How do you use a chimney to heat coals up and use them for a dutch oven meal?

i'm a boy scout and i have to make a chimney of coals on our next campout so we can cook using our dutch oven.

please answer with a procedure and preferred type of charcoal, and if you are experienced with thisHow do you use a chimney to heat coals up and use them for a dutch oven meal?
Do you have a chimney? If not, they are very easy to make...just use a large coffee can or a #10 size can (you should be able to get one of these from your school cafeteria).



Now, ball up three sheets of newspaper individually and push them down to the bottom of the can or chimney. Put 24 charcoal briquettes into the can on top of the newspaper. A commercial-made chimney will provide adequate ventilation underneath..but if you have made your own, take three of the briquettes and place the can on top of them for ventilation. You will leave the can on top of the briquettes during the next steps.



Light the newspaper from the bottom side. This will start the charcoal. Leave it in the can until the majority of the coals are ashed over. Charcoal generally is ready in about 20 minutes. Occasionally if the humidity is high, the charcoal may not light the first time and you may have to repeat the process with new newspaper, but you can use the same charcoal.



Cooking with the dutch oven is a whole different question, but the 24 briquettes are adequate for a 12-inch dutch oven and will last for about 30 minutes of cooking. If you are cooking something that will take longer than that, consider starting your next batch of charcoal after you have started cooking in the dutch oven with the first batch.



Of course use tongs to individually place your hot briquettes on and under the dutch oven.



As far as what kind of charcoal...we actually prefer Publix charcoal, but if you aren't in a part of the country where there is a Publix, Kingsford regular charcoal will work just fine. You do not want any of the self-lighting charcoal and you will not need liquid lighter fluid (which is against boy scout policy anyway!)



If you don't have newspaper, you can peel apart the layers of the bag the charcoal comes in, ball that up, and use that instead.



You can also use this method to start the charcoal for your regular charcoal grill...again, with no lighter fluid. It is the only method we use to start our charcoal...both at home and in scouts.



Have a great campout!How do you use a chimney to heat coals up and use them for a dutch oven meal?
Your Scoutmaster doesn't know? Bummer.



I'd pull out my scout book, but it's packed in my car, as I leave for BSA Camping School in 4 hours.



You should have a metal tube...the chimney. I usually stack them flat. Before you put them in the chimney, place out your charcoal on the dutch oven so it covers the top and bottom. Then, you'll know you have enough briquettes to do the job. Then put them in the chimney and light 'em up.



When they reach a nice light grey color, dump out the chimney and use tongs to place the charcoal on and under the dutch oven.



You can consult the ';Dutch Oven Cooking'; book most troops have in their book collection and the cooking MB book for additional details on cooking w/ Dutch Ovens.
Everyone has pretty thourougly answered this question!! I like the newspaper on the bottom method with one small addition. I pour whatever left over grease (bacon, sausage, etc..) on the paper. It burns longer and hotter and will get your coals tosty even faster. Not to mention, burning bacon grease.....Yum.
I will toss in my 2 pesos worth here. I take cardboard egg cartons fill them with dryer lint then soak them in wax. 2 of those cups will easily start and entire chimney full of coals in just a few minutes. Once the coals are going take and put 1 ring of coals around the bottom edge of the pot then 1 ring of coals around the top edge. This will give you an oven that is 325-350 degrees no matter what size the oven
Just put coals in chimmney and light does not matter what kind of coals you use. Just make sure dutch oveN has coals all around oven and on bottom so cook even and just turn lid to stir it and to move heat around I do not know how or why this works but it does:) You can take cake mix and pie filling AND BAKE CAKE IN DUTCH OVEN TO :0

Pack master :)
Hello!



There exists an actual chimney-looking device that is used for this purpose. It is round, made of metal and has a wooden handle. You need to get this to do it right. In addition, you need to get a coal prong or something similar to get the coals out of the chimney.



To use the chimney, simple place in it the number of coals the recipe calls for, place some newspaper uner the chimney and light the paper. This should be enough fule to light the coals The coals will take about 10-15 minutes to heat up. Be sure to use the less expensive coals, the ones that are NOT self lighting.



Once the coals are ready, follow the dutch oven recipe and place them accordingly on the oven.



Our experience has shown that is is best to prepare about 20% more coals than required. This allows you to place them on the oven as others fade out and keeps the heat even.



Good Luck!



-Mark M.