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Fatboy
Senior Nomad
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Registered: 6-28-2005
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Do you know how to cook over a campfire?
Even though I spend a fair amount of time camping, and not in campgrounds, it dawned on me that the most I 'cook' in a campfire is hot dogs and
marshmallows. Neither of which would be considered cooking, either!
So, how does one cook over/in/with a campfire?
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Sharksbaja
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Posts: 5814
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Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
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Whenever I get the chance. Always try something fun and different.
DON\'T SQUINT! Give yer eyes a break!
Try holding down [control] key and toggle the [+ and -] keys
Viva Mulege!
Nomads\' Sunsets
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Fatboy
Senior Nomad
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Yeah, but how? Build a roaring fire and some how get the food into the flames?
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Paulina
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Sometimes I cook the bottoms of my shoes.
I used to use my campfire to cook a long time ago, (pre-Dern). I had a round bbq rack that I would put over the rocks around the edge of the fire.
When the flames were just right I would put the fish wrapped in foil on the grill. The potatoes or onions wrapped in foil were set to the sides in the
hot coals. Sometimes I would put open cans of soup or beans on the grill too. You have to remember to stur them often as they will burn quickly. The
paper would eventually burn off.
After dinner the grill was removed and the fire stoked. At bedtime I'd take one of the rocks from the edge, wrap it in a towel and put it in the
bottom of my sleeping bag to keep my feet warm.
I've always wanted to try dutch oven cooking with the campfire.
P<*)))><
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Alan
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Posts: 1617
Registered: 4-6-2005
Location: Yucaipa, CA/La Paz
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Google Dutch ovens. You can cook darn near anything with them
In Memory of E-57
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danaeb
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Location: San Diego; El Centenario
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Mood: groovy
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No roaring fire. Good steady coals, and a sturdy grate - one that's going to sit securely on the rock fire ring, and a heavy cast iron skillet if
you're cooking rather than barbecuing. You can moderate the heat under the skillet by moving the coals under the pan, or conversely, moving the pan
around the coals. Indirect heat is best. It's not much different than cooking on your stove top. If it's too hot move the pan off the coals, if you
need more heat, gradually add more fuel.
Experience enables you to recognize a mistake every time you repeat it.
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oldlady
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Alan is on the right track...Google Campfire cooking...more than you probably want to know. How to and recipes....buy lots of aluminum foil!
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standingwave
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Location: Lytton, Canada
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| Quote: | Originally posted by danaeb
No roaring fire. Good steady coals, and a sturdy grate - one that's going to sit securely on the rock fire ring, and a heavy cast iron skillet if
you're cooking rather than barbecuing. You can moderate the heat under the skillet by moving the coals under the pan, or conversely, moving the pan
around the coals. Indirect heat is best. It's not much different than cooking on your stove top. If it's too hot move the pan off the coals, if you
need more heat, gradually add more fuel. |
I second this advice. Start with some good hard wood as this will give you long lasting coals, wait till it burns down to coals (no flames), have the
rocks set up to hold the frypan (cast iron!), or grill, securely and cook away. If needed have a fire going on the other side of the pit, away from
the pan, as a source of more coals.
\"I could not help concluding this man had the most supreme pleasure while he was driven so fast and so smoothly by the sea.\"
James Cook |
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Diver
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Use only the coals from the fire to cook with.
A grate works great - foldable ones are easy to store.
A cast dutch oven can be set in the fire or suspended over it.
A cast iron pan can be set on the coals.
Things wrapped in foil can be placed right on the coals.
To bake, dig a hole and line with coals then put in a dutch oven and cover with coals .
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Fatboy
Senior Nomad
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| Quote: |
Sometimes I cook the bottoms of my shoes.
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Thats funny, and yeah, I have been around for too many of those cook offs!!!!
So it sound like you are BBQ'ing.
Coals, coals and more hot coals. Sound simple, and to think I just learned that tonight!!!!
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Taco de Baja
Super Nomad
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Location: Behind the Orange Curtain, CA
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Coals are the way to go.
We will generally have 2 fires, one for cooking one for enjoying. Use hard wood like Mesquite or Manzanita. Begin cooking when there are no more
flames.
