Dutch Oven Cooking 101: The Only Campfire Pot You Need

But the dutch oven? That thing isn't going anywhere.

Why a Dutch Oven Works for RV Life

We use a Lodge 6-quart cast iron dutch oven, and honestly it does the job of about four different pots and pans. We bake bread in it, make stews, roast whole chickens, even do cobblers for potluck nights. The thing is practically indestructable. We've dropped it on the ground at a campsite in Moab and all it did was make a dent in the gravel.

The beauty of a dutch oven for RV cooking is the versatility. You can use it on a campfire with charcoal briquettes on top, on a propane camp stove, or right on your RV stovetop. We've done all three, depending on the weather and where we're parked. When it's cold out or raining, stovetop. Nice evening? Campfire every time.

Our Go-To Recipes

We've got a rotation of about eight meals we come back to over and over. Here's a few of our favorites:

Linda's Beer Bread - This one is stupid simple. Three cups self-rising flour, three tablespoons sugar, one can of beer (we use whatever's in the fridge, usually a Modelo or a Coors). Mix it up, pour into the greased dutch oven, bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. On a campfire, that's roughly 18 briquettes on top, 8 on the bottom. The smell alone will have your neighbors wandering over.

Campfire Pot Roast - We buy a chuck roast at whatever grocery store is nearby. Sear it right in the dutch oven, toss in potatoes, carrots, an onion, some beef broth, and a packet of Lipton onion soup mix. Yes, Lipton onion soup mix. Linda says it's cheating but I say it's genius. Let it go for about three hours over low coals and you've got a meal that tastes like Sunday dinner at your grandma's house.

Peach Cobbler - This is our potluck secret weapon. Two cans of peach slices, a box of yellow cake mix, and a stick of butter sliced on top. That's it. About 45 minutes over coals. We've made this at campgrounds from Glacier National Park to the Florida Keys and people always ask for the recipe. They never believe it's that easy.

Tips We've Learned the Hard Way

First thing - get a lid lifter. We went our first year without one and Linda burnt her hand twice using pliers. The Camp Chef lid lifter costs like twelve bucks and it's worth every penny. Also get a charcoal chimney starter if you're doing campfire cooking. Trying to light briquettes with lighter fluid is a pain and makes your food taste like chemicals.

Cleaning is easier than people think. We just scrape it out, rinse with hot water, and wipe it down with a little oil. Never soap. Linda made that mistake once back in 2018 and it took a month of cooking bacon to get the seasoning back right.

Storage-wise, we keep ours in a canvas bag in the outside compartment of the RV. It's heavy - about 12 pounds - so you don't want it sliding around in the kitchen while you're driving. We learned that one the hard way too, somewhere on I-10 in Texas when it slid off the counter and nearly broke Linda's foot.

If you're just getting started with dutch oven cooking, don't overthink it. Get a Lodge, get some charcoal, and try the cobbler first. Once you pull that lid off and see what's underneath, you'll be hooked. We sure were.