Move over hot dogs, it’s time to take camping meals to the next level and this Dutch Oven Tamale Pie recipe will do just that. This dish is chock-full of ground beef, beans, onions and peppers for a hearty and flavorful chili that’s topped with tender, freshly baked cornbread. Yes, you heard me right! Freshly baked cornbread is totally possible while camping. All you need is a cast iron Dutch oven like this one and a little pre-planning. It’s that easy!
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The day before camping, season one pound of beef with ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Brown the beef in a skillet until cooked through. Drain any fat that has rendered, then store the meat in a dish in the refrigerator. Choose a dish that will easily fit in your cooler the following day. I should note that it isn’t totally necessary to cook the ground beef ahead of time and you can certainly do this at the campground. I just find it easier to do this step at home. Your call.
Once at the campground and ready to start dinner, prepare the coal bed that you will cook over. Clear a space in or around your campfire ring where you can safely cook with hot coals without risk of the fire becoming unsafe. Heat up 25 coals or briquettes in a chimney starter until the coals are very hot and glowing orange. This will take about 15 minutes.
While the coals are heating up, grab your Dutch oven. You will need a 12-inch, or 8-qt Dutch oven for this recipe. Grab a cutting board and knife and chop one medium-sized onion, one bell pepper, one deseeded jalapeno and ¼ cup of packed fresh cilantro. Add the vegetables to the pot along with one pound of cooked ground beef, one 14.5 ounce can of your favorite chili (I like Amy’s Organic Chili), one 15 ounce can of undrained black beans, one 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, one teaspoon of cumin powder, one teaspoon of chili powder, one teaspoon of kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Stir the ingredients to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together one 8.5 ounce box of Jiffy cornbread mix and one 8 ounce box of Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit mix. Add one cup of whole milk, ¼ cup of canola oil and ½ cup of sour cream to the bowl and mix until the batter is smooth. Pour the cornbread/biscuit batter over top of the chili, then place the lid on top of the Dutch oven. Set aside until the coals are ready.
Using tongs and welding (or very thick leather) gloves, arrange 8 hot coals on the ground in a circular pattern. Place the Dutch oven on top of the coals, then layer the remaining 17 coals on top of the Dutch oven’s lid. Bake the Tamale Pie for approximately 30 minutes, making sure to rotate the lid of the Dutch oven a quarter turn every 10-15 minutes to ensure the cornbread bakes evenly. Serve the Tamale Pie with slices of fresh avocado, hot sauce and sour cream. Enjoy and happy camping! This recipe will serve 6-8.
Dutch Oven Tamale Pie
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1½ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp black pepper, divided
- 1 medium onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 jalapeño
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 1, 14.5 ounce can of chili
- 1, 15 ounce can of black beans
- 1, 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1, 8.5 ounce box Jiffy cornbread mix
- 1, 8 ounce box of Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit mix
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup canola oil
Instructions
- The day before camping, season one pound of ground beef with ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper. Brown in a skillet until cooked through. Drain any fat that has rendered and store the beef in a container in the refrigerator. Choose a container that will easily fit in your cooler the next day.
- When ready to make dinner at the campground, clear a spot within the fire ring at your campsite for your Dutch oven. Heat 25 coals or briquettes using a chimney starter.
- While the coals heat up, prepare the tamale pie. Chop the vegetables and cilantro and add them to a 12 inch (8-qt) cast iron Dutch oven. Next, add the cans of chili, black beans and diced tomatoes followed by the cumin, chili powder, one teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix both boxes of Jiffy mix along with the milk, canola oil and sour cream until smooth. Pour the batter overtop of the chili mixture and smooth out so that it covers the chili completely. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and set aside until the coals are ready.
- When the coals are hot, layer 8 coals on the ground within the fire ring then place the Dutch oven over top of the coals. Layer the remaining coals onto the lid of the Dutch oven. Allow the tamale pie to bake for approximately 30 minutes. Rotate the lid of the Dutch oven a quarter turn every 10-15 minutes to ensure even baking.
- Serve the tamale pie with slices of fresh avocado, hot sauce and sour cream. This recipe serves 6-8. Enjoy and happy camping!
