Beer and Iron’s Heating a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven
In preparation for more outdoor cooking this summer, we are going to start off our Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven article series with a how-to heat the cast iron Dutch oven. Later, we’ll talk about packing for outdoor cooking. And even later, we’ll get into the recipes and a few hacks that I am sure you will love.
Affiliate Links are Included in this Article
First and foremost and pretty please with sugar on top…don’t overthink this. You will never, ever, ever get a perfect spot-on temperature in your Dutch oven. Heck, even home ovens have variations. “If your oven is well-calibrated and you’ve set it to 350°F, the element might stay on until the cavity hits 370°F, then switch off, then switch back on when it dips to 330°F.”
If you can remember the basic gist of this article, you will feel as free as a bird and appear to be as smart as any great outdoor chef.
Here’s the basics:
Option #1 – The 2x Rule:
Use twice as many charcoal briquettes as the diameter of your Dutch oven. Take ⅓ of those briquettes and put them on the bottom and ⅔ of those briquettes on the top. It’s that easy…ish…there’s always that “ish” part. This article will elaborate on the specifics of heating the Dutch oven with more clarity and accuracy.
Example: Take a 12” Dutch oven. Multiply 12 by 2. That equals 24. Divide 24 by three. That’s eight. Take 8 briquettes and put them under the oven; 8 is 1/3rd of 24. Take 16 and put them on the top; 16 is 2/3rd of 24.
Option #2 – Plus 4 / Minus 4 Rule:
Take the diameter of your Dutch oven and add four; that’s how many charcoal briquettes go on top. Then, take the diameter of your Dutch oven and subtract four; that’s how many briquettes go under the Dutch oven.
Example: Take a 12” Dutch oven. Subtract 4 from 12, that gives you 8. Put 8 briquettes under the oven. Next, add 4 to 12. That gives you 16. Put 16 briquettes on top of the oven.
These formulas call for (what seems like) charcoal count-specifics. They are not really specifics; they are guidelines. Getting your Dutch oven to exactly 350°F / 177°C and holding that temperature for the duration of your cook is not possible. These coal counts are only your starting point. It’s a count to get you started learning how to heat the Dutch oven.
This article and the video will focus on the 2x rule. It’s just a preference. The count does not always match when using the 2x Rule and the Plus 4 / Minus 4 Rule. Truth of the matter is this: There’s a whole lot of other factors that go in to heating a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven and that’s where this article will attempt to offer some clarity.
DON’T OVER THINK THIS…JUST HAVE FUN! The only rule to remember is this: You can cook under-cooked food longer, but you can’t un-burn food.
There are so many Dutch Oven Sizes.
We have a couple of 16” Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Ovens that are some of my most prized possessions. Funny thing…I rarely cook in anything smaller than a 10” or bigger than a 12”. That leaves only about 3-4 sizes we cook with and will primarily be the examples I give in this article (affiliate links).
Let’s look closer at the 10” and 12” inch cast iron Dutch ovens.
10” Regular – 10 Inch / 4 Quart Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven
10” Deep – 10 Inch / 5 Quart Cast Iron Deep Camp Dutch Oven
12” Regular – 12 Inch / 6 Quart Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven
12” Deep – 12 Inch / 8 Quart Cast Iron Deep Camp Dutch Oven
My suggestion is to start with a 12” deep Dutch oven. Lodge and Camp Chef have an 8 Quart, 12” deep Dutch oven that are great go-to Dutch ovens. I ain’t gonna call them “Starter Ovens” because they are “Finisher Ovens” too. A 12” deep camp cast iron Dutch oven is a good size to start cooking with and it’s one you’ll keep using as you “age” and grow in your outdoor chef skills.
I like the Lodge version for its family-owned, USA-made quality and proven durability; I am USA based and like to support local folks. Lodge makes a great Dutch oven. And, though Camp Chef ovens are made overseas to my location, the quality is very good and so is the durability. Truth be known, I have a few pieces crafted in Asia and they are wonderful ovens.
One of the things about Camp Chef that I will have to brag about and that’s the little thermometer notch. Some folks call it a steam vent. But, I use it for meals that I am cooking and need to monitor the temperature more closely.
I am just naming Lodge and Camp Chef. There are many, many other brands out there. And, don’t underestimate the found-in-the-wild, Asian-made pieces that have no markings or very vague markings. Some of my favorite Dutch ovens are these heavy-duty beasts that gives me the option to feed a dozen people out of a single pot.
