Let’s just admit it. Any time you go camping, you feel like a mountain man. It doesn’t matter whether you're hunting in the wilderness or you’ve packed into a remote camp somewhere on the Snake River in Idaho; canoed to a secluded island site in the BWCA; or simply rolled the RV down the road to a KOA. Waking up in “camp” instills that first explorer, mountain man feeling.
A good night’s sleep, the crisp fresh air, big outdoor plans for the day ahead give you a mountain man’s appetite, too. Just like your mom, a legitimate mountain man would tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s what gives you the “fire in your belly” to explore and conquer the outdoor world.
The cast iron Dutch oven was the mountain man’s most important – often only – cooking tool. And once you’ve prepared even a few meals in one you’ll understand why. Properly seasoned cast iron was the original non-stick surface, and it still outperforms many others today. On top of that, a Dutch oven is so versatile. With it you can fry, boil, braise, or roast. You can even bake a pie should you so forage some berries. Anything you can do in your new fangled oven at home you can do with a Dutch oven and hot coals. It just takes some practice and a bit of mountain man intuition.
Here’s a breakfast recipe that a mountain man would love. It’s everything in one pot, and plenty filling. It’s a pretty good bet it will satisfy your camping crew, too.
Mountain Man Dutch Oven Breakfast Recipe
This recipe is meant for a 12-inch Dutch oven. If you use a larger one, you’ll need to adjust the number of charcoal briquettes to get the proper heat.
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| Lodge Logic 6-Quart Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven |
Ingredients
1 lb. mild pork sausage, crumbled
8 strips of bacon
½ tsp. salt
black pepper to taste
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 lb. package frozen hash brown potatoes (shreds)
1 dozen eggs, beaten
1 2-cup package, shredded cheese (cheddar, Colby, Mexican combo, etc.)
Instructions
- Fry bacon strips in the Dutch oven over medium high heat until they are just about crisp. Remove from Dutch oven and set aside on paper towels.
- Leave bacon drippings in the D.O. and add onion. Cook onion for about two minutes, then add garlic.
- Cook for another minute, then add sausage. Continue cooking and stir often until sausage is browned and texture is fine.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste.
- Stir in the chopped bell peppers and hash browns until evenly mixed.
- Cook for approximately 15 minutes until hash browns are hot and peppers are tender.
- Pour the beaten eggs evenly over the potatoes allowing them to sink into the potatoes.
- Cover the Dutch oven and place 6-9 gray charcoal briquettes underneath the D.O. and 12-18 on top of the lid. Space them as evenly as possible.
- Allow to bake until the eggs are firm which should take about 40-45 minutes.
- Chop up reserved bacon, and sprinkle evenly across top of the casserole.
- Next, sprinkle the cheese evenly across the top, replace the lid, and continue cooking until the cheese is melted which will take about another five minutes.
Spicier Options
The recipe above is for a very mild version of this dish. If you want to spice things up, add chopped jalapenos or serrano peppers. Treat them and add them at the same point as the bell peppers. Just be sure to wear disposable rubber gloves while handling and cutting them or you may touch your eyes or nose and have to deal with the burning sensation for some time to come.
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| Camp Chef Dutch Oven Aluminum Liners - 3-Pack |
You can also offer hot sauce with your Mountain Man Breakfast so your diners can add as much heat as they like.
Cast Iron Dutch Oven Clean Up Tip:
Mountain men hated cleaning up after a good breakfast as much as you do, but they didn’t have much choice other than boiling out the D.O. with water and coating the surface with some bear grease to keep if from rusting. You do!
Tip: Watch Video: How to Reseason Cast Iron Cookware here
C
heck out the preformed aluminum foil Dutch oven liners. No matter what you cook in your Dutch ovens – even the gooiest sweet rolls – cleanup only takes seconds with these babies. Real mountain men could only wish they had it so good.
How to Clean and Maintain Cast Iron
Cast iron is the first and most natural non-stick cookware if it's maintained properly.Follow these simple steps in this video diligently, you'll never need to re-season your cast iron again.
Shop some of the items in this video by clicking links below.
Shop Bass Pro Shops, keywords cast iron
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