MEATLOAF STUFFED PUMPKIN

Steps:

• 1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, except tomato sauce. Warm and oil a 12", deep, Dutch oven.
• 2. Fill pumpkin with meat mixture and place filled pumpkin inside oven. Pour about 1 ½ c. water in oven and cover.
• 3. Bake about 1 to 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees F. until done. You can smell the flavors when done.
• 4. ***Judging temperature is an important skill that needs to be practiced when cooking with a Dutch oven. First off, use only name brands of charcoal. Once you find a brand that you like, stick with that brand. That way you become familiar with how it burns, how long the coals last, etc. When cooking in a Dutch oven, use the 2/3rds rule. The 2/3rds rule is not based on fractions of any number of coals. But, is short hand for figuring out how many coals to use for a 325o to 350o oven. Take the diameter of the oven for the bottom coals and subtract 2. So, if you have a 12" oven, take the diameter (12"), subtract 2 (10 coals). That's the 2 in the 2/3rds rule. For figuring the number of coals for the top heat, again take the diameter of the oven and add 3. So, if you have a 12" oven, take the diameter (12") and add 3 (15 coals). That's the 3 in the 2/3rds rule. This rule works for any sized oven from 8" to 16". To increase or decrease the temperature add or subtract 2 briquettes for a change of 25°. It is however, very important to know that coals should be placed around the circumference of the bottom and top of the Dutch oven so there are no hot spots and burning of food is kept to a minimum.