Campfire Cooking Tips
It’s always fun when you stay out in the great outdoors, chilling out under the open sky. You know what else will make it even more entertaining and satisfying? Cooking your food on the campfire with our campfire cooking tips!
Campfire cooking is something that will make every outdoor experience memorable. Nothing quite equals the taste of food you have cooked whilst camping. You need food, and a delicious food at that!
Things to Consider About Campfire Cooking
So what are the things you need to think of when trying to whip up some real good camping food? Here are a few campfire cooking tips to get you going.
1. Know what type of fire you need.
Understanding what you want to do with the campfire is essential when you start building the fire. If you are planning on just using it for cooking, then the “hunter’s fire” will be more than enough.
But if you plan to use it still after while you share stories, then the classic tepee method is advisable.
2. Make a safe fire
Most people are not aware but you need to always remember the safety steps in building a fire in the wilderness. Make sure there’s enough clearance, dig a hole, pick a spot where there’s no hanging branches on top, and so on.
Once you have finished with the fire, make sure you douse it in water to ensure there are no embers left over. Bushfires can start with as little as a wayward ember.
3. Steer clear of fatty foods.
There are certain foods that are great when prepared at home, but not so great when cooking over a campfire. These are fatty foods, such as duck breast, bacon or super fatty snags, etc., the excess fat in these meats can easily cause the fire to flare up when the fat drips.
Keep a close eye on things when you're cooking these meats and make sure kids keep a wide berth. If you are worried, try and use a pan with high sides that can really cover everything. If this is a thing for you then it’s best to pick other alternatives such as venison.
4. Invest in utilities you need.
Just because you’re outdoors doesn’t mean you have to look primitive when cooking! Invest in cooking utensils you’ll be needing when camping, such as a cast iron skillet, grilling tongs, and oven mitts.
5. Create foil packet meals.
Wrapping your meats in foil and cooking in the embers...now here’s where things get interesting. Creating foil packet meals is actually a great way to cut the preparing time and just get on with the cooking, not to mention it stores it perfectly. After a few minutes, the meal is ready. All that’s left to do is open it up and enjoy as you chat!
6. Open flame only partially cooks your meat
Here is one of our top campfire cooking tips... meat cooked using open flame usually cooks unevenly. One of the common misconceptions when cooking is that the raging fire is the hottest.
That’s not necessarily the case, and you end up burning the outside while leaving the insides raw. Instead, put it over the white hot coals which creates consistent heat.
Enjoying nature and good friends is a huge treat. Add food to the mix and it literally is heaven on earth! Get out there into nature and do some campfire cooking with our handy guide.
