2010 Carson City Rendezvous Dutch oven cookoff

I plan to be in Carson City on Saturday, June 12, 2010 with my chuckbox and Dutch ovens ...

Don’t Just COOK, Win!!
Compete for a chance to cook in the World Championship Cookoff!

2010 Carson City Rendezvous Dutch Oven Cookoff
June 13, 2010 - Carson City, Nevada

The Cast Iron Cooks of the West want to taste your Dutch oven creations in Carson City.

This fun ‘event within an event’ provides anyone a chance to win. Beginners have beat experienced cooks at many cook-offs in the past, so everyone has an equal chance of winning a trophy, money, and a full stomach after sampling everyone’s dishes! Contestants can be of any age; our Junior category is specifically for those under 18. Four winning teams have made it to the finals at the World Championship Dutch Oven Cookoff in Sandy, Utah!

Dutch oven cooking activities at the 2010 Carson City Rendezvous include Outdoor Dutch oven cooking classes and demonstrations on Friday and all day Saturday! Learn how to season and care for cast iron, how to cook in your Dutch oven whether camping or at home, baking sourdough bread and extravagant desserts, all taught by the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games Dutch oven Chef David Herzog.

Saturday evening will feature a D.O.G. or Dutch Oven Gathering, where everyone is invited to bring your Dutch oven(s) and your favorite recipes to share in a potluck! You don't have to be an experienced Dutch oven cook to join us Saturday evening, even if you've never cooked in a camp Dutch oven, just show up with your iron, charcoal, recipe, and ingredients and Dave will be more than happy to help you get started!

If you haven’t cooked in a cookoff before, don’t be afraid of cooking with us! We promote fun times and more fun times at our cookoffs! Beginners have beat experienced cooks at many cook-offs in the past, so everyone has an equal chance of winning a trophy, money, and a full stomach after sampling everyone’s dishes!

We are also looking for Junior contestants, 18 and younger. Any individual or group, such as schools, scouts, clubs, teams, etc. can enter as Juniors. All contestants can compete in Main Dish, Bread, and Desert categories; those over 18 can also compete in the Breakfast category.

Sunday is the big day of Dutch oven competition! There will be 2 competitions, a breakfast competition starting at 7:30 a.m. with judging at 9:00 AM and the main event starting at 10:00 a.m. with judging around 1:00 p.m. Thanks to our friends at Smith’s Food & Drug Stores and their Neighbor to Neighbor Fund for sponsoring this contest.

Visit http://www.carsoncityrendezvous.com/ or call 775.887.1294 for an application and further information. You can also register at the time of the cook off.

Past winners Rex Recheteiner and Mary Williamson encourage you to try their award-winning recipes:

DOG DISH MEATLOAF
Rex Recheteiner & Mary Williamson

1 pound hamburger
1 package stuffing mix, made according to directions
1 envelope meatloaf seasoning
1 to 2 eggs, slightly beaten
Onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste

Topping
2 parts catsup
1 part brown sugar
1 part mustard

Mix ingredients together and pack into a stainless steel dog dish. Top with topping and bake at 375 degrees (17 top / 11 bottom coals) for 90 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

SOUR CREAM APPLE PIE
Rex Recheteiner & Mary Williamson

No Roll Pie Crust
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn oil
3 tablespoons cold milk

Mix all ingredients in pie plate until flour is dampened. Press in pan with fingers.

Pie Ingredients
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
1 c.upsour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 3 cups chopped apples

Mix dry ingredients together. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add apples. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 400 degrees (18 top / 12 bottom) for 45 minutes.

Topping Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup softened butter

Mix together until crumbly. Sprinkle topping evenly over the pie and bake another 20 minutes with top coals only. Add necessary coals to maintain heat.

Corn, Tomato and Jalapeno Salad with Blue Cheese

Here's a refreshing salad that I prepared for the Carson City Rendezvous last Saturday. You can vary the heat by adding more jalapeno peppers or by using the milder Anaheim or hotter habanero or Serrano.

