“This recipe was a favorite of George Washington’s and has since become a favorite of my wife’s and sons’,” says author Frederick J.

Just before you’re ready to serve, sprinkle remaining cheese on top and let it melt. (Some folks like to include cooked and crumbled bacon in the mixture and crumble crackers on top as a garnish.) Cook on coals for about an hour. Mix all ingredients together in a 14-inch Dutch oven, reserving some grated cheese for the topping. Some people call them ‘funeral potatoes’ - that’s basically all they are.” As with many a crowd-pleaser, it’s all about the cheese. Mike Larsen’s rendezvous-worthy rec ipe is a classic hot dish casserole, the ultimate in comfort food. Ready to give it a go? Here are two great recipes that would satisfy anyone after a hard day in the mountains. You just set the lid off to the side and move it back onto the oven when you’re ready.” “It’s basically a hook on the end of a handle that allows you to pick the whole lid right up with the briquettes in place. How do you inspect your grub with a bunch of burning-hot coals sitting on top of the lid? “There’s a tool called a lid-lifter,” Larsen explains. If it’s a cobbler, it will probably be done in about 30 to 45 minutes.” “If it’s a main course,” Larson says, “you probably want to let it go an hour and then start checking. Due to the variability in heat, you’ll want to check your oven often. When the briquettes turn gray, lay out the requisite number on the bottom, set the Dutch oven on top, and place the remaining briquettes on top of the lid. So for a 12-inch Dutch oven, that would be 15 briquettes on top and nine on the bottom.” “The rule of thumb is to take the diameter of the oven and add three for the top and subtract three from the bottom. “I like to use charcoal briquettes it’s easier to control heat,” he says.

We asked Larsen for some of his tips on technique. A Dutch oven cooking aficionado, he’s competed in and judged many a cook-off. Mike Larsen has been going to the Fort Bridger Rendezvous for 23 years and has served on the board for 12. (George is said to have been particularly fond of a certain Dutch oven chicken.) To this day, a good Dutch oven is a prized possession of an experienced camper, and it’s an important accouterment at the Fort Bridger Rendezvous, where the Dutch oven cooking contests draw a competitive crowd. Well-suited for boiling, baking, or frying, the Dutch oven was used to prepare everything from stews to desserts.Ī Dutch oven was such a valued part of one’s property, it was frequently identified in a person’s last will and testament - George Washington’s mother did exactly that. Made out of cast iron, the pot has a tight-fitting lid and short legs to keep it above the coals. On the American frontier, the lid was flanged to let the cook pile additional coals on top to aid in cooking. These good old-fashioned Dutch oven recipes are excellent served at a mountain man rendezvous, the homestead, or on a campfire.Īn indispensable part of a well-equipped mountain man’s kit was the Dutch oven, a perfect cooking vessel for use in a primitive fireplace or on a campfire.

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