The Best Dutch Oven And Our Favorite Camping Recipes - Outside Nomad (2024)

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And last but certainly not least, it’s time to do the dishes.Important stuffhere sodon’tskip it.

• First off don’t use soap. It will get rid of all that seasoning and patina that make these such good cookers. If you do happen to wash with soap just be sure to re-apply oil and bake according to the seasoning instructions above.
• Forcleaning,I just scrape out all the food and wash with warm water. If something is sticking you can put some water in the pot and simmer over a fire to loosen things up.
• If you’re finding that you’re not able to clean your dutch oven effectively we like to use a scrubber likethis
• Once cleaned and dried it is a good idea to wipe it down with a light coat of oil before storing.

Our Top Pick – Lodge Camp Dutch Oven

Ingredients

• 1 cupfarro (another grain like brown rice or quinoa would work)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups water, divided
• 1 tablespoonolive oil
• 1/2red onion, minced
• 2–3cloves garlic, minced
• 2–3jalapeños, minced (remove ribs and seeds if you don’t want it to be spicy)
• 1lb. ground turkey
• 114-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspooncumin
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1 cupsalsa (works best with a “fresh” salsa brand like Salsa Lisa)
• 214-ounce cans crushed fire roasted tomatoes
• toppings (sour cream, cheese, green onions, tortilla chips)

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeños and saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning the garlic. Add the turkey and cook until all the meat is browned and broken apart into “crumbles”. Add the black beans, ancho chili powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, and salsa and simmer for a few minutes.
2. Add chicken broth and 1 cup of water along with the farro (or rice or whatever grain you’re using). Simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and however much of the remaining 2 cups water that you feel like you need to get the right consistency.
4. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions, and tortilla chips.

If you like a sweeter chili, add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to the meat mixture before adding the salsa, tomatoes, and water.

We’ve also substituted a dark beer for part of the water which turned out terrific.

Ingredients

• 1cupchopped prunes
• 1cupolives,pitted & halved
• 1/2cupdry white wine
• 1/4cupcapers
• 1/4cupred wine vinegar
• 6clovesgarlic,roughly chopped
• 2tablespoonsdried oregano
• 2bay leaves
• 1teaspoonsalt
• 4chicken thighs,skin on
• 1tablespoonolive oil
• 4teaspoonsbrown sugar

Instructions

1. MARINATE THE CHICKEN: Place all ingredients except for the oil and brown sugar in a freezer bag to marinate. Place in your ice chest for at least 6 hours and up to 48 hours.
2. PREP YOUR CAMPFIRE: Prepare 27 coals. You can use wood embers if you must, but you’ll have to guestimate the proper heat ratio (you’re aiming for 425F). Once all the coals are ready, knock them into a flat pile and place dutch oven on top of all of them. This will produce the high heat required for browning.
3. BROWN THE CHICKEN:Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the Dutch oven. The oil is hot and ready when a drop of water instantly sizzles when it hits the pan. Remove the chicken from the marinade, and dust 1 teaspoon brown sugar over the skin side of each thigh. Brown the thighs skin side down over high heat until the skin is crispy and deep golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Flip to brown the other side, 2 minutes.
4. BAKE:Remove Dutch oven from heat. Add the marinade (liquid, prunes, olive, capers and all!) to the dutch oven and cover. Evenly distribute 18 coals on the lid and set the Dutch oven on a bed of 9 coals. Bake for 30 minutes, until the thighs are cooked through and their juices run clear when pierced with a knife.
5. SERVE & ENJOY:Serve over couscous, rice, or pilaf with some of the sauce spooned over the top.

Ingredients

• 1 16ozcan of enchilada sauce
• 1tspOlive oil
• 20corn tortillas cut into eighths
• 1cuproasted corn or whatever filling you have on hand
• ½cupcrumbled cotija cheese
• 5-6eggs
• ½cupcilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toppings:

• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
• Lime slices for garnish
• Quick pickled red onions slice onions and let rest in rice wine vinegar for 15 mins
• Hot sauce
• Mexican crema sauce

Instructions

1. Greased Dutch Oven.
2. Open enchilada sauce.
3. Cover bottom of Dutch Oven with olive oil. Layer corn tortillas in with the sauce, cheese and any toppings desired. (It is best to cover all tortillas so they don’t dry out). Top with cracked eggs if desired.
4. Place in a campfire for 30 minutes. Until top is browned and cooked through and egg whites are set with runny yolks.
5. Top with cilantro, lime slices, and pickled red onions. Serve with hot sauce and crema if desired. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2lbbacondiced
• 1lbandouille sausagediced, or dried chorizo sausage
• 1lbfresh pork sausagecasings removed
• 4boneless, chicken thighscut into 1-inch pieces
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2yellow onionsdiced
• 2bell peppersseeded and diced
• 4celery stalksdiced
• 5clovesgarlicminced
• 3cupsconverted long grain white rice
• 1teaspoondried thyme
• 2dried bay leaves
• 1tablespoonsmoked paprika
• 1teaspooncayenne pepper
• 2teaspoonscelery salt
• 128 ozcan crushed tomatoes
• 2cupschicken stock
• 1lbsshrimppeeled and deveined
• 1bunchgreen onionschopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In your dutch oven, over medium heat, render the bacon with the fresh and andouille sausages until browned.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned. Remove all the meat to a bowl.
3. Add the onions and cook for about 15 minutes, until beginning to caramelize. Add the bell peppers, celery and garlic to the pot and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the meat back to the pot.
4. Stir in the rice, thyme, bay leaves, paprika, cayenne, celery salt, one tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until spices are evenly distributed.
5. Turn the heat up to medium high and add the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and stir into the rice, along with the green onions. Put the lid back on the pot, turn off the heat, and leave to sit for another 10 minutes. The heat inside the pot will cook the shrimp.
7. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork, and serve

INGREDIENTS

• 8-10ozpizza dough,(8 oz for 10″, 10 oz for 12″)
• 1tablespoons eachflour + cornmeal
• Toppings of choice

INSTRUCTIONS

• PREPARE YOUR COALS:Start by preparing your coals or charcoal briquettes. You’ll need about 30 for a 10” Dutch oven, or 33 for a 12” Dutch oven. Once the coals/briquettes are ready, preheat your Dutch oven to 450. For a 10” oven, place 10 coals under the oven and 20 on the lid. For a 12” oven, place 11 coals under the oven and 22 on the lid.
• PREPARE THE DOUGH:In the meantime, roll out your dough. Dust a cutting board with flour and using a water bottle or bottle of wine (who brings a rolling pin camping?), roll the dough into a circle. Dust the cornmeal onto a piece of parchment and transfer the dough to the parchment paper. Dock the dough all over with a fork (this will prevent the dough from bubbling up while baking).
• TOP:Add whatever toppings you wish.See our suggestions here.
• BAKE THE PIZZA:Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the coals and remove the lid. Place the pizza, parchment paper and all, into the Dutch oven, lay the spacers across the top, cover, and return to the bed of coals. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is golden.
• SERVE & ENJOY!