For a smoky flavor, roast fresh corn-on-the-cob over a hot fire. Prepare charcoal or gas grill. Remove husks from corn. Brush corn with oil then grill until lightly browned. Cut corn from cobs and mix with peppers, garlic, tomatoes and cilantro. Proceed with remainder of recipe.

CORN, TOMATO AND JALAPENO SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE

This recipe makes enough for a pot luck or family gathering. It makes 1-1/2 quarts and serves 12 (1/2-cup) portions. About 5-6 lines will yield the juice needed for one recipe.

2 pounds frozen corn, thawed partially
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 jalapeno chili peppers, seeded and minced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

Lightly combine corn, garlic, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes and bell peppers in a large bowl. Slowly stream line juice into olive oil while whisking. Pour over corn mixture and stir to combine. Chill until service time. Makes 1-1/2 quarts and serves 12 (1/2-cup) portions.

2007 Carson City Rendezvous Dutch Oven Cookoff

The 2007 Carson City Rendezvous Dutch oven gathering and cookoff will take place during the weekend of June 8-10, 2007. The action-packed weekend contains these events:

A full day of cooking demonstrations, classes and fellowship among the public is scheduled for Friday, June 8. Come join Dave Herzog and other Dutch oven cooks.

Classes for Saturday, June 9 include cooking in Maca deep Dutch ovens, making ice cream in a Dutch oven, sourdough baking, using pine cones as a heat source and much more.

The Dutch oven gathering (a Dutch oven potluck) begins at 3 p.m. Saturday. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. There is not charge for the potluck. However, a 12-ounce cut of succulent prime rib costs $10. To purchase a ticket for prime rib you must see Dave Herzog by 1 p.m. on Saturday.

A breakfast cookoff is scheduled for Sunday, June 10. The day begins at 7:00 a.m. Judging takes place at at 8:45 a.m. A biscuit and gravy breakfast will be served with the breakfast cook-off at $2 per person. Come early because there are hungry mountain men and women that wait all weekend for this one!

The main event starts on Sunday, June 10 at 9:30 a.m. with a cook's meeting. Judging begins at 1:00 p.m. with people's choice judging at 1:15 p.m. Tickets for the people's choice will cost $2.00 per person.

The winning team of the 3-pot cookoff will have the opportunity to move on to the 2008 World Championships Dutch Oven Cookoff in Utah. To enter the cook-off, the registration fee is $10 per entry of bread, main dish, and dessert. Or $25 to enter all three to qualify for the International Dutch Oven Society world championships.

Don Alt, of Silver Springs, Nevada, will be selling his barbecue beef sandwiches from a restored 1880 chuck wagon. Dave is actively trying to get a few more Dutch oven cooks to join the group. We also have several groups who are bringing canvas wall tents and other goodies just for the Dutch oven part of the rendezvous. If you would like to join us for this grand weekend in down town Carson City, please contact Dave so he can reserve a free campsite for you and your group to join us.

The Carson City Rendezvous is in its 24th year. The event attracts 20,000 people each year. It is a fun-packed weekend family event which includes Civil War reenactments, Mountain Man encampment and merchant's row. Live entertainment includes Sourdough Slim and Karen Quest-Cowgirl Tricks. More information is available at the website.

Click on this image for additional information and cookoff application:


Adapted from a news release by Dave Herzog at CastIronitis.

Prime Rib at the Carson City Rendezvous

Next to tri-tip roast, a succulent prime rib roast is one of my favorite beef meals. I'll select a slow-cooked roast any day oven a grilled steak. The only accompaniment you need is carmalized onions and mushrooms or a sharp horseradish sauce.

Enjoy the photos:

Round Top Texas Beans

This recipe is adapted from More Cee Dubs Dutch Oven and Camp Cookin' by C.W. "Butch" Welch (Back Country Press, 2000). I last prepared the bean dish at the Carson City Rendezvous last week.

I couldn't locate ham hocks at the local market in Carson City. A pound of breakfast sausage worked just as well.

