Bigfoot's Dutch Oven Cookbook

Hearty meals. Open fire. Unexplained encounters. Bigfoot's Dutch Oven Cookbook and Short Stories brings together two traditions that have always belonged around the same fire—good food and a great story. Inside, you'll find a collection of hearty, casserole-style recipes created for the outdoorsman, the backyard cook, and anyone who appreciates a meal done right. The book features satisfying main courses such as Cajun Jambalaya and Texas Chili; camp-ready breakfasts like Cowboy Biscuits and Mountain Man Breakfast; classic desserts including Peach Cobbler and Chocolate Fudge Brownies; and Thanksgiving favorites such as Dressing and Mac and Cheese—with plenty more recipes to discover along the way. The recipes are designed around traditional cast-iron Dutch oven cooking using hardwood coals or charcoal briquettes. Recipes include cooking temperatures, times, and ingredient quantities for different Dutch oven sizes, while a detailed briquette temperature guide takes the guesswork out of charcoal cooking. Practical Dutch oven tips explain how to manage hardwood coals, position heat above and below the oven, and use the author's "envelope" method to help maintain consistent heat. And you don't need a campfire to enjoy the food. Every recipe includes a conventional-oven method, allowing the same dishes to be prepared at home using an enameled Dutch oven, roaster pan, casserole dish, or other appropriate cookware. But when the cooking is finished and the fire begins to burn low, the book takes a different turn. Woven among the recipes are true stories of outdoor adventure and unexplained encounters from the mountains and forests of Maryland and West Virginia. Travel into Maryland's Savage River State Forest, where a day of fly fishing leads to an unexpected adventure deep in the mountains and the unsettling possibility that something may be moving through the forest. Spend a fall night beside Owens Creek on Catoctin Mountain, where the peaceful sounds of the stream and surrounding woods give way to an encounter with a large, mysterious figure moving through the darkness. Then venture deep into West Virginia's Cranberry Wilderness on a backpacking and fly-fishing expedition into the Monongahela National Forest, where an unforgettable journey turns into a harrowing chase through the wilderness and raises the question of just what might be sharing the forest with you. These aren't campfire legends retold from someone else. They are personal accounts of experiences in the wilderness—stories of fishing, backpacking, exploration, fear, and encounters that still leave unanswered questions. Part cookbook, part outdoor adventure, and part journey into the unexplained, Bigfoot's Dutch Oven Cookbook and Short Stories belongs beside the campfire, in the kitchen, at the hunting cabin, on the coffee table, or in the collection of anyone who loves all things Bigfoot—anywhere people gather for good food and a story worth telling. You may come for the food… …but you'll stay for the stories. And when the fire burns low, you might just find yourself listening a little closer to the woods.