Can you cook a great barbecue in your cast iron dutch oven? Absolutely, I have a great recipe for Dutch Oven BBQ Beef Brisket. But why cook brisket in Dutch? Why not just use your smoker grill?

Well, maybe you don’t have a smoker grill that can keep the temperature at 225F. Or maybe you’re camping and still want a good barbecue. Or maybe you love cooking outdoors in your cast iron Dutch oven.

Whatever your reason, the point is that you can make a delicious BBQ beef brisket in your cast iron Dutch oven. The trick is to use a trivet to lift the brisket off the bottom of the hollandaise. This prevents the meat from boiling in its own juices so the meat maintains that good barbecue texture. But, more on this later, let’s get to the recipe.

Barbecued beef brisket recipe

I used a 12 inch camp dutch oven

Place 7 coals under your Dutchman.

Place 14 coals in the lid of your Dutchman.

This gives you around 300F.

Place your trivet on your hollandaise and preheat.

dry massage

• ¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 boneless beef brisket (4 pounds)

You can of course use your own dry rub if you prefer, but I suggest using dark brown sugar. It will caramelize in your brisket and add a nice maple flavor.

To prepare your beef brisket, rub your dry mix on all sides of the brisket. Then place the brisket fat side down on the trivet inside your preheated dutch and cook for about three hours or until done.

At 300F, beef brisket needs to cook for 30 to 45 minutes per pound. When I did this the other day, it took about 45 minutes per pound. You will need to replace the coals about every hour and use a coal fireplace to pre-light the coals.

Which cast iron dutch oven should you use?

Well, we’re cooking outdoors with coals, so you need a camping dutch oven. All camp dutch ovens have a raised tab on the outside edge of the lid. This allows you to place coals on the lid. And most camping dutch ovens have feet on the bottom so you can place hot coals under them.

I used a Bayou Classic 8.5 qt. Cast iron dutch oven. This dutchman has the rimmed lid of the camp dutch oven but no legs. So, I used a chain tripod to suspend the oven over the coals.

Both types of ovens work great, I have both types and use them quite often. But, the Bayou Classic is a more versatile Dutch oven. The flat bottom allows you to cook with it on the stovetop, in the oven, or in a camp stove. And, with a tripod mount, you can cook over coals or a campfire.

The Bayou Classic oven even comes with a fry basket so you can use it as a deep fryer. I have fried a lot of fish and chicken with. But back to the barbecued brisket.

As I mentioned earlier, by using a trivet, you lift the meat above the bottom of the pot. This allows heat to circulate around the brisket, much like a convection oven. The meat cooks evenly and completely and the moisture is trapped inside the oven.

The result is an incredibly moist and tender BBQ brisket. In fact, I think I like brisket hollandaise better than any brisket I’ve ever cooked on the smoker grill. When I cook brisket on the smoker grill, it tends to be drier. But in Dutch, the moisture stays in the meat.

The only thing missing from Dutch Oven BBQ Brisket is smoke. I use liquid smoke, but it’s not the same. I think next time I might try placing a couple of wood chips in the bottom of my oven. Maybe that will give me the right amount of smoke.

Anyway, if you like to cook in your cast iron Dutch oven, try this BBQ Brisket recipe. It really is delicious.