ROUND TOP TEXAS BEANS

Use a 12-inch camp oven for this recipe. Bottom heat is all you'll need to simmer the beans. Twenty coals underneath the oven will the beans to a boil in quick order. Remove all but eight to 10 coals to simmer. Replace the hot coals every 45 to 60 minutes. You can also cook the beans in the Dutch oven over a propane or gasoline camp stove.

To double the recipe, use a 14-inch deep Dutch oven.

2 cups diced onions
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds dry pinto beans
2 ham hocks
1-1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Sweat onions and garlic in vegetable oil until soft. Add beans to camp oven and cover with water. Add ham hocks and place camp oven over a bed of coals. Simmer the beans for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until tender. Add spices, stir and continue to simmer to develop flavor. The beans will thicken as they cook. Makes 16 (1-cup) or 32 (1/2-cup) servings.

Cee Dub said: "The longer they cook, the better they get! Serve with some fresh chopped onions, sliced jalapenos and more hot sauce on the side for garnishes. We discovered that some Texans liked them with a splash of vinegar, and still others liked them with a little sugar sprinkled on top."

Prime Rib Roast in the Dutch Oven

Dave Herzog slow roasted three standing rib roasts at an Dutch oven gathering at the rendezvous last Saturday, June 10. We also had baked potatoes, round top Texas pinto beans, glazed carrots with shallots and parsley, Dutch oven pesto bread and cobblers. The food was the best part of the evening.

For the DOG, he roasted the three large rib roasts on a 22-inch MACA Dutch oven packed in rock salt. It took about 12 (4-pound) boxes of salt for the three roasts.

These instructions and pictures are from the 2003 Carson City Rendezvous. That year, Dave roasted a five-bone rib roast in 14-inch deep Lodge Dutch oven. Remember that roasting times are approximate and will vary according to ambient temperature and wind conditions.

Season the roast with freshly ground black pepper. Make about 1-dozen slits in the surface of the roast and stuff with fresh garlic cloves.

Pour a 1-inch layer of rock salt into the bottom of a 14-inch deep camp oven. You need two (4-pound) boxes of rock salt for the roast.

Place the seasoned roast into the Dutch oven. A 4-bone roast will also fit into a 14-inch camp oven. Use a 12-inch oven for a 3-bone roast.

Pour rock salt over the roast. Two boxes of rock salt are perfect for a 5-bone roast. You will need more rock salt for a smaller roast.

Place the lid on the Dutch oven. Place 12 charcoal briquettes on the kid and 10 under the oven for target temperature of 250-deg F. Each hour, add about 6 coals to the lid and 4 coals under the oven.

After about 3 hours, remove the remaining coals and lift the lid off the oven. Carefully remove the roast and place it on a cutting board. Discard the salt. Place an aluminum foil tent over it to retain heat. Let the roast rest for about 15 minutes. Then cut the ribs away and slice the roast. You be greeted with a succulent medium-rare roast that isn't salty. In fact, you may find it necessary to sprinkle a little kosher salt over your slice.

Harkin Back to Simpler Times at the Carson City Rendezvous

I can't believe it! I actually spelled "rendezvous" without looking. Like most French words, the spelling of "rendezvous" baffles me.

Like my spelling ability, many long for simpler times. Last weekend's Carson City Rendezvous was a reminder of simpler times -- times when men and women gathered to trade, tell stories and catch up on long past friendships.

Mountain men, Western entertainment and plenty of simple food filled the air at the 23rd annual gathering of people from distant times and places.

Three aspects of the rendezvous atmosphere drew me back for the third time -- country atmosphere, western music and food.

If there's one aspect of the rendezvous that impresses me it's the people. Scores of folks wandering around in garb reminiscent of simpler times, a time when the most complex aspect of their lives was the spelling of "rendezvous."

The rendezvous had something for everyone. Leather-clad Mountain Men and Pony Express riders with a Peacekeeper and double-barrel shotgun at the ready educated folk of a bygone era.

There's something for everyone: A fiddle contest under the watchful eye of national fiddle champ Randy Pollard, Cowgirl Tricks by Karen Quest and the Docie Do Band. My only regret was I didn't get to hear the fiddle contest this year because it was moved to a far away stage.

