One of our favorite parts of summer are all the delicious camping recipes that call for an open fire. That’s why we’ve compiled the top 5 essential campfire cooking tips everyone should know before they hit the open road. You can also see this list in a local Utah Devour magazine.
Cook outside the box
Although the classic campfire hash is delicious, we suggest thinking outside the box. Bring some pre-made dough, cheese, arugula, tomatoes, and eggs and make a skillet pizza right over the open flame. You don’t need to resort to tin foil dinners every time you go camping, a cast iron skillet and Dutch oven will give you endless possibilities.
Know when your campfire is ready
Know When Your Campfire is Ready – A good rule of thumb is to make your fire 1 hour before you’re ready to cook. The ideal cooking campfire is when the large flames have died down and the coals are nice and hot. If you’re planning on cooking directly on the coals, arrange them in a way that will hold your Dutch oven in place.
Pre-plan your meals
Campfire cooking is easy if you plan appropriately. Planning for simple accommodations, such as, precutting all your veggies, measuring all your ingredients, and confirming you have all your cooking tools will help ensure you don’t over or under pack.
Allow serendipity to take place
Allow yourself to be inspired by your natural environment. If you find yourself spending the day fishing, scrap your skillet pizza plans and use your precut veggies to turn your night into a campground fish fry.
Make your campfire multifunctional
If you can grill it or bake it, you can make it in a campfire. Transform your campfire into a grill with a cooking grate by placing it over the fire about 15 minutes before you’re ready to cook. For those who fancy baking, distribute hot coals evenly to the bottom and top of your Dutch oven creating a campfire oven. For more information, read our tips for dutch oven cooking.
