New to Outdoor Dutch Oven Cooking

Another point regarding number of coals .. The number they give you works great for the first load of coals ... After that, it's a bit hit or miss, since you have a combination of fresh coals and worn coals. Just get a feel of what the coverage looks like, then when replacing coals, match that coverage. After the first load of coals, the number doesn't make much sense.

Also, if possible, sweep off the ash between coal refreshes, since the ash acts like an insulator.