Dutch Oven Coal Chart: Controlling Heat Over Coals

Controlling heat is the hard part of cooking in a camp Dutch oven, because there is no dial. You set the temperature with charcoal briquettes: how many, where they sit, and when you turn the oven. This guide sticks to published rules from Lodge Cast Iron, a camp Dutch oven manufacturer, and two US university extension services (Montana State University Extension and Utah State University Extension). Where they disagree, we say so.

Start With the Manufacturer’s Coal Chart

Lodge publishes a coal chart for its camp Dutch ovens. Each entry gives the number of briquettes for the lid (top) and the number underneath (bottom) to hold a target temperature, for 8, 10, 12 and 14 inch ovens (about 20, 25, 30 and 36 cm). The figures below are read directly from that chart, shown as top / bottom.

So a 12 inch oven at 350°F (177°C) takes 17 briquettes on the lid and 8 underneath, 25 in total.

Where the Sources Differ

Lodge’s own written advice adds a rule of thumb by cooking style: about a 3:1 ratio of top to bottom coals for baking, 1:1 for roasting, and bottom heat only, with no coals on the lid, for boiling, stewing and frying. The university guides use different formulas, so do not expect them to match the chart exactly:

• Montana State University Extension (a handout) gives a “3 up, 3 down = 325°F” rule: take the oven diameter, add three for the top and subtract three for the bottom. For a 12 inch oven that is 15 on top and 9 underneath. It says each briquette adds about 20°F.
• Utah State University Extension (a 4-H foods handout by Susan Haws) says the oven size equals the number of coals on top, with half that number underneath, and credits the rule to Lodge. Its chart gives ranges instead of single numbers: 12-14 top and 6-8 bottom for a 12 inch oven.

For the same 12 inch oven at around 325 to 350°F (163 to 177°C), that is 16 to 17 on top (Lodge), 15 on top and 9 below (Montana State) or 12 to 14 on top and 6 to 8 below (Utah State). Treat each as a starting point and adjust to your food.

How to Place the Coals

• Under the oven, lay briquettes in a circle at least 1/2 inch (about 1.3 cm) inside the oven’s edge (Lodge).
• On the lid, spread them in a checkerboard pattern (Lodge).
• Do not bunch them. Lodge warns that clumps create hot spots that can burn food or damage the oven, and Montana State also says to use a consistent pattern because bunched charcoal can burn food.
• Light briquettes 15 to 20 minutes before you need them (Lodge). Utah State says they are ready when hot and gray.

How to Rotate the Oven

Lodge’s rule is to lift the oven and turn it a quarter turn every 10 to 15 minutes, then turn the lid a quarter turn the opposite way. Montana State suggests turning the oven about 90 degrees every 7 to 20 minutes, particularly in wind, and using a windbreak. Lodge also recommends a wind shelter of stones, bricks or pavers.

Adjusting Heat as You Cook

• If you need to add or remove briquettes, change top and bottom in the same proportion (Lodge).
• For a cook longer than 45 minutes, Lodge suggests adding another round of hot coals. Montana State says a briquette burns for about an hour and suggests adding a few new ones on top every 20 minutes.
• Above 3,000 feet (about 900 m), Lodge says to raise temperatures by about 25°F (roughly 14°C) and lengthen cook times.

Campfire and Coal Safety

This safety advice comes from the Smokey Bear campfire safety guide, a US wildfire-prevention campaign whose site carries USDA Forest Service branding. Check local fire restrictions before you light anything. The guide says to search for “fire restrictions” plus your location or land agency, and not to build a fire where campground, event or local rules prohibit it. Lodge’s guide notes that briquettes can help where parks restrict wood fires. In the UK, follow the rules of the site owner and your local fire and rescue service.

• Do not light a fire in hazardous, dry or windy conditions.
• Stay at least 15 feet (about 4.5 m) from tents, vegetation and low branches, and clear a 10 foot (3 m) diameter around a fire site.
• Keep water, a bucket and a shovel on hand, and never use flammable liquids to start a fire.

Putting a Fire Out Safely

Smokey Bear’s method is drown, stir, drown, feel. Pour lots of water on until the hissing stops (dirt or sand alone is not enough), stir the embers with a shovel until none are exposed or smoldering, keep adding water until everything is cool, then hover the back of your hand over the ashes to check. Its rule of thumb: if it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave.

Keep reading

• Lazy Peach Cobbler in a Camp Dutch Oven (Lodge Recipe)
• Dutch Oven Camp Biscuits: Lodge’s Recipe Over Coals
• Cast Iron on the Grill: Lodge Use, Seasoning and Cleaning
• NPS Campfire Meals in Foil: Recipe and Safety Notes

Sources

• Camp Dutch Oven Cleaning & Care and Coal Chart — Lodge Cast Iron
• How Many Coals to Use When Cooking with a Camp Dutch Oven — Lodge Cast Iron
• The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide for Camp Oven Cooking — Lodge Cast Iron (PDF)
• Heat and Fuel Sources — Montana State University Extension (PDF)
• Dutch Oven Cooking — Utah State University Extension (PDF)
• Campfire Safety — Smokey Bear (Ad Council, National Association of State Foresters and USDA Forest Service)