Family, Cast Iron, and Traditions: CAST IRON: Making Of A Main Dish D.O.G. Logs

CAST IRON: Making Of A Main Dish D.O.G. Logs

Every year it is a challenge to come up with a dish that will leave you totin' home an EMPTY Dutch Oven. This year I jokingly called the dish D.O.G. Logs. (short for Dutch Oven Gathering, not the 4 legged variety) To me, the biggest compliment to the cook is an empty pot. Not a crumb left!! Any honors or prizes are just icing on the cake so to speak.

Start off with a 2:1 mix of burger and sausage. I used organic grass fed beef and Hill Meat Breakfast Sausage. 3 lbs. of one, and 1 1/2 pounds of the other.

Burger and Sausage in a BIG @SS BOWL!!

Then chop up 2 large green bell peppers, and 2 large yellow onions.

Here is where you can get creative with other additives (hot peppers, spices etc.... I use the KISS principle... Keep It Simple Stupid... LOL!

Next toss in a half pound of seasoned croutons of your choice. (Stovetop envelopes in the LARGE size (yes Costco) And 10 eggs. I love my egg lady. Free range organic chicken eggs with the nice YELLOW yolks... not the anemic looking eggs from the big producers.

I got busy and almost forgot to take a picture of these beauties from Rare Ruby Homestead.

Next begin mixing the ingredients, taking care not to OVER mix. Just enough to combine everything evenly through. It is tempting if you've had a hard day to take the troubles out on the loaves, but it only makes them tough. Save it for the bread!!

Next is the bacon weave. Most of us practiced it in elementary school with colored paper. Place 6 strips of bacon on a large strip of wax paper. Weave 6 strips across the opposite direction. Take the meat mixture in handfuls and smoosh (technical term) the meat mixture on top of the bacon weave making it about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Take a brick of Cheddar (LOVE Tillamook) and make a long 1x1 inch (or larger) strip of cheese to load the center of the loaf.

Pick up the edge of the wax paper and begin to make your roll (similar to a jellyroll) When you are finished rolling, tuck the loose bacon ends into end of the roll, patting until the roll is even and uniform. I placed LARGE celery ribs in the bottom of the oiled oven hollow side down. Celery adds some flavor and keeps the rolls off the bottom of the Dutch. Some of the lesser grinds of burger could leave you with a soupy/greasy bottom of the oven. Give the loaves some air space between so the heat can circulate.

A 16" Dutch will hold 3 of these rolls. I placed the 4th roll in a 12" and plunked (technical term) it on top of the 16". Load them with briquettes and let it cook for about an hour and 10 minutes. If it starts smelling "done" before that, give it a check.