Dutch Masters

When My Beloved and I got the call from the masters of Dutch oven cooking, you can bet we got our buns over there in short order! We hastily mixed up some guacamole to take along as an offering to the DOG gods.

These guys are amazing. Black iron pans predominated, although there was a gorgeous dark red one, too, and the food that emerged a short time later was wonderful. We oohed and aahed over Guy's chile verde, Cameron's rabbit stew, Chilebrown's spatchcocked chicken and veggies, and Abram's smoked tri-tip. Those meaty men can really dish up some serious eats.

Although I sampled and approved in a deeply personal way all the meats, for me the standouts were the breads. Cam made a wheat bread that kicked a** and took numbers - crusty and crisp on the outside, with an airy crumb as light as foam and deep flavor from long rising. All it needed was some butter to make it perfect.

But the big winner in my opinion (and I'm not just saying this because he paid me to) was CB's signature Jalapeño Cheese Bread. I approached it with caution, knowing that CB loves spicy food and being a spice wimp myself, but I needn't have worried. Hearty and moist, with little pockets of melted cheese and chiles throughout, it was crusty and rich with flavors without being scorching hot.

The day was gloriously sunny but cool enough not to mind having several charcoal fires going at once. The company was convivial and the conversation almost entirely of barbecuing. My Beloved and I drove home to serious food coma - no dinner that night and I wasn't even hungry the next morning. I can't think of anything better.