Dutch Oven Ham and Egg Bake
Twelve eggs, a pound of ham, and a lid full of coals. Feeds a patrol before the day starts.
- calories
- 480
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 53
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 7, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 45 min
- total time
- 55 min
- water
- 250 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.
- Breakfast
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Eggs | 12 | cracked into a jar at home if you want to save cooler space |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup | or 3 tbsp powdered milk plus 1 cup water |
| Cooked ham | 1 lb | shelf-stable canned or vacuum-sealed both work |
| Shredded cheddar | 2 cups | |
| Seasoned dry bread crumbs | 8 oz | |
| Dry mustard | 2 tsp | |
| Worcestershire sauce | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 2 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/4 tsp |
Method
- Build a fire and let it burn down to coals, or start a chimney of charcoal. You need about 25 briquettes at working heat.
- Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl or a wide-mouth jar. Add the salt, pepper, dry mustard, and Worcestershire.
- Dice the ham small. Stir it into the eggs with the cheese and the bread crumbs. The mix should be thick, not pourable.
- Oil a 12-inch dutch oven and pour everything in. Level the top.
- Set the oven on 8 coals and put 17 on the lid. That is roughly 350F. Bake 45 minutes.
- Check at 40 minutes. A knife in the center should come out clean and the edges should have pulled back. Give it another five if it wobbles.
The bread crumbs are load-bearing. Twelve eggs alone in a dutch oven give you a wet curd that never sets in the middle; the crumbs absorb liquid and hold the whole thing together as a sliceable casserole. Skip them and you are stirring scrambled eggs for forty minutes instead.
Coal placement is the other half. Most of the heat goes on the lid, not underneath, or the bottom scorches before the center cooks. Dry mustard and Worcestershire are doing what a fresh onion would do at home, without anything that spoils.
Packing
Crumbs, dry mustard, salt, and pepper get premixed into one bag at home. Ham and cheese ride in the cooler. Cracking eggs into a sealed jar before you leave saves both space and shell fragments.
Variations
- A 10-inch oven takes about two-thirds of everything at the same heat and time.
- Swap the ham for a can of black beans and a diced bell pepper to make it vegetarian.
- Powdered milk and canned ham take the whole thing off cooler duty for a basecamp with no ice.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/egg_bake-1957.asp