How to Cook with Dutch Ovens on River Trips

Michele Crockett

Updated on:

Food PlanningOrganizing
Stacked cast iron Dutch ovens in river camp

Dutch oven cooking is a legendary part of river trip camping, especially for river outfitters running multi-day trips. Although campstove cooking and open fire grilling are the default for river trips because you often don’t have much time in camp, Dutch ovens make it possible to whip up delectable baked goods in the wild—and that is magic. Layered enchiladas with a golden brown cornbread topper. Breakfast cobbler with some flakey biscuit pillows on top. If you have a layover day or a short day on the water, it’s well worth the effort to build some Dutch oven meals into your river trip plan. If you haven’t tried it yet or need some inspiration, here’s a step-by-step guide to Dutch oven cooking on river trips. It’s worth it!

Two Dutch ovens stacked in camp on river trip
Stacked Dutch ovens signal a satisfying meal to come

Delicious as Dutch oven meals are, my family dismissed them for years because we invariably needed to make a lot of miles each day so we didn’t have much time in camp. But on our Grand Canyon trip, we were reminded that a Dutch oven meal puts a different spin on the evening—or the morning. And many thanks to our friend David Harwood, trip leader on our Grand Canyon adventure, whose Dutch oven cooking wisdom and experience is woven throughout this post. (Note that some of the products mentioned contain affiliate links, which means we might get a small commission if you buy something.)

FAQs about Dutch oven cooking on river trips

What are the best Dutch ovens for river trip camping?

The best Dutch oven for your river trip will be one with legs on the bottom (or a stand) to accommodate coals underneath them, made of cast iron or high-quality aluminum (which makes the oven lighter), and big enough to yield enough food for your group. 

Clean and empty cast iron Dutch oven on fire pan in camp
Classic cast iron Dutch oven

If you’re bringing a Dutch oven on a river trip, you’ve likely got a raft or two on the trip hauling much of the gear. In this case, you’re probably not too worried about the weight of a cast iron Dutch oven. However, river gear manufacturers continually dream up innovative gear that meets the specific needs of paddlers. So if you’re trying to cut weight (you’ve got a low-water trip on the Middle Fork, for example, and you’re flying into the Indian Creek put-in), then you’ll want to check out lightweight aluminum Dutch ovens. (On the other hand, if weight is really an issue, a Dutch oven isn’t going to make the cut anyway.) Here are a few Dutch ovens to consider:

  • Lodge Deep Camp Oven (8-quart)—Lodge is a famous maker of cast iron cookware, and this model comes pre-seasoned, although in my experience, every piece of cast iron could use some additional seasoning from time to time. (Put about 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil into your cast iron dish and place it in the oven at 200 degrees for about two hours, then turn off the heat and let it cool inside the oven.) This 8-quart D.O. is deeper than a typical 12-inch, so keep that in mind when you’re researching recipes in advance of a trip so you don’t end up with a dish that’s undercooked in the middle. 
  • Lodge Camp Oven (6-quart)—This D.O. (also pre-seasoned) is a classic 12-inch size that’s called for in many recipes, so for simplicity, you might consider getting two of these so you have options for accommodating different group sizes.  
  • GSI Anodized 14” Aluminum Dutch Oven—Available on the NRS web site and intended specifically for paddlers, this Dutch oven is one-third the weight of cast iron. 

Should I get a Dutch oven with legs or a stand?

You need to elevate the Dutch oven over the coals, so it either needs legs or a stand. Keep in mind that if you want to stack two D.O.s (maybe for meat and veggie versions of the same dish or an entree and a dessert), you’ll want ovens with legs. However, if you want to do some Dutch oven cooking at home (or you already have one), getting a stand for a flat-bottom Dutch oven will allow you to use it at home and on the river. 

Dutch oven breakfast on the river
Choose Dutch ovens with legs to allow room for coals underneath

How many Dutch ovens do I need on a river trip? 

If you have a group of 8 or fewer, you need one 6-quart or 8-quart Dutch oven. For bigger groups, bring two. Even if you have a smaller group, if you have no weight or space constraints, you might want to bring two so that you can cook both the entree and a dessert simultaneously. Might as well take advantage of those hot coals. 

What other gear is needed for Dutch oven cooking on river trips?

Aside from the D.O. itself, you need a fire pan and ember mat, charcoal,  a chimney starter, some fireproof gloves, a lighter, and tongs for moving the tools around. 

  • Fire pan—on most permitted river trips, you’re required to have a fire pan, so this is likely already in your gear stash. This NRS fire pan setup is classic—it comes with a stand so a hot fire pan never makes direct contact with the river beach. 
  • Ember mat—Under your fire pan, you’ll want a mat to protect the ground from high heat and embers.
  • Chimney fire starter—As in your grilling experience at home, these handy cylinders concentrate the charcoal briquettes in a column so they get hotter quicker. This Weber RapidFire Compact Chimney Starter (affiliate link)  is a good pick because it takes up minimal space in your load. 
  • Charcoal—For river trips, go for Match Light or similar charcoal (available at any grocery store) to get dinner started quicker. (See the discussion below to determine how much charcoal to bring.)
  • Fire-protection gloves—Far better than pot holders, fireproof gloves reduce the risk of serious burns when you’re handling hot Dutch ovens, coals, and fire pans. Bring at least two pairs as Dutch oven cooking is often a team sport. These Fireside Outdoor Thermal Protection gloves work well and are relatively inexpensive. Ace Hardware offers these Ove Gloves, which are a favorite among our river-running friends, as well as straight-up welding gloves for about $20, which will work fine.
  • Tongs—You likely will have tongs in your river gear if you’re planning any sort of firepan activity. You can grab the tongs that are next to your grill at home. Or this set of campfire tools from REI includes a spatula and knife in a handy roll-up package. These Barebones tongs have a nice claw-like shape to them that seem made for shifting coals around.  
  • Lighter—Of course you’ll have a lighter or two for lighting your campstove. And some waterproof matches as a backup. And if all else fails, keep one of these handy devices around: This Outdoor Element Firebiner has a ferro rod and a spark wheel to start a blaze, plus it opens bottles and cuts wire. River trip MVP!
  • These Lodge Camp Dutch oven liners made of parchment paper liners cut the clean-up time.
Person with fireproof gloves lifting lid on a Dutch oven dish in river camp
Fireproof gloves are essential for Dutch oven cooking—we use these Ove Gloves (affiliate)

