Hi all, we are off to thistledown farm for our 4th tent camping trip this year and they allow (although I'd possibly say encourage) campfires.
So, as I'd like to make use of this to cook our evening meals, does anyone have any tips for cooking on fire, or useful bits of kit I should bring with me or buy. Or even recipes I could try.
Some kind of grid to support any pans you want to use.
Heavier pans are probably better than camping style lightwight ones. Old pressure cookers make good heavy, large pans if you ahev one that you don't use anymore
Pans will get dirsty from the soot. If you want to make sure they are cleand afterwards some soap bat rubbed on before use helps with the cleaning
Cooking sausages on sticks is tedious, use a frying pan :-)
Damper on stick or of course marshmallows is a much better idea
There's a book called the hungry camper cookbook I recommend means you won't live on beans and burgers. Isbn 978 1 84601 482 8. Bought mine for three quid
Many sites that allow campfires will also rent you a grill to place over it for cooking. It's typically a rectangular grill on foldable legs, or if the firepit is off the ground, it may already come with a grill on top. I recommend covering the grill with foil though as it's likely that the grill won't have been washed.
In terms of recipes, we often go for fish cooked in foil as it's quick to do. I also like to make a stew and freeze it at home, then just cook it in a pan over the fire - also very quick. I find that the heat from open fires can be temperamental depending on how far the grill is off the ground and whether you have coal on the fire as well as wood. Jacket potatoes wrapped in foil and baked for 45-60 mins in the hot coals works well too.
If it's a site I've not visited before, I usually try and look at any pictures on the website or on the reviews on this site to get an idea of what the fire set up is. That way, I know what I'm likely to be dealing with and can plan my menu accordingly.
------------- 2019 trips booked so far:
Easter - Red Shoot, New Forest
May - Secret Campsite, Sussex
Get your fire going early to build up a good bed of embers, and then treat as a BBQ. I.e don’t cook over big flames, cook over glowing white / ref embers.
Google campfire tripods, Campfire Grills and Altar Fires (the Scouts version) and you can see various methods.
If you have a big cast iron pot with a lid or an old Le Creuset you don’t feel too precious about this is ideal. You can put this on a grid, directly in the fire, and put in the coals with a few burning bits in top to use as an oven. Google Dutch Oven to see use and recipes. You can pop in s whole chicken, bung in some stock, spuds, onion, carrot etc and make a pot roast or stew.
I have used mine in a campfire to make pineapple upside down cake (tinned pineapple, a cake mix, served with squirty cream!)
My stepfather many years ago showed me how to make crude bread on an open fire...He made a basic dough and wrapped it around a stick. He kept turning it round quickly over the flames just for a few minutes and it was cooked...It was something he learned in the army and it was delicious.
------------- Getting old isn't fun but the alternative is much worse.
I've ordered a tripod and hanging grill. It's good that fish and jackets are pretty staple in our household. I read somewhere else that you could do corn in it's leaves so maybe try that one too.
Not sure I'm brave enough to try bread or cakes, but maybe a quick look around youtube might be in order as it sounds interesting.
When we were scouts we used to make up a paste of washing powder and water to smear over the base and outsides of the pots before cooking to prevent fire blackening.
At the end of camp we would chip off the crust to reveal shiny pans.
------------- I can remember when this was all fields.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Campfire cooking tips
