Dutch Oven Camp Cooking: Complete Instructions for Newbies

Dutch oven camp cooking isn’t worth it for everyone. If you have to walk into camp or are backpacking, you can forget about it. Likewise, don’t bother with a Dutch oven if you will be away from camp all day or are impatient. But, for those who love slow-cooked food and enjoy the art of stoking coals into glowing embers, Dutch oven camp cooking is an addiction. Once you get started, you’ll want to try increasingly complex recipes, or try techniques such as stacking multiple Dutch ovens.

For the newly initiated, Dutch oven camp cooking can seem intimidating. Don’t worry. It’s not as complicated as it seems! Here are complete step-by-step instructions about how to cook with a Dutch oven at camp, including basics like the types of coals to use, temperature guides, and which recipes to start with.

Don’t have a Dutch oven yet? Read this guide to choosing one.

1. Choose a Recipe

Dutch ovens are very versatile and can be used for almost all cooking methods. However, it’s best to start with wet recipes. These recipes are more forgiving because even heat distribution isn’t as important, and the ingredients are less likely to burn or stick to the bottom of the Dutch oven. Most wet recipes are made with simmering/boiling or baking.

Examples of “wet” Dutch oven recipes:

Stews
Chili
Jambalaya
Dumplings
Pot pie
Casseroles
Cobblers

Once you master these recipes, you can go on to other Dutch oven recipes such as pizzas, breads, and seared meats.

I recommend The Camp Dutch Oven Cookbook: Easy 5 Ingredient Recipes. If you want a cookbook with more pictures and more advanced recipes, then this cookbook is good.

easiest dutch oven recipes for beginners

Stews like this one are fairly foolproof in a Dutch oven

“Wet” doesn’t have to mean you add water. 🙂

Dutch Oven Cooking Methods

A Dutch oven can be used for many different cooking methods. It’s important that you understand the difference between these methods because some are better suited for certain types of foods and dishes. The way you arrange the coals also varies depending on the cooking method.

Method	Description	Best for	Heat Direction
Baking	Use dry heat to cook food in enclosed space.	Breads, cakes, cookies, dumplings, casseroles, pizza	Top and bottom
Roasting	Similar to baking but typically at higher heat to create brown crust.	Structured foods like large cuts of meat or entire vegetables	Top and bottom
Frying and Sautéing	Use heated oil to cook food.	Vegetables, thinner cuts of meat, French fries, fish	Bottom
Boiling	Quickly cook food by submerging it in boiling water.	Pasta, vegetables, eggs	Bottom
Stewing and Simmering	Slowly cook food in liquid just below boiling point.	Soups, stews, sauces, tougher meats and vegetables	Top and bottom
Steaming	Cook food with steam by placing it in a basket set above boiling water.	Vegetables, tamales, buns, delicate fish	Bottom
Searing	Use high heat to quickly crisp and brown food. Uses less fat/oil and a higher heat than frying.	Thicker meats	Bottom
Broiling	Quickly brown foods from above.	Delicate, thinner meats and vegetables	Above
Braising	Food is first seared and then liquid is added and the food is simmered with the lid closed.	Tougher cuts of meat	Bottom, then top and bottom

2. Decide Which Type of Coals to Use

To cook on a Dutch oven, you need coals. There are three choices for coals:

Coals from fire embers
Charcoal briquettes
Lump hardwood charcoal

Charcoal briquettes are the best choice for beginners because they are the easiest to use. Most recipes are also written based on the assumption you are using briquettes.

Coals from Fire Embers

To get these coals, you burn down wood on your campfire until it turns into glowing hot embers. This takes quite a while, so you have to start your fire well before you plan on cooking. While this approach means you don’t have to pack charcoal, it is much harder to control the temperature because your coals will be different sizes. The quality and temperature of the embers will vary depending on whether it is hard or softwood. Hardwood embers are better and the heat lasts longer, but most campgrounds only sell softwoods.

Important: Many campgrounds don’t allow you to bring your own wood because it may contain non-native organisms that could cause an infestation!

Charcoal Briquettes:

These are manufactured using wood byproducts. There are uniform in shape and typically have additives, so they burn at a consistent heat and rate. They are the cheapest option and easier than embers from the fire. The downside is that they can have a chemical smell that gets into your food.

Lump Hardwood Charcoal:

They are made from burnt unprocessed wood. Compared to briquettes, this charcoal is faster to ignite and burns hotter. The downside is that they burn faster, so you may need to replace them when making long-cook recipes. Lump hardwood charcoal is also irregularly shaped, so it’s harder to distribute the heat evenly, and they are the priciest option.

Can I Put the Dutch Oven in the Fire?

