Food just tastes better cooked over the campfire, don’t you agree? If you haven’t cooked over a fire before, or haven’t had much success in the past, read on for our tips, tricks, and meal ideas for cooking over a campfire.
Choose the right tools
Cast iron cookware is best for cooking over an open flame, standing up to the heat and producing crispy, delicious food. A good cast iron grill, skillet, and Dutch oven will enable you to cook almost anything over the fire. A well-seasoned cast iron is also easy to clean up, just wipe out with a damp cloth.
For utensils, avoid plastic or rubber that will melt, and go with metal grill tools and a good pair of tongs. Grill gloves to protect your hands are also a great tool, those cast iron handles get hot!
To provide a stable cooking surface, use a grill grate. Some fire pits will have them built in, but you can also buy folding portable ones.
Campfire Cooking tips
Successful campfire cooking starts with a good fire. You don’t want to cook over a roaring flame or you’ll end up with food that is charred outside and undercooked inside.
Get your fire going for at least 30 minutes to an hour before you want to start cooking, giving time for flames to die down a bit and a good amount of hot coals to have formed.
As you cook, feed your fire slowly. Keep in mind that it’s not a consistent heat, so turn your food often and keep a close eye on it as it cooks.
Aluminum foil is the MVP of campfire cooking. Your favourite veggies and meat, tossed with a bit of oil and seasoning, wrapped in foil, and grilled to perfection. It doesn’t get easier than that. Cook in the coals or on a grill grate over the fire.
Try out these campfire cooking recipes
What is it about roasting over a campfire that makes your favourite treats even more delicious? Whatever it is, we can’t resist the flame-roasted flavours of these 7 camping treats when they’re roasted on a stick.
From guacamole to eclairs, check out our camping recipe roundup of surprising foods you can cook over a campfire or grill.
Minimal mess, big flavours. Foil pack dinners are a popular camping food for a very good reason! Here are a few of our favourite dinners that are easily prepared and grilled to perfection in foil.
What’s your favourite thing to cook over the campfire? Let us know!