
Recipe notes by Elizabeth Gibbs
A Dutch oven is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid that is usually made of seasoned cast iron and can go straight from the stove to the oven and on to the tabletop.
A Dutch oven is perfect for braises because of how heavy it is, which helps it retain and distribute heat evenly—ideal for searing meat at high heat and maintaining low-and-slow temperatures for a long time.
While generally referred to as Dutch ovens in the USA, Le Creuset’s version, which is what you’ll most commonly find in the UK, is technically a French oven, also known as a cocotte.
French companies like Le Creuset took the basic concept of a Dutch oven, added the enamelled coating, and started calling them French ovens as a way to distinguish them.
This Stout Braised Pulled Pork recipe is an adaptation of an old family recipe.