Dutch Oven Ham and Corn Bake
Diced ham, canned corn, and a biscuit batter poured over the top. Coals do the rest.
- calories
- 430
- weight
- 7.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 57
- protein
- 25 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 45 min
- total time
- 55 min
- water
- 240 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Ham | 1 lb | a shelf-stable canned ham works if you have no cooler |
|---|---|---|
| Canned corn | 1 15 oz can | drained |
| Shredded cheese | 1 cup | shred it at home, bagged shreds clump in heat |
| Italian seasoning | 2 tbsp | |
| Dry biscuit mix | 1/2 cup | Bisquick or equivalent |
| Powdered whole milk | 3 tbsp | reconstituted with 1 cup water |
| Eggs | 2 | or 4 tbsp powdered egg plus 1/2 cup water |
| Oil or butter | 1 tbsp | for the oven |
Method
- Build a fire and burn it down to coals, or start 25 charcoal briquettes. You want 350°F: for a 12-inch oven that is 8 coals under and 17 on the lid.
- Wipe the inside of the oven with oil. Dice the ham and spread it across the bottom in one layer.
- Drain the corn and scatter it over the ham. Cheese next, then the Italian seasoning over the cheese.
- Shake the biscuit mix, milk powder, water, and eggs together in a lidded bottle or a zip bag until no lumps are left.
- Pour the batter evenly over everything. Do not stir. The layers should stay layered.
- Lid on, coals set, 45 minutes. Rotate the oven a quarter turn every 15 minutes and the lid the other way so it does not scorch on one side.
- It is done when the top is set and dry and a knife comes out of the middle clean.
This is a one-vessel casserole that builds itself in layers and never needs stirring. The ham goes on the bottom because it can take direct bottom heat without drying out, and the batter goes on last because it needs to sit on top of the fill to rise into a lid. Pour it evenly and it bakes into a single crust rather than pooling in one corner.
The camp changes are the dairy. Fresh milk does not travel, so powdered whole milk plus water goes into the batter instead; it hydrates fine and carries the fat the biscuit needs. Powdered egg works too if the cooler is not part of the trip. Coal count matters more than time here: too many under the oven and the ham layer burns before the batter sets.
Packing
Premix the biscuit mix, milk powder, and seasoning in a bag at home. Ham and cheese ride in the cooler. If you are going coolerless, swap in a canned ham and powdered eggs and the whole thing becomes shelf-stable.
Variations
- Sliced olives, mushrooms, peppers, or onions layered under the batter fill it out.
- Half a cup of instant mashed potato flakes stirred into the batter makes it denser and feeds seven instead of six.
- A 10-inch oven takes about two thirds of everything at the same heat and time.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/ham_bake-2384.asp