In the video, I even show a Dutch oven from Cabela’s. It’s a 12” that I picked up a few years back after forgetting my Lodge at home (yes…it does happen). It’s been a pretty good pot.
Heating Sources are Varied and Plentiful
- The Popular Charcoal Briquette
- Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal
- Wood Fire like a Campfire
To start, use charcoal briquettes to heat your Dutch Oven. They are easy to obtain and the formula a bit easier to follow. Get the “how” down and then experiment with other heat sources.
Truth be known, nothing is going to give you an even temperature when cooking with any heat source while you create meals in the great outdoors. Your Dutch oven temperature will vary based on the number of coal or amount of firewood, the distance from that heat source, the stage at which that heat source has burned down to, the size of the Dutch oven, humidity, even elevation, and the weather (raining, windy, hot, or cold outside).
The best way…the very best way to heat your Dutch oven to the optimum temperature…you ain’t gonna like this…the very best way to learn how to heat a cast iron Dutch oven is to cook, cook, and cook some more. Like the old adage: Practice makes perfect. It’s so true in cooking and especially with cast iron cooking.
I have folks all the time that ask, “Sulae! My food didn’t turn out like your recipe said it would. I did just what you did and (insert any number of problems here). A lot of times, no! They didn’t do “just what I did.” I’ve cooked the same recipe two or three or more times a week when I am stuck and needing to perfect that dish. My family will love the dish the first night. Me. I’m like “meh.” The second night, my family is like, “this one is good; but so was last night.” By the time I get to my own “YES! This is perfect!” They are like, “Meh. We’ve had this same meal 10 nights this week! Please make something else!”
They love me.
I am not saying that you should cook the same meal 10-nights a week; I am suggesting that you use your outdoor camp cast iron Dutch oven more than 3-5 times a year. Get out on the back patio, have a beer, make some fire, and cook dinner. Get good in the back yard and you’ll be good at camp.
By default, you cook in the kitchen most of the time. You have a large box in your kitchen that regulates its own temperature. The stove top has dials that help you quickly regulate the heat from Lo to Hi by turning a knob. You have practiced and now you are on your way to perfection (in our dreams).
Camp Dutch oven cooking is rough and tough cooking. And, you’re going to burn something; I guarantee it. Something is going to stick; you know it will. Something is going to disappoint. I don’t want to be all doom and gloom. No sir! No Ma’am! The chance of failure is what makes the successes so incredible! You can make chicken pot pie all the live long day at home…in your kitchen…and in your oven. Is it good? Sure! It’s good!! Now, create that recipe in a camp cast iron Dutch oven. Is it good? NO! It’s GREAT! You’ll be amazed how delicious nostalgia tastes.
Where most camp Dutch oven chefs struggle is the temperature. And that’s where we are going to start. Learn to heat with charcoal briquettes first and then you’ll get that eye and the feel for heating with other sources.
A Comment on Temperature
First and foremost! We are initially looking to learn to heat a Dutch oven to 350°F / 177°C. I’ll give more advice later for lower and higher temperatures. Let’s stick with learning the basic heating of a camp Dutch oven at the very common 350°F / 177°C (though a friend of mine in Mexico says that most home ovens default to 190°C whereas the USA ovens default to 350°F). To all y’all that are looking for exactness…y’all gotta give that up. We will “try” to reach 350°F / 177°C and in our attempt we may reach 374°F…or 190°C. That bit of difference is expected and ain’t in no way and no how worthy of a discussion. Just sayin’
Considering the camp Dutch oven, our food will cook the very same at 350°F / 177°C as it will at 374°F / 190°C. If it’s perfect at 350°F / 177°C, it’d been perfect at 374°F / 190°C. If it burned at 374°F / 190°C, it would have burned at 350°F / 177°C.
For now remember “around” 350°F-374°F and “around” 177°C-190°C. The outcome of your food will be the same (good or bad…LOL).
There are three ways you will cook in your cast iron Dutch ovens:
- Baking
- Frying, Searing, or Sautéing
- Roasting
Heating your cast iron camp Dutch oven starts by identifying the type of meal you are going to create.
Baking will require less heat directed to the bottom and more heat directed to the top.
Frying, Searing, or Sautéing or even boiling something requires all the heat on the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Roasting is usually an even distribution of heat with a few caveats we’ll likely discuss briefly today and really cover in individual recipes.
