The Art of Campfire Cooking

 

The Art of Campfire Cooking

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With Spring already here, Summer is ticking closer and closer to us…..that means picnics, hiking, canoeing, swimming, and so much more! One of my favorite parts of Summer is the nice roaring fire outside- whether deep in the wilderness or in one of our friend’s backyards… bon fires are top 10 awesome things of Summer (for me). Other than part of a great summer night, bon fires are great for cooking but it can be very challenging because of the lack of temperature control. The other thing that can be tough is figuring out what to cook on that fire that will be fairly easy and hassle free. Here are some recipes to spice up your future bon fire nights:

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One of the easiest things you can make over a fire is a pie. No….not one of those pies: a toasty pie. Toasties are those versatile sandwiches you make to be for any meal- breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. First you will need a campfire pie iron (you can get one almost anywhere they sell camping equipment. Next, you’ll need to get your fire started (those tips are for another blog). Place your cast iron pie maker in the fire and let it get preheated. Then follow this recipe:

 

4 large eggs

4 slices of cooked bacon

4 oz of shredded cheese (sharp cheddar is my favorite)

3 cups of shredded potatoes (thawed or the refrigerated ones)

Salt and pepper to taste

Non-stick cooking spray 

 

Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add bacon, cheese, and shredded potatoes, salt, and pepper. Take the cast iron pie maker out of the fire and carefully open. Spray the inside of the pie maker with the non-stick cooking spray. Fill one side of the pie maker with the egg mixture. Close up the pie maker and place back in the fire for 2 minutes. **It’s important to turn it often over those 2 minutes so make sure it doesn’t burn. After 2 minutes, take the pie maker out of the fire, open it, and flip that toastie onto a plate. Enjoy- be careful….everything will be very hot. 

 

Campfire banana boats are a fun little easy dessert that can customizable for everyone who likes bananas. This recipe will be great when the fire is dying down but the embers are still plenty hot.

 

Bananas

Marshmallows (mini)

Chocolate chips

Trail mix

Granola

 

These are super simple. Take your banana and cut down the middle of it lengthwise (while the peel is still on it. Peel the banana just slightly apart and fill the cut with your favorite toppings. Wrap the filled banana with foil- make sure that the ends are securely closed. Place your foil wrapped bananas in the base of the fire for about 10 minutes. Fish out your finished bananas with tongs.

If you’re interested in other fillings check out this link.

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If you wanna try cast iron skillet cooking, this will take a little more work. You want to have your fire (more camp fire than bon fire) burning for at least 30 minutes prior to starting to cook so the coals have a chance to start getting hot. Once you’re ready, you can pull some of the hot coals off to the side (away from the fire) a bit- more coals = more heat, less coals= less heat. If you have a grill plate you can use that over the fire/coals…but you can also place a few rocks (4) that are level and similar in size into the coals. Place your cast iron skillet on top of the 4 rocks to get it heating before you put any food in it- this will help the food from sticking (5-10 minutes). 

The cook time of your meal will entirely depend on hot your coals are and how close your pot/pan/skillet is to the coals.

Now you are ready to cook:

 

Stuff Pepper Skillet

 

1lb lean ground beef

½ cup uncooked rice (white rice will cook quicker than brown)

1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes

1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce

1 cup of beef broth

2 medium bell peppers (I like the reds and yellows for more flavor)

1 small onion (chopped)

2 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp of salt

½ tsp of pepper

1 clove of garlic

1 cup shredded cheese

 

**Tip for campers- have all your veggies pre-cut and packed before you come to your campsite: makes cooking much easier.

 

Place ground beef into the warm skillet. Stir and break it apart with a wooden spoon until there is no more pink (maybe 8 minutes). Drain off any excess fat. Add rice to skillet- toasting it for 2-3 minutes. Add all other ingredients to the skillet except for cheese. Cover skillet (stirring occasionally). It should take about 30-40 minutes for rice to absorb all liquid (this will be determined by how hot your coals are and how close to the coals your pan is). Once the liquid is gone- add cheese recover for about 5 minutes (until cheese is melted). Serve.

 

Cooking over a campfire, especially by skillet will be more challenging. It may take you a few recipes before you get the hang of. Keep practicing and it’ll get easier.

 

Happy campfire cooking!

Photo Cred: Craig Moore

JM

 

 

 References:

 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/pie-iron-breakfast-5630832

 

https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/campfire-banana-boats/

 

https://montanahomesteader.com/cook-open-fire/

 

https://tasty.co/article/jodyduits/how-to-care-for-cast-iron

 

https://www.thewholesomedish.com/one-pot-wonder-stuffed-pepper-skillet/