The Complete Book of Dutch Oven Cooking
Cast iron Dutch ovens have been a mainstay of cooks from the days  of chuck wagons to today's outdoor campers. This method of cooking is an  excellent way to prepare wild game and most any other meal all in one  simple pot.  The author shares secrets of Dutch oven cooking, including recipes for such  dishes as Brunswick stew, Cross creek baked salmon, Longhunter meatloaf,  Miss Pam's bean hole beans and Bubbly peach cobbler. --The Capital Times, December 8, 2004If you were once a Boy Scout, you've probably wondered whatever  happened to Dutch ovens. You know, those three-legged, handle-lidded  cooking pots that seemed to be found at every campfire. The good news: They're still out there, simmering away. An ancestor of the crockpot, a Dutch oven can cook almost anything, any  way. No matter what you're broiling or baking, just be sure you have a pair  of heavy leather gloves. Dutch ovens can be traced to the 18th century, according to J. Wayne Fears.  His The Complete Book of Dutch Oven Cooking jumps off the back burner with  recipes for everything from Cowboy Biscuits to Longhunter Meatloaf. Sight  of the full-page color photograph of the gurgling Big Woods Chicken likely  is enough to bring the steeliest backpacker to his knees. --Toby Smith, The Albuquerque Journal, December 9, 2004Throughout the pages of this book you will learn how to cook with camp-fire coals (or briquettes), as the entire Dutch oven is buried right in the ground with coals beneath it and on top of its lid. When it's time to eat, just dig up the kettle and serve. Hearty hunter appetites appreciate this unique cooking method. --Betty Sodders, Whitetails Unlimited, Summer 2008You are out in the field. It's time to make a nice tasty chili.  You have a hot fire, plenty of coals for the heat source and a Dutch oven  for the cookpot. You're all set! Dinner's done, right? If you are thinking, Yeah, right. What's a Dutch oven? you only need to  read J. Wayne Fears' latest publication, The Complete Book of Dutch Oven  Cooking to learn about the magic pot that will produce dinner - on time and  tasty. In this full-color, 144-page book from Stoeger Publishing, Fears leaves the  recipes to the end. Dutch oven cooking is a old art form, with something of  a learning curve, and Fears starts with the basics. In the first chapters,  he explains the history, manufacturing process and benefits of aluminum vs.  cast iron ovens. A discussion of must-have accessories and hardwood  preferences is followed by a detailed explanation of how to use campfire  coals and charcoal, or how to create a "bean hole" - literally a hole in  the ground for Dutch oven cooking. Fears' writing is peppered with personal insights and stories about mishaps  in camp (he once spilled a whole pot full of dinner - fellow campers are  still talking about it). He isn't afraid to offer expert advice, yet he  does so without treating the subject as one of the world's greatest  mysteries. "Don't let the learning process scare you away from what may be a lifetime  of fun and exciting eating. For many it is a hobby, and for a few it almost  becomes a lifestyle.... Sit back and relax as we discuss Dutch oven  know-how. "Once the reader is rarin' to dig Grandma's Dutch oven out of the garage,  season it (as described in Chapter Five) and get cooking, the recipes in  the final chapters do not disappoint. From Cowboy Biscuits (so good, you  might not care if there's no honey available) to Brunswick Stew (Fears says  you can substitute the squirrel with chicken or turkey), the list of  familiar and delicious dishes shows that it's not all that different from  "regular" cooking. But of course, any day is a good day when you can stick some coals on a pot  of groceries, go hunting, fishing, hiking and then come back to a hot  delicious dinner. That's a magic pot indeed. --Jay Hayward, Safari Club International, April 2005