# Best Dutch Oven Recipes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 27, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301 "2012-12-27T17:52:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/21 "2012-12-31T03:58:17Z")
My Christmas present to myself this year was a cast iron dutch oven. So far I’ve only made Chicken and sausage gumbo and chili colorado. This week I intenmd to make (Cajun) Steak and gravy. [Recipe similar to mine](http://boudinlink.com/Recipes/Cajun_Steak_Rice_Gravy.html) ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/22 "2012-12-31T10:18:50Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > On the advice of experts (like the crew at Cook’s) and experience, I’ve concluded that flouring beef before cooking is a messy waste of time. The purpose is to get some flour or other gluten into the dish to create a thicker gravy/pan sauce; it does nothing to or for the meat. > > Brown the meat bare, and then whip the flour into a good roux in the pan before dumping everything back in for oven time. Much less messy, doesn’t give the meat a mealy or crumbly exterior in spots and (IMHO) results in a better dish. I might have to flour half the meat and brown the other half bare next time. I kind of LIKE that mealy exterior. I’m willing to experiment, though. And my husband has expressing a willingness to test the results. Yes, he will bravely throw himself on that pot roast in the interests of Science. ---
**Author:** ![andrewbub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/23 "2012-12-31T10:31:11Z")
anything with the word “braised” in it ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/24 "2012-12-31T15:01:29Z")
This website is a little painful on the eyes, but this [beef stew recipe](http://www.asweetpeachef.com/beef/hearty-beef-stew/) is the best one I have ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/25 "2013-01-01T01:54:10Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > This website is a little painful on the eyes, but this [beef stew recipe](http://www.asweetpeachef.com/beef/hearty-beef-stew/) is the best one I have ever made. Ooo, I gotta try this. Not only do I get to use my dutch oven, but I also get to use my immersion blender! It’s a two’fer! ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/26 "2013-01-01T02:46:14Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s not necessary with my Dutch oven for the recipes I do. I actually have some pictures of this. [Here is some chicken paprikash in the Dutch oven](http://www.peterpawinski.com/paprikash/0065.jpg). I added maybe 1/4 cup water to it. It’s just onions and chicken thighs. [Here it is a couple hours later](http://www.peterpawinski.com/paprikash/0066.jpg). No additional liquid. Those thighs and onions just release a lot of liquid. I do the same thing with beef stew (usually from chuck or short rib). It could be the amount of onions I use. I like to go 2:1 meat:onions by weight, and I find too much additional liquid is not only unnecessary, it dilutes the dish. (Actually, I have pictures of the beef stew, too. [Before.](http://www.peterpawinski.com/marhaporkolt/0005.jpg) And here is [after](http://www.peterpawinski.com/marhaporkolt/0014.jpg). No more than 1/4 cup or so of additional liquid.) > > But it’s possible my Dutch oven just has a tighter seal. I found a recipe and made this tonight it was awesome. (MY DO is cast iron and the lid fits nice and tight.) ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/27 "2013-01-01T02:54:10Z")
Missed the edit window, but I meant the chicken paprikash dish. So good. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/28 "2013-01-01T13:23:38Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Ooo, I gotta try this. Not only do I get to use my dutch oven, but I also get to use my immersion blender! > > It’s a two’fer! The hardest part is waiting hours and hours while your house smells so good. Buy really good quality beef and don’t skimp on any of the time and it will be well worth it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/29 "2013-01-01T15:28:57Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Missed the edit window, but I meant the chicken paprikash dish. So good. Oh, good! I should have given you my recipe. If you’re interested in a little bit more about the dish [here’s my post about it.](http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=17653) If you’re interested in that Hungarian beef stew, [here’s my take on it, too.](http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=176835). They’re both great because they are very simple dishes. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/30 "2013-01-01T15:43:37Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oh, good! I should have given you my recipe. If you’re interested in a little bit more about the dish [here’s my post about it.](http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=17653) If you’re interested in that Hungarian beef stew, [here’s my take on it, too.](http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=176835). > > They’re both great because they are very simple dishes. Thanks! I used a similar recipe that also had bell peppers (green and red). I did not have sweet paprika on hand, and used “fancy” paprika (whatever that means.) I also used boneless chicken breasts because I had them. It still came out great. I’ll keep an eye out for sweet paprika. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/31 "2013-01-01T15:56:09Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > “Dutch oven recipes” is almost akin to “kitchen recipes.” Once you start to use a good enameled dutch oven, you learn to cook all over again. There’s simply nothing like it for browning and sauteing, turning saute goods into sauce or casserole, making chili or stew, or almost everything that doesn’t involve boiling water. Question about that last few words: why? We recently got rid of our crappy old soup pot, and I’ve been using the Dutch oven ever since for making stocks and soups. Ours is cast iron, though, and the last two times I made chicken stock, the stock came out dark gray. The first time I dismissed it as anomaly, but the second time I figured it was from the iron; is that plausible? In any case, when I cooked chicken soup from the stock, the dark gray color disappeared; I’m figuring we just ate an extra iron-rich soup. Should I not be doing this? Is boiling water in the dutch oven a bad idea? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/32 "2013-01-01T15:59:49Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Thanks! I used a similar recipe that also had bell peppers (green and red). I did not have sweet paprika on hand, and used “fancy” paprika (whatever that means.) I also used boneless chicken breasts because I had them. It still came out great. I’ll keep an eye out for sweet paprika. Fancy paprika should have been okay to use. Looking online, it appears to be just a type of sweet paprika. Try to find Hungarian paprika, or a good American paprika if you can. I’ve found some rather nice domestic paprikas from California (Penzey’s has both a good California and Hungarian sweet paprika). The key for me is it should have a fresh, clean smell of red peppers. I also look for a vibrant red color, but some of the hotter varieties of paprika tend to have more of a rusty orange hue to them. As for the other points, paprikash is flexible and adaptable to what you like. I do a skinless chicken breast version every once in awhile, but cooking it skin-on and using legs and thighs or whole chicken really gives it the right flavor and richness. But it also may be too rich for some people. It’s a heavy, winter dish, and I love it! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/33 "2013-01-01T16:03:39Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Should I not be doing this? Is boiling water in the dutch oven a bad idea? That’s a new one to me, too. I make pasta in my Dutch oven all the time to no ill effect. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301/34 "2013-01-01T16:53:31Z")
I just remembered that I used to make chicken cacciatore in my Dutch oven. It’s chicken pieces in a tomato sauce with vegetables and seasonings. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dutch-oven-recipes/645301.md?page=1)