similar. However, the use of oil does tend to make the iron a little sticky at first. Using a paper towel, apply the shorting or oil to the inside and outside of the oven, until coated. If using lard or shortening put extra in the pot. Do the same for the lid.

Put both in a 350 degree (some prefer 450 for one hour, if using lard /shortening) kitchen oven for two hours. Remember, the drip pan? Well rinse it out and put it back in the oven. If you are using oil turn the pot upside down and coat everything again at one hour and leave for one more hour. If you are using lard/shortening, swish the excess seasoning inside the oven periodically. Remember the oven mitt.

When done, allow to cool and wipe the entire inside surface down again with oil just to leave a thin coating on the oven.

Now you are ready to start cooking.

It is best to begin with foods which require a lot of oil such as deep fried foods, bacon, or bread as they tend to continue to coat the oven. After each use wash ONLY in very hot water to clean. If you cooked bread in it, wipe a light coating of seasoning on and you are good to go again. It does not require washing out. If you cooked something which stuck to the oven, put some water in the oven and put it back on the heat source. Heat until boiling. Let cool and use a plastic scrubber to remove the burned on food. Dump out the water, rinse with ONLY hot water at least twice, wipe out with a paper towel and then apply a light coat of seasoning to the oven and you are ready to go again.

If you are going to store your oven, place a paper towel inside the oven to help absorb any moisture. Almost any seasoning will become rancid if you leave it for a long time. If you are going to store your oven or not use it for a long time, simply store it without the lid and apply a light coat of mineral oil and it will not become rancid. Store in a location where it is protected from moisture and dust.

If the oven gets rusty after it has been seasoned, you can also clean it by soaking the rusty area in Coca Cola for an hour (Hmmm, wonder what it does to the stomach). Then scrub with a wire scrubber only where it is rusty. Then, rinse it out and preseason that part of the oven again by applying a coat of seasoning and heat to 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

There are times when, during the process of seasoning it, too much seasoning is applied and a build up occurs and, after a while, it will begin to flake off. The only remedy here is to clean off the flaking material and start over again, or just continue to cook in it as it is.

A well seasoned iron pot is a prized possession and will last a lifetime. It can be passed on to your family as an heirloom which will function as long as it is taken care of properly. Enjoy every minute of your time while cooking in these wonderful ovens. They provide so much wonderful food and wonderful times when they are properly cared for. This requires only a minimal amount of care after each use. The biggest sin in using an iron pot is to use it and then NOT CLEAN it for days or even weeks. There are actually people who do that, requiring the oven to be seasoned again.

One more note:

Be careful with high acidic foods as they will eat away at the seasoning on the oven.

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

International Ice Cream for Breakfast day!

"The Outdoor Cook" — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:56:09 +0000

Who would have thought today Feburary 6th, would make my #1 meal of the day even better by including Ice Cream? Couldn’t be happier, really! A scoop of Ice Cream with my cereal or toast, maybe float a scoop in my coffee, or grilled Ice Cream? Last week I made giant BBQ’d Ice Cream sandwiches for the boys, shoud have saved those for breakfast.

Well here is the story:

The Ice Cream For Breakfast Day Story:

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Ruth and a
little boy named Joe. Ruth and Joe grew up in the back of
beyond in New York state where it was very very cold.
Every winter between New Year’s Eve and Passover, life in
up-state New York got extremely boring, so their parents
invented a holiday to brighten up the dreary days of winter.
It was called Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. This was a
wonderful holiday for children and parents alike because to
celebrate you had to eat ice cream for breakfast on the
first Saturday in February.

Well, Ruth and Joe grew up and went away to a university.
They made many friends and taught them all about Ice Cream
For Breakfast Day. After college Ruth had a roomate named
Barry to whom she also told about this tradition. Many
years later, Barry met Itzah C. Kret in Washington, D.C. and
converted him into an Ice Cream For Breakfast Day
observer.

