SouthEast Camper

Archive for the ‘Main Course’ Category

This low and slow hickory smoked chicken is a favorite here in the south. This recipe can be done with a small pork shoulder too. Just adjust the cooking time as needed, but the concept is the same. If you love barebcue, this is for you. Become the Pit Master of your own backyard.

4 – 5 lb Chicken Broiler or Roaster
Adobo Seasoning or your Favorite Rub
Vegetable Oil
Disposable Aluminum Tray

How to Butterfly a Chicken – To Learn More!

Dry Rub for Chicken – For Recipe!

Lightly oil the chicken, this will help brown and crisp the skin. Sprinkle both side of the chicken with your favorite rub.

To Smoke the chicken inside your grill, place a water tray in the center to collect the drippings. Build an indirect fire as seen in the photos. Make a layer of fresh briquettes and dump hot coals on top of them. Place your grate in the grill and center the chicken over the drip pan. Add wood chips to the coals and close the grill. After the wood chips have stopped smoking, add a second batch of coals to the fire and continue cooking for about an hour. The total cook time will be about 2 hours at 225 degrees.

If you would like to add barbecue sauce, lightly brush barbecue sauce over the chicken during the last 30 minutes of cooking. This will give it time for the sauce to get nice and sticky.

Be careful when picking up the chicken, If its done right it will fall apart. Let it rest for about 10 minutes, then pull the meat from the bone for making the best barbecue sandwiches. In the photo you can se how the sauce got nice and sticky and the skin had pulled back off the leg. It came out juicy and tender.

The hard part about smoking a chicken is waiting. I hope you try this. Let us know how yours comes out.

GO HERE for Dutch Oven Camp Chicken.

This is an easy recipe for someone just starting to Campfire Cook in a Dutch Oven. This chicken recipe will make you look like a great chef. Put this together, add heat and forget it. Come back later and it is done and it taste good. This is the kind of recipe when “Simple” is “Better”.

4 – 5 lb Chicken Broiler or Roaster
Stalks of Celery
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
Vegetable Oil

To Butterfly a Chicken – Learn More Here

Lightly oil chicken, this will help brown and crisp the skin. Sprinkle both side of the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Cut celery stalks into thirds.

Lightly oil a 12″ Dutch Oven. Add the cut celery in a flat layer on the bottom. The celery will act like a trivet and keep the chicken raised up off the bottom on the Dutch Oven. Lay chicken on top of vegetable and put lid on Dutch Oven. (We used a bakers rack to get more space under the chicken)

Cooking Tip: Position the chicken so it does not touch the lid. If it touches the lid, put a small piece of foil at that point. Do not put charcoals directly on the lid over the chicken where it is touching. This will burn it.

In the oven, bake the chicken at 350° for 1-1/2″ hour, check for doneness (180°) or till the juices run clear. Cooking Outside, add a ring of charcoals around the lid and 3 or 4 in the center next to the handle. Add 5 underneath in a circle towards to outside edge. After about 30 minutes rotate to lid 90° and then rotate the whole oven 90° as this help to even out the heat. Be sure to let the chicken rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.

You can see in the final picture how the fat has melted out of the chicken and why it should be raised up. The chicken is very tender and pulls right off the bone, it does not get any better than this.

If you want barbecued chicken, Lightly brush sauce over the chicken during the last few minutes of cooking.

This dish has many variations. Change the spices and / or add salsa for an International flair.

Also, midway through the cook time a few redskins and other vegetables can be added the Dutch Oven.

I hope you enjoy this recipes.

This Dutch Oven Camp recipe is very similar to a chuck wagon cowboy recipe called “Big Old Mess”. Big Old Mess is very filling and easy to make. This is a very easy starter recipe for the beginning camp cook.

1 lb Smoked Sausage
1 Bell Pepper
1 Anaheim Pepper
1 Large Sweet Onion
1/4 tsp Hot Pepper Flakes
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce, Nothing Fancy
2 tbsp Hot Sauce
2 tbsp Cider Vinegar
Vegetable Oil

Serves two hearty appetites.

Cut the smoke sausage into 1″ thick rounds and set aside. Cut onion and peppers into large bite size chunks and set aside. In a measuring cup add barbecue sauce, hot sauce, cider vinegar, brown sugar and hot pepper flakes. Stir well to desolve the brown sugar and set aside.

This recipe will require shifting charcoals from top to bottom twice to complete the dish, but its worth it.

Start with 20 charcoal briquettes. Put 10 coals under a 10″ Dutch Oven. Add a tiny amount of vegetable oil, wipe oil to cover bottom of the Dutch Oven. Add the smoked sausage to the Dutch and brown on both sides. Add the chopped vegetables and sauce mixture to the Dutch Oven, stir and cover. Remove all but 4 or 5 coals from the bottom and put on top with the remaining coals. Bake for about one hour stirring ocassionally. Add more coals as needed. Once the vegetables are tender, remove lid and put about 10 coals underneath. Bring mixture to a slow boil to reduce and thicken the sauce. Be careful not to burn the sauce. If it gets too hot remove a few coals from underneath.
Serve the Sweet and Heat Smoked Sausages with refried beans and tortillas. The hot peppers and hot sauce can be bumped up for the heat lovers and the cider vinegar is what gives it that little sour twang. “Oh Boy” is this GOOD!

To learn more about charcoal placement and temperatures
Visit “Cooking with Charcoals”

Fiery Peppercorn Steaks have become very popular. Here’s a recipe we think will capture those flavors. This is a simple recipe that can be done in the backyard or on a camping trip. The Steak Rub can also be sprinkled on hamburgers and blackened or mixed in the meat while forming patties. Yum! We like the heat.

1 tbsp Crushed Peppercorns
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Light Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 C Ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 C water
4 (3/4 lb) Rib Eye Steaks (1 inch thick)
Olive oil

Let the steaks stand at room temperature 30 minutes prior to grilling.

Mix the peppercorns, 1 tsp chili powder, salt, light brown sugar, garlic powder and 1/4 tsp onion powder together well in a mixing bowl. Coat both sides of the steak with the peppercorn mixture being sure to press into the meat. Lightly brush or spray both sides of the steaks with the olive oil.

Prepare your charcoal for a high temperature.

In a saucepan over low heat simmer together the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, wine vinegar, dark brown sugar, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp onion powder, pepper and water. Allow to simmer 10 minutes being sure to stir often to insure the brown sugar dissolves completely.

Grill the steaks 12 minutes, 6 minutes on each side for medium turning once during grilling time. Allow steaks to rest 10 minutes before serving. Pour the sauce over the steaks before serving or use as a dip on the side.

Using kosher salt will insure that the salt cooks into the food instead of being washed away by the juices as would regular table salt. If you would like to use regular table salt reduce the amount by half.

The sauce for the steaks could be made in a small Dutch Oven inside your grill or in a fire pan with a few charcoals around it.

Try some Grill Spuds next to your steak for a complete meal.