The Commercially Common Charcoal Briquette
Regardless of the type of cooking you are going to do, using charcoal briquettes will give you a defined number to use based on the size of your Dutch oven. They say that 5 out of 4 people struggle with math. You don’t have a problem with math. Not you! But folks I know. And for those folks, here’s your formula: Take the diameter of your Dutch oven and multiply it by two.
The Times Two Guideline
Identify a starting number of charcoal briquettes you need to heat the Dutch oven. Your starting point will always be the times two rule. From there, we can “turn up” the heat or “turn down the heat.” It does not matter if you are baking, roasting, or frying, the times two rule will show you how many briquettes you need to start.
Take the diameter of your Dutch oven, multiply it by two, and that is how many briquettes you will need to cook with (for the most part and with some specifics we will cover later).
You have your 12” Dutch oven and need to know how many charcoal briquettes to use. You will need 24+ briquettes to start. And, like giving someone a birthday whippin’, you’ll need one (or more) to grow on. Remember the birthday whippin’ reference.
Okay. So, you have your 24 charcoal briquettes and they are glowing red hot (some more red hotter than others). Where on or around the Dutch oven do you place these briquettes? That depends on what kind of cooking you are doing.
Are you baking, roasting, or frying?
Baking
For the most part, I bake. Cakes, pizza, and bread…I do a lot of baking. There are some dishes that seem like they should be boiled or fried but really should be baked. Consider a pasta-based dish like a goulash or a rice-based dish like jambalaya. They start off very soup or stew-like but end up turning into a dish that would be better “baked” with most of the heat on the top like baking (or even roasting with an even distribution of heat on the top and the bottom).
There’s a lot of air above the food you are creating. The food is often sitting on the bottom of the oven and almost in direct heat to the heat source. Actually, the oven is “almost” in direct heat whereas the food IS in direct heat. We need to be gentle to the food and not burn it. After all, you can continue cooking food that’s not fully done, but you can’t un-burn food.
To bake in your Dutch oven, take the size of your Dutch oven and multiply it by two.
Now, take that number and divide it by three. Take two parts (2/3rds of the briquettes) and put them on the top of the Dutch oven. Take the one part (1/3rd of the briquettes) and put them on the bottom of the Dutch oven. Here’s some real math:
- You are cooking with a 12” Dutch oven. Take 12 and multiply it times 2
12×2 = 24 - Take twenty-four and divide it by three
24÷3 = 8 - Take 8 briquettes and put them on the bottom of the Dutch oven and put all the rest on the top or the lid. That will be 16 briquettes on the top and 8 briquettes on the bottom.
With 16 briquettes on the top and 8 briquettes around the bottom, you will essentially be cooking in a 350°F-374°F and 177°C-190°C oven.
Note: You may end up with an uneven three parts. No worries. Put the extra briquette wherever you want to…top…bottom…it’s all good.
Roasting or Broasting
Let’s say you want to cook a whole chicken in camp. Or you may have a prime rib you are going to cook in a salt crust. Maybe a nice tenderloin…stuffed and wrapped in bacon!!! You need to Roast or Broast (braising and roasting). Do the same math in relation to the diameter of the Dutch oven. A 12” Dutch oven calls for 24 briquettes. Now, put half on the top and half under the Dutch oven. There’s a bit more to it…but…for the most part…this is your formula.
I seldom use this method to heat my Dutch oven. I usually follow the baking or frying methods.
Frying, Searing, Sautéing or Boiling
For soups, stews, chilis, gumbo, and a whole bunch of other meals, you will place ALL of your briquettes under the bottom of the cast iron Dutch oven. If you are cooking in a 12” Dutch oven, all 24 briquettes will go under the oven.
However, there’s a quick word on frying, searing, sautéing, and browning: You’ll likely need to add more briquettes sooner rather than later to keep the heat high enough. I often will “turn up the heat” by about 50°-100°F (10°-38°C). I’ll talk about turning up the heat (and turning down the heat in a bit).
Combining Heating Methods
What you will find more common than not is when you need to first fry or sauté and then bake. Let me give you an example. You plan to make a wonderful goulash and need to “brown” your beef first as well as sauté your onions. Using my 12” Dutch oven, I will first place all 24 briquettes on the bottom and get that pan searing hot! After I brown my meat and sauté my onions, I will “turn down the heat” by placing 16 briquettes on the top and 8 under the Dutch oven to let the meal cook and the noodles soften. To mix things up a bit, at the end I may want some cheese on the top. I want that cheese to be melted and maybe even a bit toasty. I will add ALL my briquettes on the top of that Dutch oven and BROIL the meal (keeping an eagle-eye on it so I don’t burn it).
