DAM DOG SOCIETY "FALL DOG"

It was time to break out the black iron for the Fall D.O.G. gathering hosted by Rich & Linda Pitts of Richmond, California. Those of you who are not in the know, D.O.G. is the acronym for Dutch Oven Gathering. What a gathering it was. This article is being written from my semi-permanent office on the couch. My prone position is caused by massive food consumption. When one attends a D.O.G. one must, experience, enjoy and to fully appreciate and celebrate dutch oven cooking, sample each and every dish prepared. We would like to share a couple of images with you.

The 'Dam Dog Society' which is the 'Northern California International Dutch Oven Society' chapter, started preparing for this event several months ago. We met at the local Elks club to draw numbered charcoals to determine what dish each member would bring. The categories were broken down into; Main dish, Starch, and Dessert. We passed around a box with charcoals which had a number painted on. Yours truly drew starch. I ended up making a potato dish that consisted of Yukon golds, russets, red onions that were topped with a bread crumb and Parmesan topping.

Rich & Linda have a lovely backyard which we set up camp. There is a huge metal table that is transported to each D.O.G gathering. This custom metal table is perfect to accept lit charcoals and heavy dutch ovens with out catastrophic damage to the backyard. Several pop-up tents were erected to provide shade. Today was very warm with the temperatures in the 80's. With all the black iron being heated by burning charcoal this arena was very toasty. Lot's of snacks and beverages were available to prepare for the feast. Ms. Goofy said she overdid the snacks because this was her first official D.O.G. She did not realize how much food was to come.

The dinner bell was planned to ring at 4:00 o'clock. With all the different dishes being prepared this was a challenge. Shortly after four Mark started the feeding frenzy by announcing several club business items. The serving was very informal. We grabbed a plate and went to town. I will not do justice to all the descriptions of the dishes but will give a brief list. Pulled pork, deep fried Indian bread for tacos, several varieties of baked potatoes, a marinated German beef dish, several cobblers, lava cake, sweet potatoes, rice melody, stuffed bell pepers, bacon wrapped asparagus, beans, chili,beef stew, and so much more. All I can truly say is WOW

What a great day. Whenever a group of like minded people gather, socialize and eat, makes for a special and fun time. To fully appreciate a D.O.G. over indulgence may be a hazard. Oh the price we pay for having a fantastic time. We cannot wait for the next event.

DAM DOG SOCIETY

    The ‘Dam Dog Society’ is not a hate group for dogs. The ‘Dam Dog Society’ is a group of like-minded people that love to cook with Dutch ovens. D.O.G. is the abbreviation for ‘Dutch Oven Gathering’. This Saturday an event was held demonstrating, cooking, eating and enjoying all things about Dutch Ovens. I recently joined the Northern California chapter of the ‘International Dutch Oven Society” (IDOS). This was their spring gathering. The event was held right smack dab in the middle of a vineyard. This is the way we roll in California.

The weather was not cooperating today. It was raining throughout the day. This did not dampen our commitment to creating a feast that was all prepared with our black iron ovens. We had a small platoon of pop-up tents. This provided shelter to slice and dice meats and vegetables for cooking. There was a slight haze of charcoal smoke from all the chimney starters. It was quit the scene.

It is amazing what can be prepared in a Dutch oven. Can you prepare a certain dish in your home oven? That same dish can be prepared in a Dutch oven. Meats, side dishes, desserts and my specialty breads were prepared today. We were shooting for a 12 noon lunch. Participants were timing their cooks to make this time goal. There were a couple of late arrivals to the D.O.G.  So we had a second seating of dishes scheduled for one o’clock.  

We had a brief meeting at noon; welcoming attendees and taking care of some IDOS business. It was time to eat. Are you ready for this long list of scrumptious dishes? We started with a meatball crostini. Some of the main dishes included; lasagna, pulled pork sliders, red beans & rice, several chilis’, beef stew, vegetable stew, lamb, and a potato sausage casserole. The bread department had some monkey bread and my signature dish of jalapeno cheese bread. Desserts included a peach cobbler and an apple ‘dump’ cake. This was only the first sitting. I had prior commitments and missed the second offering of Dutch oven cooked delights. WoW!!!!!!!!

What a fun day. It was great to gather with a bunch of Dutch oven enthusiasts. We swapped ideas, stories and Dutch oven knowledge. We were situated in beautiful surroundings of a vineyard. I can guarantee nobody walked away from this event hungry. I cannot wait till the next D.O.G.

IDOS PIN 2011

We just received our 2011 International Dutch Oven Society pin. That sounds like a good excuse to break out the black iron.

DOG MEATHENGE STYLE

It was a beautiful sunny day at the Meathege labs. Three teams of black iron warriors were present to battle with their ductch oven pots. These teams were prepared to create and cook for a communal food finale. This was a Dutch Oven Gathering that will be remembered long after the heart burn subsides.

It was high noon and time to light the fires. We had several meat groups represented today. Smoked tri-tip that was procured from the UC Davis Meat Lab was served with some roasted potatoes. A beautiful rabbit stew sizzled and bubbled in one of the cauldrons. Chile Verde was created by the infamous Dr. Biggles. You know that this dish would be something special. Chicken roasted over a bed of potatoes and vegetables was our final dish.

A few brave Dutch oven cookers created some bread. A wonderful slow rise whole wheat bread was the first entry. Jalapeno cheese bread which happens to be my signature bread dish was the follow up entry. It was a gooey and cheesy delight. Both these bread were still warm when they were consumed. It does not get any better than that.

