Where Did the Dutch Oven World Championship Cook-Off Go?

David Draper of Field and Stream magazine and Ruth Kendrick, a past world champion, judge the main dishes at a past IDOS World Championship Cook-Off. The competition is moving to a new venue this year.

For 15 years, the International Dutch Oven Society’s World Championship Cook-Off had a starring role at the International Sportsmen’s Expo every March. But this year, the aroma of Dutch oven competition, with its mouth-watering dishes, was nowhere to be found. Judging by the number of searches on my website for “where is the Dutch Oven World Championship?” a lot of inquiring minds wanted to know what happened.

In contacting Rod Boyer, the current IDOS president, I found out that we can all relax. The World Championship is not dead. It’s moved to a place and time — the Utah State Fairpark and the Days of ’47 celebration on July 22.

Rod’s wife Cyndi Boyer (a past IDOS World Champion) took the time to email me a reply that explains more about the location switch.

Andrew Boyer and Cyndi Boyer compete in a past IDOS World Championship Cook-Off.

Cyndi wrote,

“For many years, there have been some communication issues between various past IDOS Presidents and the organizers at the International Sportsman’s Expo, that, teamed up with low attendance at the ISE over the past few years, has caused the organizers to change things up a little. IDOS still had a booth at the ISE and were able to sell our cookbooks as well as introduce ourselves and our new (and improved) website (IDOS.org) we signed up quite a few new members and renewed some old ones as well. We do not feel this was a bad thing, as it is giving us the opportunity to explore different venues and branch out a little.

“We were approached by the Utah State Fair Park, and asked to hold the WCCO this year in conjunction with the Days of ’47 Celebration in July. We are still working out the details with the Days of ’47 committee. However, we do have the date of the Championship as 7/22/17. Some of the details we are working on is:

– If we will have the 2 semi final days leading up to it, or just the one cook-off.

– We are discussing having the WCCO be Mystery bag where all ingredients are provided (that would be pending a sponsor or two).

– We have also discussed a children’s/youth/novice cook-off during the week.

“We are planning to have demonstrations, some hands-on if possible. There is still a lot of planning going on. We hope to have some final answers within the next few weeks.”

Dutch oven fans can keep an eye of the IDOS website, IDOS.org, for updates. You can also look for information on the IDOS Facebook page.

This isn’t the first time the WCCO has moved venues. In 1985, it was first held on the Utah State University campus during its Festival of the American West. When the festival moved around 2001 to the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville, the competition moved with it. (I know, because I was a judge that year. The late, great TV outdoorsman Doug Miller was the master of ceremonies, announcing Clyde and Teryl Miller as the champs. Great memories!)

The following year, the competition moved to Sandy, to the annual International Sportsmen’s Expo. The competition has attracted teams from as far away as Japan, Oklahoma and Georgia, although a great many of the finalists hail from Utah.

Over the years, the bar has been raised higher and higher. Backyard cookout favorites like chili, stew, or dump cake will NOT get you a berth in the finals. Instead, you’ll find filet mignon with lobster, crown rib roast, duck breast, or glazed Cornish game hens. Here are some past entries.

One of the main dishes at a past IDOS World Championship: Asian Inspired Pork with Gingered Sweet Potatoes and Apples on Baked Wontons, by Bill and Toni Thayn of Price.

Beef Croustades with Boursin & Mushrooms cooked by 2015 IDOS World Champs Cyndi Boyer of Syracuse and Andrew Boyer of Roy.

The breads and rolls bakery quality, or better. Pretty amazing. Here are some past entries to give you an idea:

Garlic, Herb, and Cheese Rolls are one of the Dutch oven championship recipes cooked by Cyndi and Andrew Boyer in the 2015 IDOS World Championship Cook-off.

Dreamy cheesecakes, pies, and triple-layer cakes look like cover shots for a glossy food magazine. And, yes, they’re all made from scratch, in a Dutch oven, with nothing but charcoal as a heat source.

Lisa and Benjamin Blodgett’s Dutch oven Triple Berry Goodness Pie.

The new venue and possible contest changes bring up some good questions.

A Mystery Bag cook-off will put everyone on an even footing, ingredient-wise. It will cut down on food costs for teams. But it would be hard for teams to practice their dishes ahead of time, when they’re not sure what they will be making. So it would be more about showing off a team’s skill at improvising with whatever ingredients they get, rather than perfecting a highly difficult technique by practicing over and over before the cook-off. Is this what the contestants prefer to do?

And would contestants rather have a two-day competition that narrows down the number of finalists? Or just have a one-day competition?

Dutch oven fans, I’m interested in your opinions!

Meanwhile, more photos of WCCO past competitors and dishes:

David Grover and Jamie Boyle, the Half-Baked Hippies, former winners of the International Dutch Oven Society’s World Championship Cook-Off.

I shared judging duties with David Draper, a writer for Field & Stream, in the 2015 WCCO.

Bill and Toni Thayn have placed near the top of many WCCO competitions.

Lisa and son, Benjamin Blodgett. Lisa has won the championship with her husband and in 2016 with her daughter.

John says:

April 11, 2017 at 7:04 pm

I sometimes wish there was a three-tier judging for this competition. It’s beyond what any home cook would want to do and beginners have nowhere to get their feet wet. And instruction on techniques tends to get overlooked. I guess that’s the point of a WCCO to showcase only the best. It would be great if there were more opportunities to expand the use of dutch ovens.

Valerie Phillips says:

April 11, 2017 at 8:12 pm

Yes, I’ve often heard that concern, that the complicated “gourmet” dishes at the WCCO don’t reflect the way that most people use their DOs. And I’ve thought about it when I used to run the winning recipes in the newspaper. They were so long and difficult that I suspected very few readers would try to replicate them! But yet, a “world championship,” SHOULD be about cooks rising above the norm. When you watch Olympic runners, you expect they will be faster than recreational runners. When I watch Wimbledon, I know those tennis players are going to serve and return above the skills of my local tennis league. Perhaps the WCCO is a place to be “wowed,” and the DOG potlucks and the spring convention are a better starting point for beginners. And maybe other DO competitions could be more varied. I recall covering a Dutch oven competition where they limited the cost of ingredients, so the challenge was more about turning out something delicious on a budget. Perhaps turning WCCO into a Mystery Bag competition would give cooks a chance to show off both their culinary skills AND their ability to improvise on the spot, instead of practicing a recipe until it’s perfect. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens!

Where Did The Dutch Oven World Championship Cook-Off Go?

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