If a crockpot and a Dutch oven had a baby: This Utah invention is changing the way to cook outdoors

ST. GEORGE — From cooking eight foil dinners to juicy perfection while you leisurely cast a fishing line to smoking a rack of ribs on a hunting trip, this portable cooker may change how you cook outdoors.

Aubree Ninow and her husband Ryan Ninow, of St. George, partnered with his parents Fred and Staci Ninow to create RockPot, a portable cooker that can be used for camping or hunting trips, emergency preparedness and more. While the Rockpot can be used just like a crockpot, there’s no need for electricity or the purchase of propane.

“If you’re familiar with cooking with a crockpot or a Dutch oven, it’s basically like a crockpot and a Dutch oven that had a nice little baby,” Aubree Ninow said.

Whether it’s chicken fajita soup or Dr. Pepper pulled pork, the cooking possibilities don’t end with slow cooker recipes. RockPot also can be used for baking desserts like peach cobbler and cinnamon monkey bread.

RockPot also smokes meats on the go in six to eight hours with the use of wood pellets or woodchips and the provided inner rack. It then continues to keep food warm for eight to 10 hours. With a vacuum seal and an outside that’s cool to the touch, users can throw it in the back of a truck without worrying about burns or leaking.

“If you don’t have a way to cook food for your family, and you have the means to do a fire, then you have the means to cook,” Ninow said.

With a patent-pending design, she said their rock tablet is the magic behind the madness. Taking the rock tablet and throwing it in a fire or onto a hot stovetop for 30 minutes will heat the rock up to 600 degrees – the perfect temperature to cook a pot roast with carrots and potatoes filled to the brim.

And the rocks? They’re made in Utah.

“Which is kind of fitting, because Utah is home of the rocks,” she said.

The original idea for the Rockpot came from her father-in-law, Fred Ninow, who invented the product design 35 years ago. At that time, it looked like a red cooler with a thick stone in the bottom, and he and his wife sold them as a side business. With another business taking off quicker, they decided to shelf the idea.

It wasn’t until he found himself bored during the COVID-19 pandemic that Fred Ninow approached his son and daughter-in-law about wanting to relaunch the product with them.

“So we worked together and modernized it,” Aubree Ninow said. “We made it way more portable, way more appealing to look at, and that took us about two years to refine and (get) the kinks out. And now, here we are.”

They launched the RockPot campaign on Kickstarter in August 2022. And after acquiring needed funding, they went direct to consumers on Jan. 1.

“It’s really exciting because there’s nothing like RockPot in the outdoor camping market for kitchen cookware,” Aubree Ninow said. “And it’s simple. You can steam rice. You can do cakes. You can do honestly just about anything. Smoking meat is really fun.”

RockPot has been seen at trade shows all over the country with demos that include cooking peach cobbler, stew and smoked meat.

“Once people see it cooking, they’re like ‘Oh, I totally get it,’” she said. “It’s like an older concept because cooking stones go way back centuries, but it’s been reinvented.”

RockPot has been invited to apply for Shark Tank in September, she added. Currently, they are selling directly to consumers online and actively seeking distributors and wholesalers. With a goal to sell overseas, they also plan to soon launch the product on Amazon.

Every RockPot comes with a lifetime warranty and an extendable hook, making removal from a fire or stovetop a breeze. For more information and to purchase RockPot, visit their website. Or follow them on Instagram and TikTok for recipes and more.

“It’s been quite a wild ride,” she said. “But it’s been really fun because it’s so unique and so different.”

Photo Gallery

The RockPot is used to make a meal while outdoors, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow via Instagram, St. George News

A shrimp meal is cooked in the RockPot, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow via Instagram, St. George News

The RockPot is placed in the trunk of a car on an outing, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow via Instagram, St. George News

A variety of meat is made in the RockPot, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow via Instagram, St. George News

The rock inside RockPot heats up in a fire for 30 minutes before cooking a full meal, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow via Instagram, St. George News

RockPot, an invention that cooks food with a hot rock, is portable and can be used anywhere, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow via Instagram, St. George News

A couple is seen using the RockPot to cook a meal while camping, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow via Instagram, St. George News

A meal cooked with RockPot is pictured, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow via Instagram, St. George News

Tin foil dinners cook inside a RockPot slow cooker, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow via Instagram, St. George News

RockPot Co-owners Aubree Ninow and husband Ryan take portrait together, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow, St. George News

Aubree Ninow, part owner of RockPot, shows off the product in St. George, Utah, July 27, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

RockPot Co-owners Fred and Staci Ninow pose for a photo, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow, St. George News

The RockPot booth is seen at an outdoor trade show, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Aubree Ninow, St. George News

Jessi Bang was born and raised in Utah and has a passion for nature and the great outdoors. She graduated from Kaplan University in California with a degree in criminal justice. She has extensive experience in marketing, content creation, photography and copywriting. You can find her showcasing outdoor adventures through her blog, “The Rambling Raccoon.” In her free time, she enjoys climbing mountains, trail running, working out and cuddling her two lovable pups.

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