The Taste of Home On The Road

Food, friends, fun and gratitude – everything we love about a Thanksgiving feast. But it got us thinking – we’ve done Thanksgiving dinner inside a Bowlus but could we do it all our favorites around a campfire?  The answer is yes! We just needed a little creativity to include everyone’s favorites.

Dinner

• Turkey (under 7 pounds to fit in Dutch Oven)
• Chicken Stock (3+ cups)
• Chopped Garlic (5 cloves)
• Chopped Yellow Onion (1 onion)
• Herb Blend of your Choice (we like sage, rosemary & thyme)
• Butter or Ghee
• Water
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sweet Potatoes
• Brussel Sprouts

Desert

• 1 Cup of Almond Milk
• 1 Cup of Sugar (Granulated)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Can of Pumpkin Puree
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 box of gluten free cake mix
• ¾ cup of pecans (chopped)
• Approximately ½ cup of melted butter

Tools

• Dutch Oven (Cast Iron)
• Dutch Oven Liner
• Aluminum Foil
• Aluminum Pie Tin
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Fire Pit with strong grate
• Meat Thermometer
• Cast Iron Pan

Step one: The Fire

Start your fire with decent sized logs. You need to build enough heat within the fire pit using the coals from the logs. You’ll want to build your main fire in a separate part of the fire pit (not directly under where you will place your Dutch oven)

Step Two: The Turkey

Take your aluminum pie tin and poke a few holes in it. Place it upside down at the bottom of your Dutch oven. Stuff the turkey with the garlic, half of the onion and three quarters of a stick of butter. Place the stuffed turkey in the Dutch oven resting on the pie tin. Add your chicken stock (3 cups approx.) over it and then add your herbs on top. Place the Dutch oven on the grate, but not directly over the fire. Be sure to cover. As you want consistent heat, as the flames die down, make sure that you push coals under the Dutch oven. This gives it a more oven effect than stove effect. Rotate the Dutch oven every 15 minutes to make sure the turkey cooks evenly. Time to cook will depend on your fire (somewhere between 2-4 hours). With your thermometer check that the internal temperature reaches around 180 degrees.  Let turkey sit 25 minutes before carving.

Step Three: The Sweet Potatoes

Our favorite way to do potatoes and veggies over the fire is to use an aluminum foil packet. It’s super easy. Cut up all sweet potatoes into small cubes (add other veggies if you like too). Mix with spices and add a bit of water. Fold veggies in aluminum foil package flat and place packets on the cooking rack too. Wait about 20 mins or until soft.

Step Four: The Brussel Sprouts – my dad’s favorite!

Place the cast iron skillet over the fire to heat up. You could also make these over the cooktop in your Bowlus. Chop up the Brussel sprouts into halves and add the other half of the onion to the mix in a separate bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and other herbs of your choice. Mix all together and add mixture to your cast iron pan spreading evenly. Stir every few minutes and let caramelize until done (about 10-15 minutes).

Step Five: The Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Cobbler

Note: It might be a good idea to use a Dutch oven liner for this.

Heat up in medium bowl stir together almond milk, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Pour into your Dutch oven. Dust the cake mix evenly over your pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle with pecans and place very small cubes of butter as evenly as possible on top.

Bake over fire covered until top is golden brown. Remove from fire and let sit for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Bon Appétit!