We attended Dutch Oven Cooking 101 at the Hurtsville Interpretive Center north of Maquoketa, IA on Highway 61 yesterday.  Our chef and demonstrator, Doug, cooked up shake-and-bake chicken with cabbage leaves, scalloped corn, cherry pineapple dump cake, and bacon-wrapped smokies.  Another participant shared mock enchiladas.

He used a camp oven — a Dutch oven with legs.  This way, he could stack the dishes and better utilize all the coals.  His f

ormula for temperature varied a bit from what the Girl Scouts say.  He said to take the size of your oven and double it.  Then, put 1/3 of that number of coals on the bottom and 2/3 of that number of coals on the top/lid.  Example:  12″ oven.  12×2 = 24. 8 coals on the bottom – 16 coals on the top.  He also suggested rotating the pot and the lid throughout the cooking.

In one hour, all the dishes were done to perfection for the participants to enjoy!