Yes, you can put your Dutch oven directly in the campfire or hang it over the fire. However, this isn’t recommended. Flames “dance” around a lot, meaning that the heat is inconsistent. You can easily end up burning your food.

If you really can’t wait for wood to burn into embers, a better solution is to put the Dutch oven next to the campfire. You’ll have to turn it several times to ensure more even cooking (a quarter turn approximately every 10-15 minutes). The results still won’t be as good as if you use coals, though. Since the heat next to the fire is lower, it will also take more time to cook than if you use coals.

cooking directly over campfire with dutch oven

It’s much harder to control the heat and prevent burning when cooking over an open flame!

3. Setup Your Cooking Area

You will need a place to set up your Dutch oven. The goals are to allow easy access to the Dutch oven and block it from wind. There are three options:

Fire ring: This is usually the easiest and safest option when using a Dutch oven at a campground. Unless it is a massive ring, you should not have a campfire going while you cook.
Rock wind shelter: Set up a circle of rocks around the area where you will cook to block the wind. This allows you to use your fire ring for a campfire while cooking.
Table: You can buy special metal tables for Dutch ovens. They have flaps for blocking wind and allow you to stand up while cooking instead of crouching, but they are pricy and another thing to pack.

4. Calculate How Many Coals to Use

Most cooking on a Dutch oven is done at 350F. If a recipe doesn’t list a temperature, assume it is 350F. As a general rule, the number of coals you use for 350F is diameter x 2. For example, a 12” Dutch oven would require 24 coals.

However, there are several other methods for calculating the number of coals to use with a Dutch oven. These are the most common ones.

One Briquettes = 15°F

For a 12” Dutch oven (6 to 8 quarts), one briquette equals approximately 15°F. If using a smaller Dutch oven, one briquette equals ~25°F. If using a larger Dutch oven, one briquette equals ~10°F. This formula only works for briquettes because fire embers and hardwood lump charcoal burn hotter.

Rule of 3

This formula works best for wet meals, such as casseroles or cobblers with lots of fruit. Take the diameter of your Dutch oven. Put +3 coals on top and -3 coals on the bottom. For a 12” Dutch oven, you would have 15 coals on top and 9 coals on the bottom.

Rule of 5

The rule of 5 works best for dry, baked recipes, such as bread or pizza. You take the diameter of your Dutch oven and put +5 coals on the top and -5 coals on the bottom. For a 12” Dutch oven, you’d put 17 coals on top and 7 on the bottom. This distributes the coals so more heat is on the top, and also allows the top to get nice and browned.

Ring Method

Use this method for lump hardwood coal or fire embers. Because they aren’t uniform in size, the methods above don’t work. Instead, you create a ring of them around the outer edge of your lid and another ring under the Dutch oven (note it’s under and not around the bottom!). This will give you ~350°F. Remove every other coal and you’ll get 300°F. Add rings inside the ones you made and you’ll get 375°F.

Important:

While these methods are useful, don’t obsess about temperature.

Why?

Because many things affect temperature. Such as:

Type of coals
Outside temperature
Wind
Whether you added fresh coals
How high your Dutch oven is elevated…

These factors make it almost impossible to completely control temperature. But, as someone who for years used an old oven that didn’t have accurate temperature settings, I can tell you that getting the “exact” temperature doesn’t matter as much as you might think. The food will get cooked. It just might take longer or shorter. (I’ve since gotten a new oven 😊).

5. Prepare Coals

Now that you know how many coals you need, you can heat them up. It generally takes briquettes and lump hardwood charcoal 15-20 minutes to fully heat up. If using embers from a campfire for coals, you’ll need to get the fire going at least 30 minutes before you start cooking; 45 minutes is even better.

You’ll know your coals are ready when they have a thin layer of white ash on them. You should be able to hold your hand near them for just 2-3 seconds.

Pro Tip: You can always cook food longer, but you can’t un-burn it! If unsure whether you have enough coals or if they are hot enough, opt for lower heat!

6. Add Food

For frying or searing, you will need to preheat the Dutch oven before adding food. Otherwise, you typically add the uncooked, cold food to the Dutch oven before putting it on the coals.

Pro Tip: Don’t dump very cold water into a hot Dutch oven. It could cause it to crack. Instead, gradually add the water!

Do you need to line the Dutch oven?

You do not have to line a Dutch oven, and you won’t want to line it for any dish that requires stirring. However, there are three situations where it is recommended:

Cooking multiple courses: If you want to cook something in the same Dutch oven immediately afterwards, you’ll want to line it. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for it to cool down and clean it before making the second course.

