Dutch Oven Monkey Bread Over Coals

After meat and smoke, you need something sweet.

Monkey Bread is perfect for cooking over charcoal because it thrives in a Dutch oven. Heat from the bottom cooks it through, and coals on top turn the lid into an outdoor oven, caramelizing the sugar until it bubbles and thickens.

Ingredients

• 2 cans refrigerated biscuit dough

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

• 1 stick butter, melted

• Optional chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Light charcoal briquettes and let them ash over completely.

2. Cut biscuit dough into quarters.

3. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

4. Toss dough pieces in cinnamon sugar until coated.

5. Layer pieces in a greased Dutch oven.

6. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top.

7. Pour melted butter evenly across everything.

8. Add pecans if you’re feeling bold.

Place the Dutch oven over a base of briquettes and add coals to the lid. For around 350°F, use roughly 16 briquettes total, split evenly top and bottom.

Bake for about 30–40 minutes, rotating the pot and lid occasionally for even heat.

It’s done when the top is golden and the center is cooked through.

Let it cool slightly, then flip it onto a plate or just pull it apart straight from the pot.

It’s messy. It’s sweet. It tastes like it shouldn’t be made outside, but absolutely should.

Optional Bourbon Glaze

If you want to take this from camp dessert to “why is this better than anything I’ve had indoors,” add a bourbon glaze.

Bourbon Glaze Ingredients

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 to 3 tablespoons bourbon

• Splash of heavy cream (optional)

• Pinch of salt

Instructions

In a small cast iron skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in brown sugar and let it dissolve until smooth and bubbling. Add bourbon and a pinch of salt. Let it simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened. If you want it richer, add a splash of heavy cream.

Drizzle over the Monkey Bread while it’s still warm.

The bourbon cooks down, leaving warmth without harshness. It deepens the caramel flavor and adds just enough edge to remind everyone this wasn’t made in a suburban oven.