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Dutch oven caterers Cooking By The Ranch savor family and friends

Gayle Smith

When Kevin and Jackie Nickel think about using their Dutch oven to cook, they think of the fun they have making an authentic old west meal while visiting with family and friends.

“I was always interested in Dutch oven cooking,” says Kevin, “but I had no clue how to do it. The first roast I cooked was charred and looked like a tire,” he chuckles. “Then, I saw where Eastern Wyoming College was offering a Dutch oven cooking class for $10. I signed up right away.

“I got started cooking outside because when I would make breakfast in the kitchen, grease was flying, and I was told to go outside and cook,” he jokes. “At least out there it didn’t matter.”



Kevin says the $10 was money well spent. He learned how to use a Dutch oven, and how to set the temperature correctly. “We learned how to place coals underneath the outside edge, not directly beneath the Dutch oven,” he says. “Cast iron is an amazing metal. You can put coal around the outside edge and the first biscuits that burn will still be right in the center.”

During the class, Kevin learned to make everything from turkey for the main course to a cobbler for dessert. After the class, he continued to practice. “A friend of ours was getting married, and we were asked to prepare the rehearsal dinner. We grilled steaks and made some Dutch oven potatoes.



“I enjoyed it so much, that we decided to start a small catering business,” he says. Cooking By The Ranch was the result of a discussion between Kevin and Jackie, Kevin’s brother-in-law and the local ag teacher. “We were just sitting around talking, and came up with the name. It suits us well, because it really sums up what we do here.”

When Kevin and Jackie Nickel think about using their Dutch oven to cook, they think of the fun they have making an authentic old west meal while visiting with family and friends.

“I was always interested in Dutch oven cooking,” says Kevin, “but I had no clue how to do it. The first roast I cooked was charred and looked like a tire,” he chuckles. “Then, I saw where Eastern Wyoming College was offering a Dutch oven cooking class for $10. I signed up right away.

“I got started cooking outside because when I would make breakfast in the kitchen, grease was flying, and I was told to go outside and cook,” he jokes. “At least out there it didn’t matter.”

Kevin says the $10 was money well spent. He learned how to use a Dutch oven, and how to set the temperature correctly. “We learned how to place coals underneath the outside edge, not directly beneath the Dutch oven,” he says. “Cast iron is an amazing metal. You can put coal around the outside edge and the first biscuits that burn will still be right in the center.”

During the class, Kevin learned to make everything from turkey for the main course to a cobbler for dessert. After the class, he continued to practice. “A friend of ours was getting married, and we were asked to prepare the rehearsal dinner. We grilled steaks and made some Dutch oven potatoes.

“I enjoyed it so much, that we decided to start a small catering business,” he says. Cooking By The Ranch was the result of a discussion between Kevin and Jackie, Kevin’s brother-in-law and the local ag teacher. “We were just sitting around talking, and came up with the name. It suits us well, because it really sums up what we do here.”

When Kevin and Jackie Nickel think about using their Dutch oven to cook, they think of the fun they have making an authentic old west meal while visiting with family and friends.

“I was always interested in Dutch oven cooking,” says Kevin, “but I had no clue how to do it. The first roast I cooked was charred and looked like a tire,” he chuckles. “Then, I saw where Eastern Wyoming College was offering a Dutch oven cooking class for $10. I signed up right away.

“I got started cooking outside because when I would make breakfast in the kitchen, grease was flying, and I was told to go outside and cook,” he jokes. “At least out there it didn’t matter.”

Kevin says the $10 was money well spent. He learned how to use a Dutch oven, and how to set the temperature correctly. “We learned how to place coals underneath the outside edge, not directly beneath the Dutch oven,” he says. “Cast iron is an amazing metal. You can put coal around the outside edge and the first biscuits that burn will still be right in the center.”

During the class, Kevin learned to make everything from turkey for the main course to a cobbler for dessert. After the class, he continued to practice. “A friend of ours was getting married, and we were asked to prepare the rehearsal dinner. We grilled steaks and made some Dutch oven potatoes.

“I enjoyed it so much, that we decided to start a small catering business,” he says. Cooking By The Ranch was the result of a discussion between Kevin and Jackie, Kevin’s brother-in-law and the local ag teacher. “We were just sitting around talking, and came up with the name. It suits us well, because it really sums up what we do here.”

When Kevin and Jackie Nickel think about using their Dutch oven to cook, they think of the fun they have making an authentic old west meal while visiting with family and friends.

“I was always interested in Dutch oven cooking,” says Kevin, “but I had no clue how to do it. The first roast I cooked was charred and looked like a tire,” he chuckles. “Then, I saw where Eastern Wyoming College was offering a Dutch oven cooking class for $10. I signed up right away.

“I got started cooking outside because when I would make breakfast in the kitchen, grease was flying, and I was told to go outside and cook,” he jokes. “At least out there it didn’t matter.”

Kevin says the $10 was money well spent. He learned how to use a Dutch oven, and how to set the temperature correctly. “We learned how to place coals underneath the outside edge, not directly beneath the Dutch oven,” he says. “Cast iron is an amazing metal. You can put coal around the outside edge and the first biscuits that burn will still be right in the center.”

During the class, Kevin learned to make everything from turkey for the main course to a cobbler for dessert. After the class, he continued to practice. “A friend of ours was getting married, and we were asked to prepare the rehearsal dinner. We grilled steaks and made some Dutch oven potatoes.

“I enjoyed it so much, that we decided to start a small catering business,” he says. Cooking By The Ranch was the result of a discussion between Kevin and Jackie, Kevin’s brother-in-law and the local ag teacher. “We were just sitting around talking, and came up with the name. It suits us well, because it really sums up what we do here.”

When Kevin and Jackie Nickel think about using their Dutch oven to cook, they think of the fun they have making an authentic old west meal while visiting with family and friends.

“I was always interested in Dutch oven cooking,” says Kevin, “but I had no clue how to do it. The first roast I cooked was charred and looked like a tire,” he chuckles. “Then, I saw where Eastern Wyoming College was offering a Dutch oven cooking class for $10. I signed up right away.

“I got started cooking outside because when I would make breakfast in the kitchen, grease was flying, and I was told to go outside and cook,” he jokes. “At least out there it didn’t matter.”

Kevin says the $10 was money well spent. He learned how to use a Dutch oven, and how to set the temperature correctly. “We learned how to place coals underneath the outside edge, not directly beneath the Dutch oven,” he says. “Cast iron is an amazing metal. You can put coal around the outside edge and the first biscuits that burn will still be right in the center.”

During the class, Kevin learned to make everything from turkey for the main course to a cobbler for dessert. After the class, he continued to practice. “A friend of ours was getting married, and we were asked to prepare the rehearsal dinner. We grilled steaks and made some Dutch oven potatoes.

“I enjoyed it so much, that we decided to start a small catering business,” he says. Cooking By The Ranch was the result of a discussion between Kevin and Jackie, Kevin’s brother-in-law and the local ag teacher. “We were just sitting around talking, and came up with the name. It suits us well, because it really sums up what we do here.”

editor’s note: to learn more about cooking by the ranch, the nickels can be reached at 307-837-2279.