You can even bake potatoes. Rub then down with butter, herbs and spices, wrap them in several layers of heavy duty tin foil, and bury them in the
coals for an hour. Just before they are done you can grill the meat on the same coals. If you want to heat some beans, set the opened can next to
the coals to warm up...No pots to wash 
Cooking over an open fire is a bad idea. You will never get all the black soot off the pot, and the soot that does come off will get on everything you
don't want it to....
Truth generally lies in the coordination of antagonistic opinions
-Herbert Spencer
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Martyman
Super Nomad
Posts: 1904
Registered: 9-10-2004
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I did some boat camping and we cooked our fish fillets on a rock set up next to the coals/fire. Coals are nice but if your quick, a small fire will
work. Improvise my good man. I've rarely had fish wrapped in foil that turned out great... edible yes.
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3687
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Mood: muy amable
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We used to always carry a little grate under the spare when we were pre-running.
Then, if we had to overnite along the road we could always cook right there on the spot- and yeah, flames are bad, coals are good.
I have a friend who was a long-time Girl Scout leader.
She had some lightweight aluminum pans she took on backpacks, cooked right in the fire,
when she got home she would load them in her self-cleaning oven, fire it up and burn off all the black stuff.
Sounded a bit dicey to me, but she swore by it.
(does not work too well with wooden or plastic handles on the pots)
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Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
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Smoker pit
I made this diagram of a smoker pit anyone can make at camp. With a little practice one can produce a very good product. This is a little more work
than just cooking over a fire but the fish can be stored for a period of time depending on the amount of cooking time. Substitute eel grass or seaweed
for moss and green twigs for willow.
 To cook fish on a campfire I do one of two things. Cook smaller fillets or pieces to save from overcooking OR wrap fish in foil
and carefully cook in the coals.
Try this:
Take a nice sized fish say 10-15lb. Tuna types work best. Gut and rinse fish. Split fish along backbone and open like a book.
Thinly slice one large onion and one large tomato. Lay slices of onion on one half of fish then layer with the tomato.
Next, fold fish back together and wrap in 4-5 layers of aluminum foil.
Build a nice big fire and try to use a hardwood. Create a large amount of coals and shove off to the side. Lay the fish on the coals and keep fire
burning to generate more coals.
Do not cover fish withcoals, rather flip the fish after an hour of cooking. Resume cooking another 45 minutes.
Tend to fire and make sure not to go crazy making the fire too hot. If necessary adjust temp with a can of water.
Remove from coals and discard veggies. Lift meat away from skin and yum yum, some of the tastiest tuna I've ever had!
DrooooooooooooooooooooL................................
DON\'T SQUINT! Give yer eyes a break!
Try holding down [control] key and toggle the [+ and -] keys
Viva Mulege!
Nomads\' Sunsets
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Cypress
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danaeb,  The coals do the trick! Nothing like a "pig in the ground", with all the trimmings.
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Capt. George
Super Nomad
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lucky me, I don't "hafta"...Deborah does it all!
\"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men\" Plato
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Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
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I have a modern version of the old west tripod. Instead of iron legs, they are aluminum conduit-sized tubes in segments that come apart for
convenient storage. A round grate is suspended on 3 light chains and the height can be adjusted so it can be used over an open fire without waiting
for coals. I also have a dutch oven which can be suspended from the tripod. Since I'm usually too damn lazy to use either, I also have a coffee pot
I can hang on it, boil some water and pour it into a cup of Maruchan noodles.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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stimbo
Nomad
Posts: 289
Registered: 3-4-2008
Location: Crowley Lake, CA
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campfires
Coals and a metal grate are the only way to go. Get the fire started with wood, then add some mesquite charcoal. When the flames have died and the
coals are glowing, you are ready.
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encanto
Junior Nomad
Posts: 41
Registered: 3-13-2008
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To add to good points from Alan, danaeb, Diver and Taco de Baja and others--
I was taught by an old Baja campfire cook to maintain a "nurse fire" in a conventional rock ring, conjoined to a smaller rock-enclosed cooking area (a
grate over it is a good improvement) where you shuffle the coals over as needed under your pot/kettle.
Cooking/baking with a Dutch oven is also a fun skill to experiment with (adding coals to the lid). The downside with campfire cooking can be the
blackened pots...
And don't forget to extinguish your campfires...
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
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Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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my first trip, way back when we forgot a can opener (a hammer and screwdriver works well!) we just put the cans of soup on the fire and ate out of
them with a spoon while holding the hot can with vise grips.
now we don't want for anything.....ah, sweet progress!
world record spotfin soup
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