All of the Meat dishes were winners. We were all judges and came to a unanimous decision that every dish was a gold star winner. The Chile Verde may be the dish we have been searching for. It had all the right moves. The tri-tip was smoky fun. The rabbit was tender and mild. It was seasoned to perfection. Last but not least, the chicken was tender and had a nice spice rub to kiss your palate.

Thank you Doctor Biggles for sponsoring the Dutch Oven Gathering at your abode. Once I am able to leave the couch, I will give you a call to personally  thank you. Congratulation to all of the participants, It was a good day to fire up some Black Iron.

DOG

We are going to a DOG (Dutch Oven Gathering) at the 'Meathenge Labs'. The cobwebs are being dusted off the black iron. This is a massive and heavy pile of cookware. Once the fire is built, these vessels will perform their magic and transform raw ingredients into a  tasty, meaty and a couple of vegetable treats. I will be making some 'Jalapeno Cheese Bread' and a spatchcock chicken laying on a bed of spuds and vegetables. This will be a gathering of Dutch Oven enthusiasts. We will be sharing our dishes and swapping some stories. Stay tuned!

DUTCH OVEN CHICKEN

Dutch oven chicken is a comforting easy meal to create. A chicken is baked on a potato and vegetable trivet in a black iron oven. While the chicken is baking, it will release its juices of yummy flavor. The chicken fat will drip and permeate its vegetable throne. The Reverend Biggles has always preached on using a trivet and we did not sleep through this sermon. One of the advantages of cooking in the dutch oven is that your kitchen is spared the blast of heat of the oven. All cooking is done outside in our barbeque area. Charcoal briquet's are the fuel to heat our oven of black iron. Let's light up the coals.

A pound of organic fingerling potato's from our monthly shipment from 'Farm Fresh To You', was washed and coated with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Some bacon lardons, carrots and red onions joined the potato's to form our trivet for the chicken. The back was removed from a whole chicken. It was flattened and rubbed all over with Survival Spice. A little splash of oil will coat the bottom of our oven. Lay the flattened chicken over the vegetable trivet.
  Cooking in a Dutch Oven is more efficient than your home oven. The only trick is to rotate the top and bottom 1/4 turn every 15 minutes. This will prevent any hot spots and promote even cooking. Our chicken took an hour to become 'fall off the bone' tender.

This dish is more comforting than my couch on a Sunday afternoon. The chicken is moist and flavorful. The potato's and vegetables have  browned  and caramelized. They have a wonderful chicken flavor. Are they rich and decadent? Oh, Yeah!!!!!!!

BLUEBERRY CORNBREAD

"Sometimes I clown, then step back and do the James Brown". We are going to have a funky good time with some blueberries. Let's get on the good foot and fire up some coals to heat our black iron pots. We are going to cook some blueberry cornbread today. EEEEOOOOW!!!!!!!!!

Blueberry Cornbread

1. 2 cups of blueberries
2. 1 cup flour
3. 1 cup of yellow corn meal
4. 1/4 cup brown sugar
5. 1 tablespoon baking powder
6. 1 teaspoon salt
7. 1 egg beaten
8. 1 cup milk
9. 1/3 cup vegetable oil
10. 1 tablespoon orange zest chopped.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl except blueberries. Fold blueberries into mixture gently. Wipe oil all around interior of pan. Place mixture in pan and bake in 400 degree oven for aprox 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in center of bread should pull out clean when done.

Cooking this recipe in a Dutch Oven is a fun time. It is great for a picnic or barbeque. It sure is nice to be able to cook outside and not have to heat up your house with the oven. If you have some James Brown playing in the background you may even see me dance.

CARSON CITY RENDEZVOUS

It was a very pleasant day in Carson City for the Rendezvous festival. There was a slight cloud cover and a tiny breeze to bring the thermometer to the low 70's. This was great weather to fire up the cast iron vessels for a cook off. The theme of the Rendezvous, was life in the 1800's. There were a lot of people in costume. Civil War reenactors staged a mock fight. Those cannons sure were loud. I am not sure who won. Music, food and lots of crafts rounded out this event. We were there for the Dutch Oven Cook off.

The Meatmen and Meatwoman, gave their best effort to claim victory. There was a little controversy about the Judges credentials and judging experience. This will not be discussed on this forum because it might be considered 'Sour Grapes'. One gentleman came by our booth, once, twice and a third time for a sample of our food. This gesture made our effort

worth everything. This is what we compete for. It was reported later that the 'Space Shuttle Endeavour' saw the grin on my face!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the recipe for the "PEOPLE'S CHOICE" winner. It is a sweet savory cornbread. I used home smoked bacon.

Ingredients
1 cup of bread flour
1 cup of white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
1 cup medium grind whole grain cornmeal or regular cornmeal
1/2 cup of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup dried cranberries (4 ounces)

1 cup of corn

2 slices of cooked bacon chopped

Whisk both flours, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, melted butter, maple syrup, eggs and extract in medium bowl. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stir until blended. Stir in 3/4 cup chopped pecans and cranberries. Spoon butter into pan. Arrange pecan halves in row down center of batter.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until Golden brown and knife inserted comes out clean.

After the festival, Ms. Goofy and I managed to have a couple of Meat Adventures. We picked up some chorizo from a wonderful Basque restaurant.(Villa Basque Deli & Cafe). Two new bacon's were discovered at "Butcher Boy" in Reno. Several local Hot Sauces were found. Our adventure ended at Harrah's Steak House for a gastronomical extravaganza dinner.

It was a great weekend. Once Ms. Goofy unloads the car and puts everything away we can start to sample our bounty!

Hairy Scary Lampshade In Our Room

SECOND PLACE

The Meatmen and Meatwomen took 'Second Place' in the team competition. Yours truly took first place in the 'Peoples Choice' award for bread. Good times. More later.