My favorite entertainment act of the day was Sourdough Slim of Paradise, California, graced the stage with his unique brand of cowboy song and humor.

I heard Sourdough last year for the first time. I listened as I cooked, but didn't walk over to the stage until the show was over. Tunes like Barnacle Bill and Frankie and Johnny from his sixth CD, Six-Guns 'n Sage, have entertained me since.

This year I heard his brand of light humor, including Sourdough's "recent trip to the bad side of town" where accordion-toting thieves busted the rear window of his rental car and deposited two accordions in the back seat. Like much of Sourdough's humor, hay bale seats and an accordion-loving crown add to its richness.

I've mastered the spelling of "rendezvous" for the first time in five decades. I'm already counting the day until the 24th Annual Carson City Rendezvous.

Maybe next year I'll work on "atmosphere" and "reminiscent."

Carson City Rendezvous Dutch Oven Cookoff

Here's an email that I received from Don Mason today concerning the Carson City Rendezvous:

The Cast Iron Cooks of the West (CICW) invite you to join us in Carson City, Nevada for the annual Dutch Oven Cookoff at the Carson City Rendezvous in Mills Park.

This year’s Cook-off will be a qualifying cook-off for the International Championship Dutch Oven Cookoff in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2007! The first place winner will compete in 2007 for the title of the 2007 International Dutch Oven Champion. This is a title sought by Dutch oven cooks like you from all over the world.

The Cast Iron Cooks of the West want to taste your Dutch oven creations in Carson City and give you the chance of representing the Western United States of America.

If you haven’t cooked in a cookoff before, don’t be afraid of cooking with us! We promote fun times and more fun times at our cook-offs! Beginners have beat experienced cooks at many cook-offs in the past, so everyone has an equal chance of winning a trophy, money, and a full stomach after sampling everyone’s dishes!

You don’t have to be a member of the Cast Iron Cooks of the West to participate in the Carson City Rendezvous Dutch Oven Cook-off. You don’t have to be a member of the International Dutch Oven Society (IDOS). We want you to simply come to historic Carson City and show us what you cook in your Dutch oven.

There is lots of lodging in the Carson City area. Be sure to reserve your room early as the Carson City Rendezvous has an attendance of over 30,000 spectator and participants each year. Call 1-800-NEVADA-1 or go to the internet at http://www.visitcarsoncity.com/ for assistance with lodging.

Cookoff details
Never cooked in a Dutch oven? On Friday, June 10th, we will be holding classes on cast iron care and seasoning new cast iron.

Saturday, June 11th, we will be holding demonstrations and classes on outdoor Dutch oven cooking. We will also be having a prime rib DOG (Dutch oven gathering) starting at 2 p.m. and serving at about 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available for prime rib for $7.00 per person. You don’t need a ticket for the D.O.G. Just show up and cook with us in your Dutch oven!

Sunday, June 12th, is the day of the cookoff. A free breakfast cookoff will start at around 7:00 a.m. and be judged at 9:00 a.m. The main cookoff will start at 9:30 a.m. with judging beginning at 1:00 p.m. Awards will be at about 2:00 p.m.

There will be several Dutch oven cookbook authors, Dutch oven and outdoor equipment suppliers, and officers from IDOS and Cast Iron Cooks of the West to answer all your Dutch oven-related questions.

Not only will there be Dutch oven cooking going on, the Carson City Rendezvous is a great living history weekend. Visitors enjoy the Civil War camps and battles, Scottish camps, Mountain Man camps and traders, Pony Express, Native American village, Hispanic Pueblo, Old Time Kids Games and Theater, crafts, live bands and continuous entertainment, and much, much more! It’s all free, in beautiful Mills Park.

How to compete
Entry to all three cookoff categories (Main Dish, Bread and Dessert) costs only $25. A cookoff application is available here.

For more information on the cookoff, contact:

David Herzog
3310 G. Street
Eureka, Ca 95503

Or

Arlington Group
Attn: Maxine Nietz
P.O. Box 4156
Carson City, Nv 89702-4156

Questions? Call Dave at (707) 445-4179 or Maxine at (775) 887-1294.