In spite of a 40-minute rain delay, saturated charcoal and falling temperatures, 20 eager students recently ventured into the world of cooking outdoors using Dutch ovens.

Instructor Ben Nelson, 35, led the group in whipping up beer bread, a meaty biscuit bake and apple crisp - all in cast-iron pots over a fire.

Dutch ovens have been used for hundreds of years, from wagon trains to modern camping trips. Cooks can roast, bake, simmer, stew, fry, boil and steam in a Dutch oven.

Nelson suggests students start out with a Dutch oven big enough to feed the family.

For the must-haves: Coals, a charcoal chimney starter, newspaper, lighter, a welding glove, trash can lid and small shovel or tongs will get you started. Handy, but not necessary items for cooking are the lid lifter, lid stand and oven mitt.

"An $8 welding glove works just fine," he said.

Nelson put the live coals on the trash can lid, describing the formula for determining the number of briquettes to add to the Dutch oven. It is based on the Dutch oven's size.

"Add three more briquettes to the top than the size of the oven, and three fewer to the bottom. This will give you an approximately 325-degree oven," he said.

A 12-inch (six-quart) oven needs 15 briquettes on top and nine on the bottom to achieve 325 degrees. During a 30-minute cooking process, lift the Dutch oven and turn it 180 degrees, turning the lid counter clockwise a half turn to allow for more even heating. Do this twice in 30 minutes and four times during an hourlong bake time.

The popular class, through Someone's in the Kitchen, brought out some real enthusiasts who weathered rain, cold and eventual darkness.

Kari Lund and her 9-year-old son, Spencer, had waited for a year to get into the class.

"We're just getting involved with camping. I had heard about this class and we're just getting started … having the boys learn and appreciate this sort of cooking," she said.

Spencer helped with the ingredients and even tended to the coals, keeping the food evenly heated.

Julie Reuppel of Rapid City and her husband, Jeff, had waited for three years to get into the class. As camping pros, they wanted to expand their culinary skills out in the wild.

"We do a lot of camping. We even went camping on our honeymoon. No lying on the beach drinking mai tais for us," she said with a laugh.

The shivering Reuppels discovered if they stood between the Dutch ovens fires, it was surprisingly warm.

"I'm glad it wasn't an 85-degree night because when we go camping, it's in this kind of weather," she said.

Ron Williams of Rapid City does a lot of cooking at home and this was something that he could see himself doing in the backyard, if not on a camping trip.

"The type of camping that I do, I would not be taking this (Dutch oven) with me," he said.

Williams and Stephen Keegan worked on a main dish that would take the longest to cook. Quickly and efficiently, the men set out to get their ingredients mixed and ready for the coals. Keegan does camp, but it was his involvement with scouting that brought him to class.

"I do a little bit with Boy Scouts. This will increase my skill level when I'm out there this summer," he said.

Classmate Suzanne Wilson said she wanted to explore the possibilities of making food without the use of a stovetop or oven. She was impressed with the variety of foods, texture and taste produced at the class.

"I'm always interested in new ways of cooking," Wilson said.

Nelson frequents garage sales looking for cast-iron cookware, sometimes finding a treasure. To clean, the cast-iron Dutch oven can withstand plastic scouring pads, mild soap and hot water, but must be thoroughly dried with paper towels or a cloth.

Then the entire exterior and interior surface of lid and dish must be rubbed with mineral oil, olive oil or vegetable oil and left to dry to prevent the onset of rust.

For more details on care and use, he recommends reading "The Complete Book of Dutch Oven Cooking" by J. Wayne Fears.

Nelson also recommends Lodge as the premiere cooking utensil.

"If you invest in a $19.99 Dutch oven, it will not give you good results," he said.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.

Ben Nelson's never-fail-recipes were created in his nine Dutch ovens for an appreciative crowd of 20 students. Better yet, the desserts were served as the first course of the meal.

Mountain Breakfast

35 to 45 minutes cooking time

1/2 pound bacon, cut into small pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (32-ounce) bag hash brown potatoes

1 to 1-1/2 pounds grated cheddar cheese

1 dozen eggs

1 (8-ounce) jar salsa, optional

12-inch Dutch oven

14 top and 10 bottom charcoal briquettes

Preheat Dutch oven over bottom briquettes. Brown bacon. Drain. Add chopped onion and cook until clear. Remove the bacon and onions from Dutch oven and drain on paper towels. Wipe excess grease out of Dutch oven and place back over hot coals. Stir in hash browns. Fry until potatoes are golden brown, then mix the bacon and onions back in. Break 12 eggs into medium mixing bowl and beat thoroughly. Pour over potatoes, bacon and onions. Cover with hot lid and cook until eggs are almost solid. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Continue cooking until eggs set and cheese melts. Just before serving, top with salsa, if desired. Serve 8 to 10.

