Stew pot is actually closer, Linda. The style we currently call "Dutch oven" is a flat-bottomed kettle with a lid added. And is, of course, with its heavy, heat-holding design, ideal for stewing. Kettles originally were round bottomed (and some had legs), designed primarily to be hung over an open fire; either from a tripod or a crane. They did not have lids. There was a point, measured in gallons, where a kettle became a cauldren, but I misremember it right now. Thirteen comes to mind, but don't take that to the bank. Dutch ovens, of course, had three legs and a deeply recessed lid so you could put coals both under and on top, to provide even, dry heat. They were used on the hearth, not in the firebox. In the first quarter of the 19th century, "portable" cast iron stoves became popular. Initially kettles were still used by removing an eye and setting the pot right in the hole, over the open fire. Eventually they began modifying the pieces, flattening the bottom and adding a domed lid. A chicken fryer has a somewhat different configuration; being relatively wide for it's height (for stability), and with sidewalls that slope more sharply than those of a skillet. Chicken fryers, too, have domed lids; many of which are of the self-basting type. Now, if you really want to know about hearth trivia, ask me nicely and I'll tell you were the term "hob nobbing" comes from.

Here is the recipe I use...if I'm in a hurry I don't pan fry first..Southern Pulled Pork from allrecipes.com Ingredients * 1 tablespoon butter * 2 pounds boneless pork roast * 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning..I make my own and use lots * 1 medium onion, chopped * 4 cloves garlic, crushed * 4 cups water...I use chicken broth instead * 1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring Directions Cut the pork roast into large chunks. Season generously with the Cajun seasoning. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork, and brown on all sides. Remove from the skillet, and transfer to a slow cooker. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes until tender. Stir in the water scraping the bottom to include all of the browned pork bits from the bottom of the pan, then pour the whole mixture into the slow cooker with the pork. Stir in liquid smoke flavoring. Cover, and cook on High for 6 hours, or until meat is falling apart when pierced with a fork. Remove pieces of pork from the slow cooker, and shred. Return to the slow cooker to keep warm while serving.

A friend from another site posted this one & it's really good. NORTH CAROLINA PORK BARBECUE 1 (4 to 5lb) Boston butt 3 T brown sugar 2 T dry mustard 1 t salt 1 large onion, chopped 1-1/2 cups water 1/4 t ground red pepper 1 cup vinegar 1/4 t black pepper 1/2 cup ketchup 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce Place roast in roasting pan. Combine remaining ingredients, stir well. Pour mixture over roast. Cover and bake at 325 for 5 to 6 hours or until meat is very tender. Remove from oven, let cool. Remove roast from sauce, place sauce in fridge until fat congeals. Skim fat and discard. Remove meat and shred. Return meat to sauce in pan and stir well. Cover and bake at 325 for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. (Grannyj) This one was posted by Earl here a while back. It sounds really good but I don't have a smoker: Pulled Pork BBQ 8-10 lb. Boston butt Season it with pepper and seasoning salt, and smoke it for about 4 hours then remove from smoker/gill and put in oven at 225-250 degrees for about 10-12 hours until internal temp reaches 205 degrees. Remove from oven and let sit for 30 minutes. Then use two large forks to pull meat apart. Have buns and good BBQ sauce ready. That's 'simple.' I would bet that Theresa has a good one, too.

Darn, I got impatient and just took a guess, though I should've waited for your good advice bc I don't think this'll be ready for tonights dinner anyway. lwo, thanks! I bet a smoker would make it perfect. I don't have one though, and I'm not trying to win any contests tonight just feed hungry mouths! And most recipes I found online said to use a dutch oven & said nothing about a rack. I just got this new pot & wanted to try it out. I ended up searing it, pouring some apple cider vinegar and 1/2 a beer over it, choosing "convection roast" on 275, and now its def sitting in all its fat slowly roasting away. I guess itll be fatty but it does smell good! Next time I'll do a rack on a sheet pan. So you don't cover it when you do that? My real question that I need to explore is what the difference is between all those settings on my Bosch oven... topic for another thread or someday finding the time & desire to sit down with the oven manual... thanks!