Excellent Tips to Make Your Campfire Cooking Experience Utmost Fun

Any camping fan will agree that the food cooked over a campfire tastes a lot better than the food cooked in the home. After all, at a campsite, the food is cooked over wood which has its own unique and outstanding aroma and taste, and everyone sits in the open, around the campfire, in a magical environment of wilderness which has its own effect on the food’s taste. But some tips and tricks can enhance the overall campfire food experience even more. Here are a few.

How to Cook over a Campfire?

Campfire food doesn’t need to be limited to sausages and hot dogs; you can cook literally anything over a campfire especially if you have right tools like a new campfire cooking product, the Roasting Post. Some points you should keep in mind are:

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• Be sure you know the right method and carry the right tools to cook the food you desire
• Build the campfire in a safe place
• Don’t use any plastic in campfire cooking as it can melt if it’s taken near the fire

Some cooking tools like a Hot Dog Cooker can make the campfire cooking a breeze, while others can be a bit more complicated. However, preparation is the ultimate key when it comes to reducing the time and effort needed to cook food on a campfire.

How to Build an Appropriate Campfire?

You can master the art of starting a perfect campfire with practice. It involves burning wood till it turns to coals which is necessary for even cooking. A few factors to consider while you start are:

Wood

First and foremost, the wood you’ll use should be dry, seasoned wood. Seasoned wood refers to the wood from which all moisture has been removed and the wood has become perfect for clean-burning firewood. Mesquite or oak wood enhance the flavor of the food.

Location

As mentioned earlier, you should ensure that the location you choose for campfire is safe. It’s best if you find pre-built fire pits. But if you don’t find one, select a location which has no tree roots, grass or any loose dirt and debris. Also make sure there is nothing above your head such as tree branches which can catch the fire. A rule of thumb is to find a place where there is a clear overhead space which is three times the height of the fire and the spot should be at least ten feet away from structures like tents.

Wind

If there is moderate to strong wind, you might want to cancel your campfire food plan, because wind could result in roaring sparks or make it impossible for you to even light your fire in the first place.

Once you check all these factors, take the following steps to start your fire:

Prepare the Location

Your location should be at least 8 feet away from anything inflammable like bushes etc. Form a border with rocks or green logs around the spot. Green logs mean fresh and still containing moisture, and so, are hard to catch fire. Then place a big rock at the backside of the fire pit which will serve as a chimney to direct the smoke away.

Place the Tinder

Fill the spot with kindling like crumpled newspaper. Then form a layer of small dead branches or thin pieces of wood over the tinder. Then form another layer of branches over the previous layer so as to form a checkerboard pattern. Now light the paper to start the fire.

Add Firewood

Once the tinder is fired, place firewood evenly over the tinder. When the flames are off, you will have white coals left. This entire process should take up to 45 minutes, so have patience. The coals should look glowing.

Add a Grill or Use Roasting Post

You can place a grill on the logs or rocks above the coals and cook directly on in a cookware or use the Roasting Post which is a very safe campfire cooking tool that protects your hands while cooking and helps you cook food evenly.

Keep Water Ready

You should keep a bucket of water ready to extinguish the fire in case it starts spreading. Also, after you cook your food you’ll have to extinguish the fire. Once the flames turn off, stir ashes and add more water or sand so as to totally cover the ashes.

If you’re not very comfortable with the above method, you have an easier option of buying charcoal instead of using wood. However, make sure the charcoal doesn’t contain any chemical or lighter fluid.

Cooking Tips

To make your campfire cooking experience even better, here are a few more tips.

Choose the Right Tools

A heavy Dutch oven may not be the right choice if you only plan to make hot dogs and marshmallows for a one-day picnic. For such a trip, you need only skewers and a tool like the Roasting Post. But if you’ll be camping for a few days and are eager to try some Dutch oven recipes, a cast-iron pot is worth bringing.

Learn about Food Safety

It’s important to learn how to store food safely in order to avoid any camping sicknesses. Raw meat should be packed in ice. Put leftovers away within 2 hours. Never leave food out, especially in warm weather, for longer than an hour. Store food in airtight bags and place the bags in coolers.

Prep at Home

The work of slicing and dicing should be done at home as it’s more convenient and hassle-free than doing it at the campsite. You can even carry scrambled eggs from home stored in bottles.

We hope that these tips will make your campfire cooking experience utmost fun. Don’t forget to share your experiences.