How much charcoal is needed for each Dutch oven meal?

You’re gonna need a lot of briquettes for even one D.O. dish. For a typical 12-inch D.O., to bake a dish at about 350 degrees, you’ll need about 36 total briquettes—24 for the first phase of cooking plus another dozen that you’ll keep heating in the chimney and use to replace some of the original briquettes as they start to cool off. (A good rule of thumb is that you’ll need twice the number of briquettes as the diameter of your D.O., plus another dozen per dish for good measure.) One 21-pound bag of charcoal is enough for about 10-12 baked meals, assuming 36 briquettes per dish to account for the unforeseen. 

How should I pack the charcoal on the raft?

On Grand Canyon, we stored our coal briquettes (which should remain dry) in clean ammo boxes that eventually became our groover containers. If you’re on a shorter trip where you don’t have a bunch of ammo boxes, you can store the coal in any way that keeps them dry. Old dry bags that are still relatively waterproof will work. Another option is gamma-seal containers, which have wide screw-on lids (you might already have one for storing dog food). Or you can buy these gamma-seal lids to retrofit your existing stash of buckets. Organization tip: Count out the required number of briquettes for each dish and put them in a zip-seal plastic bag with a label for the camp night and dish.

How long does it take to cook a Dutch oven meal on a river trip?

Plan on the whole process taking about 2 hours: An hour to get the coals hot and another 45 minutes or so for baking. Although you wouldn’t want to take this on if you got in late to camp and people are starving, a D.O. meal is perfect for layover days or short river days. 

Dutch oven enchiladas with cornbread topping
Dutch oven enchiladas with a golden brown crust on top—heaven!

What Dutch oven recipes are best for a river trip?

Although probably any Dutch oven recipe written for home cooking could be adapted for the river, the best bets are recipes that are fairly simple to assemble, require relatively few ingredients, and are unfussy as far as requiring a certain temperature to cook correctly. You’ll likely be dealing with a lot of variables in river camp that you won’t encounter at home when you’re able to pop the D.O. into your perfectly heated oven. In river camp, the air temperature might be hotter or cooler than you expected. It might be raining. You might have forgotten half the coal. Also, time tends to pass quickly when you’re preparing a river trip meal. Even if you’re lucky enough to get to camp in late afternoon, it won’t be long before the crew starts sniffing around for dinner. You need to get those coals hot—fast. And you need a recipe that doesn’t require 40 minutes of assembly time.

Recipes that worked well on our Grand Canyon trip:

Cooking with a Dutch oven in river camp

With gear and recipes in hand, here’s the step-by-step process for Dutch oven cooking on river trips. 

  1. Get the charcoal started. In the firepan, lay a base of tinder (pine needles, leaves, small sticks, paper), and set the fire chimney over that. Load the charcoal into the chimney and light the tinder. When the briquettes turn gray, you’re ready to cook.
Charcoal briquettes in chimney lit by tinder in fire pan
Charcoal briquettes in the chimney with tinder underneath
  1. Dump two dozen briquettes from the chimney onto the fire pan.
Person using tongs to arrange hot charcoal briquettes in fire pan for Dutch oven cooking
Dump the charcoal briquettes onto the fire pan
  1. Using hot gloves and tongs, arrange three-quarter of the briquettes on the fire pan, place the Dutch oven over the coals, and put the rest of the coals on the lid. 
Person using tongs to arrange briquettes on lid of Dutch oven
Arrange the bed of coals on the fire pan, place the Dutch oven on top, and add coals around the rim of the lid
  1. Start another chimney of briquettes to refresh the coals about halfway through the cook time. 
  2. If you’re cooking two dishes, stack the one that needs the most heat on top.
Person lifting lid on Dutch oven
Put the dish that needs more heat on top
  1. Every 15 minutes, turn the D.O. a third to distribute the heat evenly. 
  2. After 30 minutes, refresh the coals. 
  3. Depending on your recipe, after about 45 to 60 minutes, the dish should be done. You can typically use your nose to confirm: If you can smell the baked food, it’s ready to serve. 
Golden brown cornbread topping on Dutch oven dish
When you can smell dinner, your dish is done

Get started with Dutch oven camping 

Dutch oven cooking is so satisfying, but it isn’t as foolproof as dumping some spaghetti sauce into a pan and heating it up. If you’re nervous about whether a Dutch oven dish will turn out well, do some practice runs in your backyard beforehand. Keep in mind that you’ll be contending with many different variables on a river trip—such as fluctuating weather, longer-than-expected river days, and forgotten gear. But if you pick an evening or morning where you have some slack time in the river trip schedule, it’s well worth the time and effort to break out the Dutch oven.

Spotted dog in river camp next to Dutch oven dish
Tully anticipates supper

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