River Eaters Dinner Time adeux

[texasannie52]

This is a good one for the campfire too and feeds about 8 people or four very hungry kayakers. Use a 12” Dutch Oven making sure you spray the interior with cooking spray.

Quesadilla Casserole
2 tsp Chili powder
1 ts ground cumin
1 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp oregano leaves
½ tsp crush red pepper (optional)
1 lb of ground meat (97/7 mixture is best)
½ cup chopped onion
2 cans (8 oz each) tomatoe sauce
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (8 ¾ oz) whole kernel corn or use about 1 cup of frozen corn
1 can chopped green chilies, undrained
6 flour tortillas (8” size)
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican Taco Cheese works too (reserve one cup of cheese)

Before leaving home – cook meat and onion until meat is no longer pink. Drain any fat off of meat.. set aside and let cool - store in ziplock container. In the mealtime in a ziplock bag, combine all other ingredients. Except for cheese and tortillas.

Once it is time to cook dinner, get 24 charcoal briquettes going, spray dutch oven with cooking spray. Mix meat and sauce mixture together in a bowl or just use the zip lock bag you brought it in.. Layer casserole by putting approximately ½ cup meat mixture sauce into bottom of pan.. Place three tortillas overlapping over sauce, top with ¾ cups of cheese, repeat ending with sauce on top two more times. Cook in dutch oven until hot and bubbly or about 35 -45 minutes. Take Dutch Oven off of bottom briquettes, lift lid and add reserved cup of cheese to top of casserole.. Replace lid after and remove all but 8 of the last briquettes and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Remove lid and serve up with side salad, salsa, sour cream and extra tortillas.

[okieboater]

Annie, I do a very similar version I call Mexican Lasagna.

However,
Here is one of my favorite casseroles shamelessly stolen from my good friend TJ Hittle up in Kansas. TJ is an awesome boater and when we get him on the cook team just as good with the DO or BBQ grill. He calls it Gringo Pie. I think it is better than the lasagna setup because the corn bread on top adds a bunch to the dish specially if you are a corn bread lover.

*T.J.'s Gringo Pie*

Here is the recipe:

4 # Charcoal
3 # sausage or hamburger
24 oz. tomato sauce
1 onion- -chopped
1 pepper- - chopped
16 oz. whole kernal corn
2 cans Rotel diced Chilies & tomatoes
1 # Grated Cheddar Cheese
1 pkg. corn tortillas
1 1/2 boxes corn bread

1. Brown the meat, onions and peppers.
2. Drain
3. Stir in tomato sauce, corn, and Rotel
4. Layer in Dutch Oven ' meat sauce, cheese, tortillas
5. Top with cornbread mix: use package directions
6. Bake in Dutch Oven. Coals- - about 10-15 on top; 8-12 on bottom
7. Bake until cornbread is done.


I do it a bit different from TJ. three pounds hamburger and one pound sausage mixed together and browned. I do 2 sweet onions just because I like onions. And I double the cheese cause I like cheese. I also use chunky salsa and a small can of tomato sauce to be just a bit more tomato sauce than the recipe calls for.

Either way this is dynamite when the crew is hungry. Thanks to TJ for starting this recipe. Mine ends up with room for only 1 jiffy cornbread mix and the 12 GSI DO is full to the brim.

[texasannie52]

Do and Don’ts

Never, and I repeat, NEVER allow cast iron to sit in water or allow water to stand in or on it. It will rust despite a good coating.

Never use soap on cast iron. The soap will get into the pores of the metal and won't come out very easy, but will return to taint your next meal, though. If soap is used accidentally, the oven should be put through the pre-treatment procedure, including removal of the present coating.

Do not place an empty cast iron pan or oven over a hot fire. Aluminum and many other metals can tolerate it better but cast iron will crack or warp, ruining it.

Do not get in a hurry to heat cast iron, you will end up with burnt food or a damaged oven or pan.

Never put cold liquid into a very hot cast iron pan or oven. They will crack on the spot!

[texasannie52]

Old Fashion Pot Roast
3 to 5 pound chuck roast
2-10 oz cans of cream of mushroom soup
6-8 large russet potatoes (quartered)
1-large sweet onion (diced)
1-pound carrots (chunk sliced))
1-Lipton Onion soup mix envelope
1 tsp. black pepper
1-pinch of salt
Serves Six Regular Folks or Four Kayakers/Canoers

Preheat 14” Dutch Oven with 10-12 coals on the bottom. Place the onion in the hot oven and cook until clear, then set aside. Pepper the roast evenly on both sides and lightly brown the roast for about 3-5 minutes and then placed the clarified onions on the browned roast. Add the remaining ingredients and blend evenly. Cook for about one hour in a medium hot Dutch Oven.

[Michele Jackson]

I just want to say I'm loving these dutch oven recipes and tips (on both this thread and the other one). Thanks!!

[Richard]

Never, and I repeat, NEVER allow cast iron

And because of that I have three annondized Aluminum DOs

[texasannie52]

You may have three Aluminum ones, but because I use cast iron, I never have to iron pills and stink in the summer.. lol.