Dutch Oven Campfire Recipes:
 Easy Once You Know How!

Now that I have some great Dutch oven campfire recipes, I want to use my cast iron camping Dutch oven every time we go camping!

You may be familiar with metal or ceramic Dutch ovens for use at home on the stovetop or in the oven. A camping Dutch oven is something else.

What is a Dutch oven?

A Dutch oven is a heavy, thick-walled pot. It may be enamelled.

It is used on the stovetop or in the oven.

What is a camping Dutch oven?

A camping Dutch oven is made of cast iron or aluminum and has some additional features:

a tight-fitting lid

The lid keeps the heat in so that the food cooks efficiently.

three short legs

These allow you to put the Dutch oven directly in the coals of a campfire without burning the contents.

a sturdy wire handle

This allows you to lift the oven out of the fire. (It's hot! Use oven mitts!)

 You can also suspend the oven over the fire from a Dutch oven tripod.

a rimmed lid

You can put coals on top of the oven for a nice even heat from all directions.

My camping Dutch oven is made of cast iron. With a bit of special care, it is an amazingly non-stick pot. Click here to learn how to care for a Dutch oven.

How to use a Dutch oven

Prepare your ingredients and place them in the Dutch oven.

Place the Dutch oven directly on the coals of a campfire or on charcoal briquettes.

Check the food occasionally.

When your meal is ready, serve and enjoy.

That's all there is to it!

Click here for detailed, easy-to-follow instructions for each step of Dutch oven cooking.

Camp Dutch oven cooking tips

Be sure that your oven is well seasoned.

A well-seasoned cast iron pot is the best kind of non-stick cookware available. Click here to learn how to season a Dutch oven.

Give yourself lots of time

Dutch oven cooking takes a while.

Before you can begin, you'll need a good, hot fire - and then you'll need to let the fire burn down to coals.

Do your planning early in the day and start the fire long before you'll want to eat.

Give meal preparation your full attention

If you have small children, I have a piece of advice for you:

Save the Dutch oven for when your children are older.

Although Dutch oven cooking isn't hard, it does require your full attention - and it's HOT!

Keeping your toddlers away from the fire and ensuring their safety will distract you from your cooking. Unless there is another adult available to be on 100% child duty, make your life easy and don't use the Dutch oven just yet.

Use oven mitts or barbecue gloves.

Did I mention that a Dutch oven will be hot? Always protect yourself with oven mitts or special barbecue gloves.

We owned a Dutch oven for quite some time before I got around to actually using it. I had the mistaken idea that cooking in a Dutch oven is difficult. I couldn't have been more mistaken!

With a Dutch oven and some good Dutch oven campfire recipes, you can create some amazingly tasty meals - and have fun at the same time!