Eat Outside Day: Dutch Oven Chile Verde Recipe

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August 31 is National Eat Outside Day, and ironically, I have barely been outside all day. But it's a beautiful evening in the Bay Area, and I've got coals going on my balcony grill (that counts as eating outdoors if you live in the city, right?)

I'm lucky to have been eating outside most of the summer. I went on a 9-day camping trip in June, and learned a lot about outdoor cooking. I've got two words for you: DUTCH OVEN.

Camping dutch ovens are cast-iron monsters. They're heavy. If you use the words "freeze-dried" or "backpack" when you camp, this post is not for you. But for the confirmed car camper, a preseasoned cast iron dutch oven with legs and a lid (Lodge makes a great one) is a game-changer. You can braise, stew, and sauté in it. You can bake bread in it -- and even use the lid to griddle pancakes.

All you need are coals, and there are two ways to do it. You can get a campfire going until the coals are red-hot, and nestle the pot right in the coals on the campfire.

Or you can also start charcoal briquettes in a fire ring, charcoal grill, or on the ground until they're covered in gray ash, then place the coals in a mound and place the pot on top of them:

Baked items (I make a mean lasagna, and, um, variable bread) require coals to be heaped on the lid to create all-round heat. The general ratio is 2/3 of coals on the top to 1/3 on the bottom. But for braises and stews, you just need bottom heat, like a stovetop.

And my very favorite recipe is for a stew. Whether or not you're camping this Labor Day, you can make this super-easy, end-of-summer pork chile verde outside in a dutch oven. (Psst -- you can also make it inside on the stovetop. Just don't use hot coals, OK?)

Dutch Oven Chile Verde

Makes about 10 servings

• Active time: 30 minutes, much of which can be done ahead of time
• Start to finish (including lighting coals): 1.5 hours

This is a quick and dirty recipe. The secret ingredient … is beer. The tomatillos … come from a can. Doesn't matter -- the pork, smoke and dutch oven work magic. Dice the pork and chop the onion, throw them each in a ziplock bag and toss them in the cooler before you even leave the house.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 3 pounds pork shoulder, fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, chopped
• 1 16-ounce can of tomatillos
• 1 8-oz can of chopped green chiles
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• One can lager beer
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Salt and pepper
• Juice of 1 lime
• Water if necessary

Equipment:

• A seasoned, cast iron dutch oven with lid and legs
• A campfire or 25-30 charcoal briquettes (depending on pot size; a 12" oven will take about 25)
• Can opener
• Lighter or matches or serious Girl Scout firestarting skills or pyrokinetic powers
• Something to stir chile with (forks, fingers, clean-looking sticks all work)
• Something to pour chile into (coffee cups double as chile bowls)

Instructions:

Start your campfire or charcoal briquettes and burn until they're red hot and covered in fine ash. Mound the coals together in a circle and place the pot on top. Preheat pot for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, pat the cubes of pork dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

Add oil. When oil shimmers, add 1/3 of pork and brown on all sides. Remove browned pork and repeat twice with the other 2/3 of pork.

Add onions and chopped jalapeno and sauté until translucent. Add cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add 1/2 can of beer and deglaze pan, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom.

Add canned tomatillos and chiles, rest of beer and salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring and checking coals occasionally, 30 minutes. Chile should thicken a bit. If it gets too thick, add water. If coals look like they're going out or the chile starts to lose heat, add more.

Stir in cilantro and lime juice before serving, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt, pepper or lime juice to taste as needed.

Cooks' Notes:

Serve with extra lime wedges and anything corny: corn tortillas warmed over the fire; corn bread; Cool Ranch Doritos. The spicier-minded may want to serve with hot sauce (we tote Tapatio in our camp box).

Did you eat outside today? Are you cooking out on Labor Day? What's your favorite outdoor food?

All images: istockphoto