Easy Dutch Oven Cooking

Dutch oven cooking can be a great way to expand your outdoor cooking skills. You can't make soups, stews, or braises on an open fire or grill. However, a dutch oven, or another heavy-duty pot with a lid, can be used to prepare many outdoor dishes. Dutch oven campfire cooking and fire pit cooking are great options. It's also fun to create new dutch-oven recipes like this dutch cooker rabbit recipe or more traditional dutch-oven chicken with mushrooms.

What is a Dutch Oven?

True dutch ovens consist of heavy cast iron pots that have a tight-fitting lid. Some pots have a wire handle that allows you to lift or hang the entire pot from a tripod above your fire. You can use some made for campfire cooking with feet to place it directly on charcoal or embers. Or use any heavy-duty pot with a lid, provided it can withstand high heat. Named pots are not able to withstand high heat. If you place lighter pots over a charcoal or wood fire, they will become soot-stained. If you don't have anything else, you can use a heavy-duty tin can such as an empty coffee cup.

Types of Dutch Oven Cooking

Dutch Oven Campfire Cooking - This is the classic way to cook over campfires. This can be done in two ways. The tripod can be used to hang a dutch-oven with a handle above your fire. The pot can then be used on a stove as if it were a regular pot to cook, boil or braise your food. If you have a cast-iron oven with feet, another option is to place it directly on the embers or charcoal of your campfire. You can heat up the pot by adding some hot coals to the top. This will allow you to slow stew or boil your food. To keep the temperature high enough, add hot coals to the pot as necessary. Once you're done, lift the lid using a hook or another grasper to get the hot food out.

Grill Cooking

This technique can be used on a grill or fire pit using charcoal or firewood. Simply heat your dutch oven on high heat, and then cook as usual.

Fireplace Cooking

If you want to transform your hearth into an oven, dutch oven baking is one option. This requires some additional equipment. A fireplace crane will be needed to install your fireplace. It is basically a metal arm that attaches to your hearth and swings in and out from the fire. This arm can be attached to your oven, and you can swivel the handle in front of your fire. It's like Little House on the Prairie. You can also find other ideas on how to cook in your fireplace by visiting my Fireplace Cooking section.

Oven or Stovetop Cooking

You can cook the same recipes in a dutch oven or on your regular stovetop. This is boring!

For an example of the types of meals that you can make in your dutch oven, fire pit, or campfire, check out my Dutch Oven Braised Rabbit Recipe or Dutch Oven Chicken With Morel Mushrooms