The recipe is a sugary mess: For recipes such as for cobblers, upside-down cakes, and pies, lining will make cleanup easier and also make it easier to get the dish out of the Dutch oven without it falling apart. Just get a baking tin that fits inside your Dutch oven.

Pizza: And other dishes that need to come out of the Dutch oven in one piece. Otherwise, it may be difficult to remove without the pizza falling apart on you.

Preventing the bottom of baked goods from burning: If the bottom of your baked goods keeps burning, switch to baking in a tin instead of directly in the Dutch oven. Put a few stones or balls of tinfoil in the Dutch oven and set the tin on top of these. This allows better air circulation and prevents bottom from burning. If using a deep Dutch oven, it also allows you to move the ingredients closer to the top so the gap isn’t as big.

Definitely line the Dutch oven for messy upside cakes

Pizza is easier to remove if you line the Dutch oven

7. Arrange Coals

Depending on the cooking method you chose, you will need to put the coals on top, bottom, or both. They should be evenly spaced, so each coal is approximately the same distance from each other.

Dutch Oven Coal Distribution:

Baking (wet recipes, such as casseroles): 2/3 top, 1/3 bottom
Baking (dry recipes, such as bread): ¾ top, ¼ bottom*
Roasting: ½ top, ½ bottom
Frying and sautéing: All on bottom
Boiling: All on bottom
Stewing and simmering: ¼ on top, ¾ on bottom
Steaming: All on bottom
Searing: All on bottom
Broiling: All on top
Braising: All on bottom, then ¼ on top and ¾ on bottom

Pro Tip:

It is common for hot spots occur with Dutch ovens because coals close to the edge will radiate their heat inwards, making the interior coals hotter. This is why your cake might be done (or burnt!) in the middle but still raw on the edges. To prevent this when making baked goods, arrange the coals further along the bottom edge. For other cooking methods, the coals can go slightly further inwards.

8. Rotate

To prevent hot spots and ensure even cooking, especially on dry recipes that don’t involve stirring, you will need to rotate your Dutch oven and its lid.

Rotate every 10 to 15 minutes
First rotate the entire Dutch oven one-quarter turn in one direction. Set it back down on the coals. A wire bail handle makes this easier to do.
Next rotate the lid ¼ turn in the opposite A pot lid lifter makes this task easier.

9. Maintain Heat

When cooking meals that don’t require more than 30-45 minutes, you won’t have to replace your coals. However, for meals that require longer, you will need to replace the coals in order to maintain the heat. You’ll know they are losing their heat when the coals start getting very white and ashy.

Remember that it takes a while for coals to get hot, so you will want to light them before you need to replace the current ones.

How often to Replace Coals?

Briquettes: Typical briquettes hold their heat for up to 45 minutes, so you will want to replace them every 30 minutes.
Hardwood lump charcoal and firewood embers: These typically only last 30 minutes, so you may need to replace them every 20 minutes.

See how ashy and white these coals are? They aren’t very hot anymore.

Gauging Temperature

You can point a chef infrared thermometer at your food to determine the temperature. However, pros use the “hand test” to determine temperature. You remove the Dutch oven lid and hold your hand just inside the oven. Then you count how long you can hold your hand there.

1 second = 500+°F
2 seconds: 500°F
3 seconds: 450°F
4 seconds: 400°F
5 seconds: 350°F
6 seconds: 300°F
7 seconds: 250°F
8 seconds: 200°F

Obviously, some people have a higher heat tolerance than others (I’m a wuss and can’t hold my hand near a 350°F Dutch oven for more than 2 seconds!). But, again, you don’t really need to stress about temperatures. If you really want to know the cooking temperature, then use an infrared thermometer with the hand test and write down the results.

Pro Tip: Don’t Peek! You will lose heat each time you remove the lid of the Dutch oven. So resist the urge to peek. Wait until the food starts emitting delicious aromas until you open it to check doneness.

10. Clean Up

Once you’ve eaten your food, it’s time to clean the Dutch oven. It isn’t as hard as you might think. Note that food does tend to stick to a new Dutch oven, even if you’ve seasoned it. The more you use it, the less food will stick.

Cleaning Instructions:

Wait for it to cool a bit.
Add some water to the Dutch oven. Don’t add cold water to a hot Dutch oven because it could crack.
Put the filled Dutch oven back in or near the fire.
Let the water come to a boil. This will help loosen any bits of food stuck to it. You can scrape the insides with a wooden spoon to help it along.
Dump the water (follow Leave No Trace guidelines for dumping water!).
Once cool enough, scrub the Dutch oven.
Rinse. If there is still a lot of food stuck, you might need to boil again.
When you get home, wipe the inside and lid with some oil before storing.
Never use soap to clean a Dutch oven!