Nobody has kept precise track but through word of mouth
ICFBD has been celebrated in many homes, states and
countries all over the world. Some people give parties with
musical instruments, others simply celebrate with family
members. There is no right or wrong so long as you follow
the 3 plus 1 simple Ice Cream for Breakfast Day Rules

(1) Eat ice cream
(2) for breakfast
(3) on the first Saturday in February

(4) spread the word

The rest is up to you!

http://icecreamforbreakfastday.blogspot.com/

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

February’s Newsletter Drawing!

"The Outdoor Cook" — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:00:35 +0000

It’s time for a new drawing! This is for everyone that is already signed-up or signs up in February for the Cooking-Outdoors Newsletter. We have had a few of these before and they are very popular!

I am very excited and proud to have this month sponsor be All Spice Cafe! They are providing three of the best Hot Sauces I have ever tasted! You have seen me use these in a couple of recipes: Skewered Shrimp and Smoked Pulled Pork.

Here is some information about All Spice Cafe to get your mouth watering!

“All Spice Cafe is the home of some gourmet sauces and other tasty treats. Winner of several awards at Chile Pepper Magazine’s 2008 & 2009 Fiery Food Challenges, as well as winners of 2007, 2009 & 2010 Scovie Awards. “Not just heat… but flavor.”

As a small two-man start-up, based in Los Angeles, the company is slowly growing and getting a following both locally and across the nation, even internationally. The sauces are not the typical “hot sauces” but are gourmet sauces that can be used as marinades, for dipping, as ingredients in recipes, and much more.

All Spice Cafe is not a physical cafe, but there are hopes that someday there will be one. The hopes are to one day open up a cafe where everything on the menu will be spice based… spice for flavor, not just heat. For now, visit AllSpiceCafe.com for the latest news and information about All Spice Cafe, along with recipe ideas and product details.”

What are we giving away?

Caribbean Spice Sauce is a perfect mix of flavor and heat.

There is a hint of jerk seasonings, including allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic, and onion.

Its the perfect addition to chicken, pork, seafood, even add it to eggs.

Scovie Award Winner for 1st Place in the Caribbean category.

Chile Pepper Magazine’s 2008 Fiery Food Challenge Winner for 2nd Place in the Caribbean-Style category and a 1st Place Golden Chile at the 2009 Fiery Food Challenge.

1st Place winner at The Hot Pepper Awards

Chipotle Garlic Sauce is an overwhelming favorite. Great for grilling, as a dipping sauce or marinade.

Put it on your omelete or in your taquitos.

Chile Pepper Magazine’s Fiery Food Challenge Winner for 3rd Place in the Chipotle category.

Cayenne Habanero Sauce got it’s start as a hot wing sauce, but that perfect flavor has been used on everything from popcorn to pasta sauce, as well as a marinade for chicken or steak, and even added to Ranch Dressing.

For some extra heat try the XXX, with 3 times the Habanero than the Hot.

Scovie Award Winner for 3rd Place in the Habanero category.

I have personally tried these sauces and can tell you they are very good!

To win a three pack of All Spice Cafe Sauces, all you have to do is sign up to the Cooking-Outdoors newsletter. One name will be drawn from the complete list of subscribers. I will then email you to let you know you have won and request your full name, address and permission to use your full name and city/state location in an newsletter announcement. Your full name and address will be sent to All Spice Cafe (only) for shipping of the three pack of hot sauces.

Cooking-Outdoors

It’s just a DOG! Or is it just a Dutch oven Gathering?

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Related Reading:

Chipotle Cheddar Chile Beer Bread

Chipotle Cheddar Chile Beer Bread

Ingredients

Preparation

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Related Reading:

Hot new releases from All Spice Cafe!

All Spice Cafe Announces Six New Products!

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Related Reading:

February Newsletter Winner!

Sherry Kerr

Anniston, Alabama

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Related Reading:

Camp Chef 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Dutch

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Related Reading:

February 20 is National Cherry Pie Day

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Related Reading:

Grilled Vegetable stuffed Chicken and Foil cooked potatoes

Ingredients:

Preparation:

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Related Reading:

Care and Feeding of your Dutch Oven

Care and Feeding of your Dutch Oven

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Related Reading:

International Ice Cream for Breakfast day!

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Related Reading:

February’s Newsletter Drawing!

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Related Reading: