All fired up! Ogden couple takes first in Dutch oven championship
SANDY — Seven is a lucky number for Bruce Tracy of Ogden. That's how many years he competed in the International Dutch Oven Society's World Championship Cook-Off before taking the title on Saturday with his wife, Vickie.
They bested 10 other teams at the South Towne Expo Center with their Cheese-Stuffed Pork Loin with New Potatoes and Stuffed Mushrooms, Challah Holiday Bread with Parmesan Dipping Butter, and Poached Pear and Almond Tart, all cooked in cast-iron pots using nothing but hot coals as a heat source.
For their trouble, they won $1,500 and the bragging rights. The win came as a surprise to Tracy, who has competed with his wife as well as other partners through the years.
"I figured we would place, because everything went right while we were cooking. But I've been to enough of these things that when they announced third and second places, I thought we weren't going to win anything," said Tracy. "But, I finally got it right."
Second-place winners were Craig Adams and Carson Randall of Vidalia, Ga., who also competed in the championship last year.
Their dishes were Jamaican Me Crazy Pork Loin with Mango Salsa, Italian Herb Roll with Spinach/Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffing and Good Ole Georgia Pecan Pie.
Third place went to Sharol and Logan Warner of Ogden. Logan, at 14, is the youngest cook to place in the competition's history. They cooked Plum-Glazed Pork, Rolls Supreme and Praline Pear Pie.
Not only do contestants have to make mouth-watering dishes, they also have to follow strict food-safety guidelines under the watchful eye of field judges, who are all past cook-off champions. Uncooked food was kept in coolers at no more than 40 degrees, hand-washing guidelines were observed, and the field judges tested the temperatures of the meats to make sure they were cooked.
"I was impressed by that, because that's the primary tool professionals use to keep people from getting ill," said Leslie Seiferle, a certified chef and instructor at Salt Lake Community College, who was one of the judges.
The IDOS is a nonprofit group whose goal is to preserve and promote the skills and art of Dutch oven cooking. The group's annual championship took place for many years during the Festival of the American West in Logan before moving to the Sportsmen's Expo three years ago. Each team has to win a local Dutch competition in order to get a berth at the World Championship Cook-Off. This year's purse was the biggest ever, said IDOS vice president Clyde Miller.
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