Dutch oven cooks head to Mineola

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Mineola will host the National Dutch Oven Gathering Oct. 7-10 at the Mineola Civic Center.

Dutch oven cooks from around the country will compete in a variety of contests.

“We chose Mineola because of the wonderful folks at the Mineola Civic Center who have been amazing to work with, the facilities there and the lovely town of Mineola itself,” said event host Robin Clute. “At last count, we have about 225 people registered to attend.”

The event is held in a different state each year.

The event is open to anyone who pays the registration fee of $20 per individual or $30 per family which includes six pot luck meals, all the demonstrations and give aways.

There will also be vendors on hand, and anyone can attend the demonstrations and watch the cook offs at no charge.

It is not required to cook to partake of the meals but is customary for visitors to provide something, such as store-bought cookies or a veggie tray

“We cook in what are called Camp Dutch Ovens,” Clute said. “It is the official cooking pot of the State of Texas. They have been around for hundreds of years and traveled in the covered wagon trains with the pioneers. The basic design has never changed. They are cast iron, have three short legs and a raised lip around the lid of the pot. They are designed to allow for the placement of charcoal briquets or wood coals under the edge of the pot and on the lid. Using charcoal briquets allows for very accurate temperature control. Basically anything that can be made in a regular oven can be made in a dutch oven with charcoal.”

Among the events are a youth cookoff, an adult 3-pot cookoff, and a cheesecake throwdown. The two cookoffs are timed events and showcase a cook’s versatility and creativity in main dish, dessert, (youth) and bread (adult all three) categories.