Dutch oven cooking for river trips is a legendary part of the experience. 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 (or car camping trips). Plus I’ll cover Dutch oven cook gear recommendations and answer some common questions for those who are new to DO cooking.
Why cook with Dutch ovens on river camping trips
Dutch ovens make it possible to whip up delectable baked goods in the wild, and that is magic.
My family dismissed Dutch oven cooking for years because we never seemed to have enough time in camp. But on our Grand Canyon trip, we observed that a Dutch oven meal puts a different spin on the evening—or the morning.
David Harwood, trip leader on our Grand Canyon adventure, helped with this post by contributing his considerable Dutch oven cooking wisdom.
Best Dutch oven gear for river 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.
Why do you need a Dutch oven with legs or a stand? You need to elevate the Dutch oven over the coals to create some ventilation. Also keep in mind that if you want to stack two DOs, you’ll want ovens with legs.
If you’re bringing a Dutch oven on a river trip, you likely have rafts 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, 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.)
Top Dutch ovens for river camping
- Lodge Deep Camp Oven (8-quart): Lodge is a famous maker of cast iron cookware, and this model comes pre-seasoned. However, 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 DO 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 DO (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: At only 8 pounds, this DO is a smart choice for rafters who want to travel light. Made of thick anodized aluminum that distributes heat evenly, it has a non-stick surface and legs to raise the oven above the coals, creating essential ventilation. The GSI Anodized 12″ version of the oven comes in at just over 6 pounds.
Dutch oven cooking gear
Aside from the DO 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. Here’s how those are used, and our recommendations for the best picks in Dutch oven camp cooking gear.
Fire pan for heating coals for Dutch oven
On most permitted river trips, you’re required to have a fire pan, so this is likely already in your gear stash. The NRS fire pan setup is classic—it comes with a stand so a hot fire pan never makes direct contact with the river beach. It is extremely heavy, but will never wear out. This fire pan has been on the “approved” list by the National Park Service and US Forest Service for years.
If you want to cut weight with your fire pan, consider the Fireside Pop-up Fire Pit, which meets US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) guidelines. It’s only 8 pounds and packs down to a fairly slim cylinder.
Ember mat
Under your fire pan, you’ll want a mat to protect the ground from high heat and embers. Our favorite pick is the Fireside Outdoors Ember Mat.
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 is a good pick because it takes up minimal space in your load.
Charcoal
For river trips, go for Kingsford Match Light or similar charcoal (available at any grocery store) to get dinner started quicker. I’ve found through bitter experience that brand-name charcoal is worth the cost as the cheap stuff disintegrates quickly. (See the FAQs 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. And these Ove Gloves are a favorite among our river-running friends.
Camp cooking 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 Oxo Outdoor 4-piece camp utensil set includes tongs, spatula, and spoon with a silicone mat that serves as a mat and a packing wrap.
Camping lighter
Of course you’ll have a lighter or two for lighting your campstove. Our standbys are the familiar Bic Multi-purpose lighters that you can likely pick up in a gas station on your way to the put-in.
But more sustainable options bound, including this Zippo Windproof lighter (you can refill with lighter fluid) or the SOL Fire Lite Fuel-Free Lighter (a USB-rechargeable electric lighter). We also keep 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!
Dutch oven parchment paper liners
While not necessary, these Lodge Camp Dutch oven liners made of parchment paper cut the clean-up time.
Step-by-step Dutch oven camp cooking
With gear in hand, here’s the step-by-step process for Dutch oven cooking on river trips.
- Light the charcoal. 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.
- Dump two dozen briquettes from the chimney onto the fire pan.
- 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.
- Start another chimney of briquettes to refresh the coals about halfway through the cook time.
- If you’re cooking two dishes, stack the one that needs the most heat on top.
- Every 15 minutes, turn the D.O. a third to distribute the heat evenly.
- After 30 minutes, refresh the coals.
- Check the dish for doneness after about 45 to 60 minutes (depending on the recipe). You can typically use your nose to confirm: If you can smell the baked food, it’s ready to serve.
Frequently asked questions about Dutch oven river camp cooking
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.
How much charcoal do I need 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. You need 24 briquettes for the first phase of cooking. You’ll need another dozen that you’ll keep heating in the chimney. You’ll use these to replace some of the original briquettes as they start to cool off.
In general, you’ll need twice the number of briquettes as the diameter of your DO, plus another dozen for good measure. One 21-pound bag of charcoal provides enough heat for about 10-12 baked meals, assuming 36 briquettes per dish.
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 don’t have 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. You’ll need an hour to get the coals hot and another 45 minutes or so for baking. Dutch oven cooking can be time-intensive, which works well for layover days or short river days.
What Dutch oven recipes are best for a river trip?
Probably any Dutch oven recipe written for home cooking could be adapted for the river. But the best bets are recipes that are fairly simple to assemble, require relatively few ingredients, and will work even if the oven temp fluctuates. You’ll likely be dealing with a lot of variables in river camp that you can’t control.
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:
- Mom’s Dinner Dutch Oven Spinach Artichoke LasagnaGet started with Dutch oven camping
- Arizona Raft Adventures’ Green Chili Casserole
- Arizona Raft Adventures’ Dutch Oven Chocolate Chip Cookie Dessert
Dutch oven cooking is so satisfying, but it isn’t as foolproof as dumping some spaghetti sauce into a pan. 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.
