The husband-wife team of the Bruckmans had a pretty good test run for their first time competing in a Dutch oven cook off: husband Jeff Bruckman's recent 48th birthday.
"I had a big family party, and it was all Dutch oven [cooking]," said Kathy Bruckman, 44.
But while the Layton-based couple has a host of favorite recipes -- roast with potatoes and carrots, rice pudding, pork chops, ribs, meat loaf -- their competition meal is still a question mark.
"I have not yet decided," Kathy says laughing. "How's that for last minute? I have several ideas in mind; I have not decided which one to do for sure."
There are still a few more days to determine that before the Bruckmans' Sept. 19 cook-off at the Utah State Fair, and Kathy has been training by cooking more with her Dutch oven and talking with friends about their tips. And she admits she's a bit nervous.
"But I think you always are," she said about worrying "is it going to turn out right? But more than anything I want it to be fun, and I want it to be something I can learn from."
Bruckman might be on a search for more and more hints and tips, but she already has a long history of Dutch oven cooking. It's a tool she grew up with while watching her father occasionally cook with a cast-iron pot and hot coals, and for the past few years, it's a method she's used on and off.
These past few months, the Dutch oven was one of the Bruckmans' cooking staples.
"Most of our meals this summer have been done by way of the Dutch oven," Kathy said.
She likes to cook with the Dutch oven to test her emergency-preparedness in the event she can't cook with electricity. And there's also an extra benefit to not using her stove: "Even the same recipes ... they just taste better," she said.
