Coleman Camping Oven

When you buy your Coleman camping oven, it will probably come with a “Dutch Oven Camping Recipe” book.  Dutch oven recipes will be a great addition to your camping trip.  They will make your menu planning much simpler and easier. 

Good Dutch oven food, just like fine dining, is all about quality. You need to remember this when creating or preparing your own outdoor Dutch oven recipes. If you want your food to be the best it can be, then be sure to use the best ingredients when preparing it. Sometimes it doesn‘t pay to substitute.  For example, if a recipe calls for butter, use butter, not margarine.  The food may look the same, but the taste is what brings people back for seconds.  “You get out of your Dutch oven what you put into it”

Before finding recipes to try out in your camping dutch oven, you should be familiar with basic cooking abbreviations.  Any cookbook you currently have will aid you in learning these abbreviations.  You should also keep a list handy of food substitutions.  Did you use of the last of your white sugar for last night’s meal?  Will it matter if you use brown sugar instead of white sugar?  Again, your cookbook should have a list already made for you.  Keep that list with your camping supplies.  Now you are ready to start hunting for Dutch oven recipes.  You can find recipes for anything from fried chicken to peach cobbler!  Here’s a recipe just to give you an idea of what can be cooked in your dutch oven.  It’s for those who love Mexican food!

Dutch Oven Spicy Enchiladas
Filling                                                                                                 Sauce
2 lbs. lean ground beef                                                                1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped                                                 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced                                                                  4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (11 oz.) mexicorn, drained                                                  ½ cup green bell pepper, diced small
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained                                              2 cans (14 oz. each) tomato sauce
1 cup black olives, chopped                                                          1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
3 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped                                                       1 Tbs. chili powder
2 Tsp. chili powder                                                                        ½ Tsp. paprika
1 Tsp. paprika                                                                               ½ Tsp. ground cumin
1 Tsp. ground cumin                                                                      ½ Tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste                                                               Salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs. cheddar jack cheese, shredded
24 flour tortillas (10”)

Prepare Filling: Heat a 12" Dutch oven using 20-22 briquettes bottom until hot. To oven add ground beef, onions, and garlic. Cook until beef is brown and onions are translucent. Spoon off excess grease. Stir in mexicorn, black beans, olives, cilantro, chili powder, paprika, and cumin. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat thoroughly then remove mixture from Dutch oven.
Prepare Sauce: Heat a 10" Dutch oven using 12-14 briquettes bottom until hot. Add olive oil, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Saute until peppers are soft and onions are translucent. Stir in tomato sauce, green chiles (juice included), chili powder, paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring sauce to a boil and simmer gently 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Assemble Enchiladas: Place a tortilla in oven with sauce covering both sides of tortilla. Place on a plate and fill with 1/4 - 1/3 cup of the meat filling and sprinkle with cheese. Fold in ends and roll up tortilla. Place in original 12" Dutch oven seam side down. Repeat process for each tortilla covering the bottom of the Dutch oven. Make additional layers as needed. Cover tops of enchiladas with remaining meat filling. Pour remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake: Cover and bake using 12-14 briquettes bottom and 12-14 briquettes top for 20 minutes until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted.
Serves: 10-12.