Okay…
So far, we have learned how to heat a 12” cast iron Dutch oven depending on if we are baking, roasting, or frying and we are looking for the equivalent of a 350°F-374°F and 177°C-190°C oven. You’ll be asking about that temperature range if we are frying with all the heat under the oven. And YES! It will be hotter at the surface than 350°F-374°F and 177°C-190°C. Much hotter. We also know that a meal that needs to be boiled or fried needs to have a higher surface temperature because the oil or the liquid will distribute the heat. We still follow the times two guideline.
Cycling Briquettes
As briquettes burn to ash, they cool down. A full, red-hot briquette will burn hotter than a smaller half-spent briquette. This is logical. Most of the time you will need a 2nd batch of charcoal briquettes. And, sometimes a third batch and even a fourth batch.
Here’s how you will manage that.
Let’s say you have a chicken that needs to cook for an hour. You figure you need to roast the chicken. Taking your 12” deep Dutch oven, you know you will need 24 briquettes. Perfect!
And like giving someone a birthday whippin’, you’ll need more “to grow on.”
If you need 24 briquettes to start cooking, then place 26-30 briquettes (give or take a couple) in that chimney. We’ll use 24 and leave the rest of the burning briquettes in the charcoal chimney or wherever you are lighting them. While they are all getting fired up, set your Dutch oven up. When the coals are ready, place the coals as you would for roasting, frying, or baking depending on your preference. That will leave extra briquettes in the chimney. Just leave them there.
About 10-15 minutes later, after you have placed the first round of briquettes on the Dutch oven, toss in about 26-30 fresh briquettes in that chimney and on top of those (now) burned down briquettes you left earlier…those are the extra briquettes we left in the chimney “to grow on.” Let those burning briquettes fire up or help fire up your new briquettes. By the time the new briquettes are ready to go, cycle out your old briquettes for the new ones.
Then, about 10-15 minutes later, do the same thing. Add enough briquettes to use on your Dutch oven and add a few more “to grow on” or to start your next batch of briquettes on. Keep going until you are fairly sure that your chicken (or whatever meal you are creating) is going to be done before that last batch runs cold.
Note: You can remove the spent briquettes before adding the new ones, or you can just add the new ones in between the spent ones.
How to Increase or Decrease Your Dutch Oven Temperature
Now, we know how to get our ovens to about “around” 350°F-374°F and “around” 177°C-190°C. But, what if we want to turn down the temperature or turn up the temperature?
The range I give of “around” 350°F-374°F and “around” 177°C-190°C is to try to get your oven at around those temperatures as a guide. Consider 350°F-177°C our base temperature. This method will allow you to calculate and better “turn down” or “turn up” the temperature by about 25°F or about 14°C (not down to these temperatures but adjust the temperatures by 25°F or 14°C intervals from the base 350°F-374°F to 177°C-190°C).
To reach about 350°F or 177°C in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven, we know we need to take the diameter of our Dutch oven and multiply that by two. This tells us how many briquettes we need. To turn the heat up or down by about 25°F or 14°C, you will need to either add or take away 2 (two) briquettes for every 25°F or 14°C adjustment you would like to make.
For example, let’s say you are cooking a recipe that calls for 400°F / 205°C that is about 50°F / 28°C warmer than our base 350°F / 177°C. We add 2 briquettes for every 25°F or 14°C [approximate]. That means we need to add 4 (four) more briquettes.
Considering the 12-inch cast iron Dutch oven, you will need 24 briquettes for your base 350°F / 177°C and then to reach 400°F / 205°C, you will need to add four more for a total of 28 briquettes.
24 plus 4 equals 28. Twenty Eight briquettes divided by three is: 9.33…put about 18-19 on the top and about 9-10 on the bottom.
What if your goal is to low-and-slow a coffee crusted pork roast for 8 hours at 200°F / 93°C.
Fahrenheit
350°F – 200°F is 150°F difference. 150°F divided by 25°F intervals is six. 6 x 2 briquettes is 12 LESS briquettes to keep a Dutch oven at 200°F. If we need 24 briquettes to reach 350°F, we’ll need 12 (24-12=12) for 200°F (8 on the top and 4 under the Dutch oven).
Centigrade
177°C – 93°C is 84°C difference. 84°C divided by 14°C intervals is six!! Look! At! THAT!! It’s magic!!
There’s no need for exact because exact is not possible.
