Yum! Here’s our favorite holiday-themed Dutch oven recipes

Option A: Take a recipe…any recipe. Do it at home, in your kitchen. Eat it at your dining room table. It probably tastes good.

Option B: Now take those same ingredients and modify the process just enough to do it in a dutch oven while camping. Eat it outside by a campfire, surrounded by family, friends and fellow Scouts.

It is scientifically proven that option B will taste better.

That’s why we thought it was fitting to feature our favorite Dutch oven holiday recipes. (If you don’t know how to use a dutch oven, we’ve got you covered here and here. Click here for more information on charcoal safety, and here for more information on food safety.)

Share your favorite recipe in the comments!

Roast turkey

I come from a ham family myself, but turkey is one of the most popular Christmas meats for most Americans.

Think you can’t roast turkey in a Dutch oven? Think again. This delight comes from our friends at texan iron chief.

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
• Three large onions: two cut into half-inch-thick rounds and one quartered
• Six large sprigs of fresh rosemary (can replace 6 tablespoons of dried rosemary)
• Six sprigs of sage
• Six sprigs of thyme
• One 12-pound whole turkey, thawed, giblets removed (size of turkey depends on oven size)
• One apple, cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• Parchment paper, if needed

Then you will need to:

1. Select a turkey that will go in your camp style cast iron dutch oven. You will want to leave about 1 inch of space around the turkey when it is placed in the oven. (We used a rare 20-inch Maca Dutch Oven in the video above.) If you’re having trouble getting your turkey into the Dutch Oven you’re working with, consider using a spatchcock method roast the turkey.
2. Place the quartered onion and apple in the cavity of the turkey. Rub the turkey with canola oil.
3. Prepare the Dutch oven by covering the bottom of the oven with two onions, cut into half-inch-thick rings. Fold the rosemary sprigs in half and arrange them around the outer edge of the oven bottom. Sprinkle fresh sage and thyme on top of the onions.
4. Place the turkey in the oven over the herbs and onions.
5. Sprinkle top of turkey with salt and pepper.
6. Add the chicken broth and cover the oven.
7. Roast the turkey at 400 degrees for 30 minutes to brown the turkey skin. (We covered the 20-inch oven lid with hot coals and made a ring of 18 hot coals underneath.)
8. After 30 minutes, remove the embers from the oven lid and add fresh embers, reducing the temperature to 350 degrees. (We made a double ring of hot charcoal around the 20 inch oven lid.)
9. Using an instant-read thermometer, check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the turkey (breast/thigh) every 30 minutes. Rotate oven and lid in opposite directions and replace charcoal as needed. If one part of the turkey browns faster than the others, cover it with parchment paper.
10. When the turkey’s internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, remove all the charcoal. Let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before serving to allow the internal temperature to rise to 165 degrees. Total roasting time should be around 2 hours.

Of course, the best part of any holiday dinner is the sides, which brings us to…

Padding

(For about 12 people)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
• One large onion, chopped
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• One bell pepper, chopped
• A loaf of day-old bread, cut into cubes and placed in a large mixing bowl
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
• Two eggs, beaten
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 tbsp pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt

directions

1. Place a 12-inch camp-style dutch oven over a pile of hot charcoal. Add oil, onion, celery and bell pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are tender. Remove the mixture from the oven and place it in the large mixing bowl that contains the bread. Add raisins and pecans. Throw.
2. In another bowl, combine the eggs, chicken broth, pepper and salt. Pour over bread and vegetables, stirring lightly until all ingredients are incorporated.
3. Pour the mixture into the Dutch oven. Bake at 350 degrees (16 coals around the lid and nine coals in a circle under the oven) for 30 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the eggs are set.

Dutch Oven Vegetables

Ingredients

• 8 cups vegetables of your choice, such as broccoli florets, butternut squash, carrots, mushrooms, onions, or zucchini
• ¼ lb butter
• 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 8 oz. fresh parmesan cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper
• Water

directions

1. Cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces.
2. Pour water into a 12 inch Dutch oven, filling the bottom to a depth of ¼ inch.
3. Add the vegetables. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place slices of butter on the vegetable layer.
4. Put the Dutch oven on about 24 coals, lid closed, until the vegetables start to steam.
5. Using a stick, remove half of the embers from the bottom of the oven. Allow vegetables to steam until tender.
6. Remove the embers from the oven and remove the remaining water in the bottom of the oven with a pear.
7. Cover the hot vegetables with the grated cheeses and put the lid on the oven (no need to add coals on top) until the cheeses are melted, about 5 minutes.

corn bread

(For about 12 people)

Ingredients

• 4-5 tbsp. canola oil
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup) sugar
• 1 C. baking soda
• 1 C. salt
• 4 tbsp. baking powder
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 4 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled

directions

1. Pour the canola oil into the Dutch oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees by placing 21 hot coals on the lid and 10 in a circle under the oven.
3. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and buttermilk.
5. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the egg mixture into the well. Gently fold the egg mixture into the dry ingredients with as few strokes as possible.
6. Add the butter. (It’s okay if there are lumps of dry ingredients. The point is to not overwork the dough.)
7. Pour the batter into the preheated oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and slightly cracked. The edges should also point away from the sides of the oven. Remove coals.
8. Using heat-resistant gloves, turn the oven upside down to serve the cornbread on the lid.

peach pie

(For about 15 people)

Ingredients

• 2 large cans (32 ounces) peaches
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup tapioca
• 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Drain the peaches, keeping the syrup. Combine peaches, brown sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla in a Dutch oven.

Trim

• 1½ cup flour
• 1 package (3 ounces) peach Jell-O
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ⅓ cup cold butter
• ½ cup of honey
• 2 eggs, beaten

Combine flour, Jell-O, lemon zest, baking powder and salt.

Cut in the butter until coarse. Add honey and eggs and stir until just combined (it will be very thick).

Drop the topping mixture by spoonfuls over the peach mixture in a Dutch oven (it will look a bit like meatballs). Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the filling comes out clean.

Remove from the heat and prepare the sauce while the cobbler cools.

sauce

• ¼ cup flour
• ¾ cup peach syrup
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅓ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ cup lemon juice

In a small Dutch oven, mix the flour with the peach syrup until smooth (no lumps).

Add brown sugar, salt, butter and zest. Bring to a boil, stirring often, until the sauce thickens.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the cobbler in the Dutch oven and serve with vanilla ice cream or half and half.

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 large Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples
• ½ cup raisins (you can also use dried cranberries)
• ⅓ cup slivered almonds
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2¼ cups of water
• 6 oz. orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 3 tablespoons of honey

directions

1. Wash and core the apples, leaving the bottom of the core.
2. Combine raisins, almonds, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl.
3. Stuff each apple with the mixture.
4. Add water, orange juice concentrate and honey to a bowl. Mix well.
5. Place the apples in the Dutch oven. Slowly pour the orange juice/honey mixture over the apples.
6. Place the oven on the embers, put the lid on and arrange the embers on the lid in a checkerboard pattern.
7. Bake until apples are tender, 40-50 minutes.

Are you looking for dutch oven supplies and accessories? Scout Shop has what you need!

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