I’ve taken an interest in Dutch oven cooking recently.
It’s something I’m not generally familiar with and have absolutely no experience in. Regardless, I’ve found the topic interesting. The idea of using a cast iron oven to make something like chili, a corn bread or cobbler is appealing in that it’s all based on managing heat from the coals around or on top of the oven. There’s no setting it to 375 and just leaving a timer on until the meal is done. It sounds both challenging and fun.
I’ve watched several YouTube channels dedicated to cooking and I’ve started enjoying videos produced by Kent Rollins, a cowboy cook and storyteller from Oklahoma.
Rollins is a chuck wagon cook who, according to his website, cooked for ranches before expanding his business into catering. Rollins’ popularity in Oklahoma resulted in him being named Official Chuck Wagon of Oklahoma in 1996 by the state’s governor.
Rollins has also been featured on several television shows, including multiple Food Network competitions.
Compared to the average YouTuber, Rollins is very experienced being on camera.
Rollins is simply a joy to watch. Speaking to a viewer as if they’re standing right there across the table from him, he’s very energetic and engaging for the duration of his videos.
While many on screen personalities are simply that, much of what make Rollins’ videos so enjoyable is the feeling that much of what is presented is the real Kent Rollins, not an on-screen persona manufactured to entertain.
It also helps that the few recipes I’ve tried have turned out to be delicious.
Make no mistake, Rollins is a businessman too and mentions ingredients and other items found on his website, but it also isn’t a deal breaker in his recipes. For his cowboy chili recipe, Rollins uses a green chili chipotle relish available on his website, but also talks about his go-to ingredient he often used for the dish, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. (Making Rollins’ cowboy chili was also the first time I’ve ever used or even heard of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, which I found quite tasty and look forward to using in another dish.)
As the summer months approach, I hope I get a few opportunities to sleep under the stars and enjoy a hot meal prepared from a Dutch oven.
Until then, I’m content learning from the master cowboy cook, Kent Rollins.
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