Placement of Your Charcoal Briquettes
There are all kinds of patterns that folks use to organize the briquettes on and under the Dutch oven. I usually start in a ring around the top and cross over. Think of the lid like a clock. Start placing the briquettes at 12 and 6, then 3 and 9, then the spaces between. Then start filling in the middle.
Evenly distribute the across the top in a circle starting from the rim working your way in toward the handle. Just space them out as evenly as you can. On the bottom, place them just on the edge of the diameter of the Dutch oven’s bottom if you are baking or roasting. If you are frying or boiling, place them under the Dutch oven in a circular, evenly-spaced circle working from outer to inner.
Turning the Dutch Oven
This will keep a hot area of coals from over-cooking part of your meal and leaving the other parts underdone. Inevitably, one briquette will burn longer than another, the wind will be blowing in from one side or another. And as you cook, the cast iron Dutch oven will be cooler in one spot than another. We will turn the Dutch oven and the lid periodically to even this out.
After about 10 minutes of cooking, use your lid lifter to turn the lid ⅓ turn clockwise. Don’t lift the lid; just turn it in place. Then, using the Dutch oven handle, turn the whole Dutch oven ⅓ turn counter clockwise. You find that the lid will be right back where it started in reference to the outside world but the food on the inside will be over and under different heating spots.
Some folks turn their ovens ¼ turn. And that’s okay. Heck, a ½ turn is okay too.
Me? I just turn in 3rds.
Conclusion
And that is the end of the charcoal briquette heating method. I started with this method both because it’s the most popular and because it offers the Dutch oven chef the opportunity to fine tune her or his techniques to better judge how to heat with other heat sources like hardwood natural charcoal or even a campfire.
The reason I wanted to start with charcoal briquettes is to become accustomed to the briquette size, rate of burn, and how to manage the briquettes. Other ways you can heat your Dutch oven is by using Natural Premium Hardwood Lump Charcoal or by using the hot coals created in a campfire. Though they are not as easy to use, they are completely and perfectly suited to cook with. You will run into challenges with size and distribution. A large lump of hardwood charcoal may not fit under the Dutch oven, or one lump may be larger and therefore closer to the bottom of the Dutch oven.
There’s some tricks to the trade and I plan to create an article on heating with other sources than the common charcoal briquette. Be sure to sign up on the email list and I will keep you updated.
Hey! Did you make it this far? Look! At! YOU!! I am proud of you. I hope you have your questions answered. But, if you do not…feel free to send me a message or comment below. I love to talk and I really love talking about Camp Dutch Oven Cooking.
Supplies You May Need (Affiliate Links)
Supplies and Equipment Seen in the Video:
A version of the item. All links are affiliate links.
Interesting:
Dutch Oven Charcoal Briquettes Magnetic Cheat Sheet (https://amzn.to/3VigTrb)
Lodge Dutch Ovens:
Lodge 10” Regular – 10 Inch / 4 Quart Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven (https://amzn.to/3L1BpY8)
Lodge 10” Deep – 10 Inch / 5 Quart Cast Iron Deep Camp Dutch Oven (https://amzn.to/3L3j64P)
Lodge 12” Regular – 12 Inch / 6 Quart Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven (https://amzn.to/3An8xEG)
Lodge 12” Deep – 12 Inch / 8 Quart Cast Iron Deep Camp Dutch Oven (https://amzn.to/3LpWyN7)
Other Lodge Ovens:
Lodge 14” Regular – 14 Inch / 10 Quart Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven (https://amzn.to/41UXHli)
Lodge 8” Regular – 8 Inch / 2 Quart Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven (https://amzn.to/3AnM9v2)
Camp Chef Versions:
Camp Chef Classic Dutch Oven 12″ Dutch Oven – 6 Quart (https://amzn.to/3mXpFOt)
Camp Chef 12″ Cast Iron Deep Dutch Oven – 8 Quart (https://amzn.to/43XwEaM)
Camp Chef Classic 10″ Dutch Oven – 4 Quart (https://amzn.to/41rqjCN)
Camp Chef Classic 10″ Deep Dutch Oven – 5 Quart (https://amzn.to/3N9rHpa)
Other Supplies:
Dutch Oven Lid Lifter (https://amzn.to/41S4XhN)
Dutch Oven Lid Stand (https://amzn.to/3mRXZus)
ThermoPro TP07S Wireless Meat Thermometer (https://amzn.to/3oDDHoV)
ThermoPro TP19H Digital Meat Thermometer for Cooking (https://amzn.to/40uJM4g)
Camp Chef Camp Table with Legs (https://amzn.to/3N6BLzt)
Aluminum Camping Table 3 Foot, Portable Folding Table Adjustable (https://amzn.to/3H5SrTV)
Heat Resistant Fire Protection Fireplace Gloves (https://amzn.to/3Apthfb)
Teak Long Wooden Spatula, Heavy Duty (https://amzn.to/43WQT8z)
Charcoal Chimney (https://amzn.to/3LoKFa6)
Kingsford MatchLight Instant Charcoal Briquets (https://amzn.to/3oIwSm8)
Lodge Camp Dutch Oven Tongs (https://amzn.to/41DbT2w)
Ready to Cook
This is not a recipe article. But, I figured y’all may want a copy of my chicken and rice recipe for the Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven.