Sloppy Joe Biscuit Bake

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 small onions, diced

2 (1.3 ounces each) sloppy joe seasoning mix

2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste

2 cups water

1 (16-ounce or 17-ounce) package refrigerator biscuits

12-inch Dutch oven

In a Dutch oven, brown beef and onions by placing approximately 15 coals on the bottom and 15 on the top. When the mixture is well-browned, add seasoning, tomato paste and water. Stir well and heat to a boil. Place biscuits on top of hot mixture. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until biscuits are browned. Use 9 coals on bottom and 10 to 12 coals on top.

Chicken Breasts

Oven time: 50 to 65 minutes

8 boneless chicken breasts

1 jar or package dried beef slices

8 slices bacon

Salt and pepper

1 (10-3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 small carton sour cream

Wrap one slice of bacon around each chicken breast. Placed dried beef slices in bottom of Dutch oven and place bacon-wrapped chicken breasts on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine mushroom soup and sour cream. Pour over chicken. Bake until chicken is tender.

Cherry Cobbler

2 (20-ounce) cans cherry pie filling

1 (18-ounce) yellow cake mix

1 (12-ounce) can lemon-lime soda pop

Line a 12-inch Dutch oven with foil. Spread pie filling in the Dutch oven. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over filling. Pour pop over the cake mix. Stir gently to combine cake mix and pop only (not pie filling.) Bake 35 minutes until top is brown and springs back to the touch. Use approximately 9 coals on the bottom and 10 to 12 on the top.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 can (20-ounce) sliced pineapple

6 to 10 maraschino cherries

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 (18-ounce) yellow cake mix

1-1/4 cups water

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

Line a 12-inch Dutch oven with foil. Place 9 coals under the oven. Melt butter in foil-lined pan. Arrange pineapple slices with cherries in center of each slice on bottom of the oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over fruit. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. (You may use pineapple juice drained from slices for part of water.) Carefully pour the cake batter over the fruit. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until cake is brown and springs back when touched. Use 9 coals on the bottom of the oven and 12 on the top.

Caramel Apple Crisp

Filling

8 to 10 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 (12-ounce) jar caramel sauce

Topping

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups flour

1 cup instant oatmeal

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup butter, melted

In a buttered 12-inch Dutch oven, add apples and lemon juice; stir to coat the apples. In a separate dish, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt; stir to mix. Pour dry ingredients over apples and stir until apples are well coated. Spread out apples and pour caramel sauce over the top.

In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oatmeal and walnuts; stir to mix. Using a fork, mix in melted butter to form coarse crumbs. Spread topping evenly over apples.

Cover Dutch oven and bake, using 10 to 12 coals on bottom and 16 to 18 coals on top for 60 minutes.

Peachy French Toast

1 dozen eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 loaf French or Italian bread, sliced

1/2 pound butter or margarine

1 pound brown sugar

3 (16-ounce) cans peaches, drained, quartered

Heat a large Dutch oven by covering it with coals for 15 minutes. Beat the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Let the bread slices soak in the egg mixture. Remove preheated oven from coals and melt butter in the bottom. Add brown sugar and mix well with butter until caramelized. Pour the drained peaches over the caramelized sugar. Place the egg-bread mixture on top of the peaches, cover with lid and return the Dutch oven to the coals. Bake 45 minutes at about 350 degrees (medium hot coals). Cooking time is shorter if the temperature is hotter, but watch the edges so they don't burn. For the first 10 minutes, use coals only on the bottom. Then add coals to the top and continue baking until done. With the caramel topping, you probably won't even need syrup. Serves 8.

Cheese Enchiladas

4 cups Monterey Jack, shredded

2 cups cheddar, shredded

2 medium onions, chopped

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

3 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

18 four tortillas

3 tablespoons chili powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Grease 14-inch Dutch oven. Mix Monterey Jack, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 chopped onion, sour cream, parsley and pepper. Spoon about 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of mixture onto each tortilla, fold around filling and place seam side down. Mix tomato sauce, oregano, chili powder, cumin, pepper and garlic together. Pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake with 12 coals on the bottom and 22 coals on top for approximately 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serves about 18.

-Journal staff