Cooking over a campfire is so much fun to do in the great outdoors! I love knowing there is a hearty meal waiting whether we are out hunting or playing. You can also make this Dutch Oven Roast in your backyard!
Plenty of people love grilling. I made the switch to a Blackstone and it's perfect for the meals we love to make our large family. But another, often overlooked option, is to cook over a bed of coals! If you aren't a fan of red meat, you can also make Dutch Oven Chicken Thighs.
For the same reason I cook on the Blackstone, cooking over a campfire allows you to make hearty "oven" meals without heating up the kitchen. Take it a step further and use the Instant Pot for mashed potatoes and you still won't add heat. While you're out there cooking, wander around to forage for salad ingredients to add to homegrown lettuce.
Key Ingredients
Meat - Select a roast that's in the neighborhood of 2-3 pounds. Any sort of red meat works here, and you want it fresh or mostly thawed if you have frozen.
Flavour - Onions and garlic, that's it! These make an enticing gravy all on their own.
Fat - Lard, bacon grease, whatever's at hand.
How to Make Campfire Dutch Oven Roast
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: Get your bed of coals going and set up your pot. Add the fat then everything else, and top with a generous pinch of salt.
Step 2: Pop on the lid and nestle it down while you are busy.
Step 3: And that's it! A finished roast that made its own gravy for ya.
Tips and Tricks
- There should be enough liquid in the onions to keep things juicy, but definitely check a few times through cooking to ensure it doesn't dry out. Add a touch of water if needed.
- Slicing the onions thin means they practically melt and even onion-haters will eat them up!
- You can slice or shred the meat - sometimes you don't know what you'll get until your roast is cooked.
What to Serve With Dutch Oven Wild Game Roast
I love mashed potatoes and a green salad. You can see there's quinoa and salad in the photos. Definitely choose a carb and a veg and you won't go wrong! Always choose something that soaks up your gravy, which is why I pick a grain or carb. You can absolutely bring along a rustic sourdough loaf as a crowd pleaser!
Don't forget dessert! You can bring along ingredients for brownies in a dutch oven, and keep the coals going while you enjoy your meal. If you're eating in the backyard, I'm partial to ice cream cake, particularly Black Forest ice cream cake! I just love a sweet treat at the end of a good, long day.
FAQs
Any red meat roast. We favour wild game here, such as venison or moose. That's just what we get a lot of as we don't often raise our own cattle for meat. But you can absolutely use a beef roast here. Roast benefits from low and slow cooking methods to break down the tough fibers.
You often have to let the roast tell you what it wants! You can attempt to slice against the grain so you have tender bites on your plate, but so often I find it difficult to see that grain. You can try slicing two perpendicular ends and see which one works better. Other times you might see it just falling apart if you attempt to cut, so it might work better to simply shred it up with forks. No matter what you have tasty meat in juice!
Definitely leave your nice dutch ovens in the kitchen for the stove and oven. A camping specific dutch oven will truly serve you well. It often has a lid with a handle that works with a hook for safely removing it. You can generally flip it over and have a flat surface to load with coals, so you can have heat surrounding the dutch oven. I highly recommend investing in this piece if you plan to start cooking outside more!
Photos by Dante from Shire by the Sea
More Campfire Favourites
Hey friends, don't forget to follow me over on Instagram, cause if you like me here, I post there a LOT! I'm also on YouTube with tutorials and Facebook for all sorts of things.
If you like this recipe, I’d love if you reviewed it so others can find it easier. Sharing this recipe on Facebook or Pinterest is another way you can help us out at no cost to you. Thanks, xo Kate
Dutch Oven Roast
Equipment
- 1 6-quart Dutch oven
- Fire wood/charcoal (20-24)
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs venison, moose, or beef roast
- 2 - 4 cloves garlic
- 2 yellow onions
- 2 tablespoons heaping lard/cooking fat
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Take roast out of freezer the night before cooking.
- Start your fire and make a nice bed of hot coals. You can also use charcoal (20-24) or a combination of both. It’s good to have a fire burning or other coals ready to add if heat is waning. Some coals put out more heat than others so working with fire and coals takes some practice.
- While fire/coals are going, cut onion into thin slices.
- Place lard in Dutch oven, thawed or fresh roast, sliced onions, and garlic cloves. Add salt on top. Place lid on.
- Place Dutch oven on top of bed of hot coals, evenly dispersed underneath.
- Keep checking on roast and coals and add a bit of water if it seems to be drying up. The moisture from the roast and onions should probably be enough but you don't want it dry!
- Maintain a slow and steady heat for 1-2 hours or more, making sure the roast is not overcooking. Take out early if you want a juicier and rarer meat.
- Take off hot lid carefully and let coals burn out safely.
- Scoop out roast and put on a cutting board. Slice the meat with a sharp knife and a fork. The roast may crumble apart or slice beautifully.
- Plate with your favourite sides and serve!
Notes
- The gravy is perfect on its own - no need to add any other flavours or thicken it.
Leave a Reply