Baked Chicken and Beer Rice Recipe in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Baked Chicken & Beer Rice – Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 8 Pieces Chicken – (6-8 Pieces of Chicken – Brined)
- 1 Green Bell Pepper – (Chopped)
- 3 Stalks of Celery – (Diced)
- 1 Onion – (Chopped)
- 3 Cloves of Garlic – (3-6 Cloves; Minced)
- 2 Cups White Rice
- 10 Ounces Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 10 Ounces Cream of Chicken Soup
- 8 Ounces Sour Cream
- 24 Ounces Beer – (20-24 Ounces of Beer – Mild Lager)
- 1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning – (1-Plus Tablespoons)
- 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch – (3-Plus Tablespoons)
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce – (1-Plus Tablespoons)
- Salt and Pepper – (To Taste)
Instructions
- Preheat your 12-inch cast iron camp Dutch oven over 30-40 charcoal briquettes (or equivalent heat source). Keep a 2nd Dutch oven nearby (not on or over the heat but near the heat) as a warming pot (optional).
- Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Gather all your prepared ingredients and perform any fireside preparations. Set out your 6-8 pieces of prepared chicken on a cutting board or other surface and season with poultry seasoning first, then do a light dusting of cornstarch.
- Once the oil in the cast iron Dutch oven is hot and fry-ready (you’ll see wisps of smoke rising from the surface), pan fry 3-4 pieces at a time until golden brown on both sides. They do NOT have to be fully cooked at this point (better to remain a little raw). Store the pan fried chicken in a separate Dutch oven to keep warm.
- We are about to start baking and need to have a full, fresh set of charcoal briquettes ready. Start a new batch of charcoal briquettes for baking. Set 24 – 26 briquettes in the charcoal chimney and get them fired up.
- Remove any excess oil from the Dutch oven (a paper towel does quick work of this…don’t wipe…just pat the excess oil from the pan) and leave enough oil to saute the onions and garlic. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté until translucent(ish).
- Add your chopped green bell pepper, diced celery, and rice. Stir it all about for a few minutes to sauté and deglaze that pot.
- Add the can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, the can of Cream of Chicken Soup. Fill both cans with beer (20 ounces of beer) and pour the beer in the pot. Then, add the Sour Cream and a tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce.
- Make sure all the ingredients except for the chicken are thoroughly blended. Then taste for saltiness. Add salt and pepper only if you need to. Your chicken has been brined and should be perfectly salty. Take a taste of the mixture in the pot and add salt and pepper as you enjoy a dish to taste. You may need to add some pepper but the soups that you added may have enough salt to “carry” this recipe.
- If you added salt and/or pepper, thoroughly blend the mixture again. Make sure there are no grains of rice stuck to the sides of the Dutch oven. Any grains of rice outside the liquid will not cook. Level off all the ingredients in the pot at this point.
- Add the chicken to the top and let the chicken rest on the top of the mixture. If, while sitting in the warming pot, any broth was created by the “waiting” chicken (the container or the Dutch oven you held the chicken in, pour that into the pot with the chicken and rice; just pour it in on the top; don’t worry about mixing it in.
- Place the Dutch oven lid on the pot. Start with a fresh set of 24 charcoal briquettes. Arrange them for baking. Place 8 briquettes under the oven and 16 on the lid. Turn the pot and then the lid every 10 minutes.
- Let the recipe cook until the chicken is 165°F / 75°C and the rice is completely cooked. If the rice is going to be underdone, it will be the rice closest to the top. Add beer and keep cooking if the rice needs more time.
- Remove the pot from the heat and serve the chicken and rice hot straight from the camp cast iron Dutch oven.
