One of the best things about a camping trip is the food. Meals cooked over an open fire just taste better, plus all that fresh air seems to increase any appetite. On your next trip, if you want to go beyond hot dogs and baked beans to enjoy some great food in the great outdoors then read on.
Great camping food starts with the right tools. When preparing gourmet meals over an open fire, along with the usual array of spoons, knifes, spatulas, etc., here’s a list of essential cooking tools:
Cast-Iron Skillet: A cast-iron skillet is incredibly versatile. It’s perfect for searing meats, sautéing vegetables, or even baking. Cast iron retains heat well and can withstand direct contact with the fire, making it ideal for open-flame cooking.
Dutch Oven: A Dutch oven is perfect for slow-cooking stews, baking bread, or making one-pot meals. Its heavy lid keeps heat in and can even be covered with coals to create an oven-like environment, plus it’s built to withstand almost anything you throw at it.
Grill Grate: A sturdy grill grate allows you to cook directly over the flames. It’s perfect for grilling meats, fish, and vegetables. Look for a grate with adjustable height to control the cooking temperature by moving it closer to or farther from the fire.
Long-Handled Tongs: Long-handled tongs are essential for safely handling food over a hot fire. They allow you to flip meats, move vegetables, and even rearrange coals without getting burned.
Heat-Resistant Gloves: Protect your hands from the intense heat of the fire with heat-resistant gloves. These are particularly useful when handling cast-iron cookware or adjusting the grill grate.
Meat Thermometer: When cooking over a fire it can be hard to know when that piece of meat or chicken is at its perfect point, making a meat thermometer essential.
Aluminum Foil: Foil is incredibly versatile in campfire cooking. Use it to wrap vegetables, create foil packet meals, or cover dishes while they cook.
Cooking Tripod: A cooking tripod with a hanging pot or grill grate attachment is great for simmering soups, making pasta, rice, or stews over a fire. It allows you to adjust the height of the pot for better heat control.
Grill Basket: A grill basket is perfect for cooking smaller or delicate items that might fall through the grill grate, such as shrimp, chopped vegetables, or fish fillets. It allows you to flip and move food easily without losing any ingredients to the fire.
Portable Camping Table: Add the counter space you need with a portable camping table to use as a prep surface.
Meal Prep
Since you won’t be able to run to the pantry or the corner store for missing ingredients, planning is paramount. Think through your meals, chop vegetables, marinate meats, and measure out spices all in the comfort of your own kitchen before leaving. Store these prepped ingredients in airtight containers or resealable bags.
Fresh, high-quality ingredients are the cornerstone of any gourmet dish. When camping, opt for fresh herbs, quality cuts of meat, and seasonal vegetables. And bring along a portable spice kit stocked with your favorite herbs and spices. Include basics like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a few gourmet touches like smoked paprika or dried rosemary.
Open Fire Cooking
Cooking over an open fire is one of the most rewarding ways to enjoy the outdoors. With a few essentials and some basic techniques, you can prepare delicious meals that rival anything you’d make at home.
Getting the right temperature is key to cooking over an open fire. Start by building a fire and letting it burn down to hot coals, which provide consistent heat. You can control the temperature by spreading the coals for more even heat or piling them up for more intense heat.
Just like on your home grill, different meats are cooked differently. Sear steaks and chops directly over the hottest coals, then move them to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. Cook chicken using indirect heat, turning frequently. Grill fish over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Finally, grill vegetables like zucchini, bell peppers, and corn directly over medium-high heat until tender and slightly charred.
For sides, cook pastas and rice in the Dutch oven bringing the water to boil directly in the coals before covering and moving farther out of the heat to simmer. Spiced potatoes cooked in the coals in a foil wrap is another delicious option.
For dessert, try campfire-baked apples. Core apples and stuff them with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts, then wrap them in foil and cook over the fire until tender.
Finally, you may be in the wild but that doesn’t mean you have to eat like an animal. Presentation still counts. Instead of paper or plastic, serve your meal on enamel camping plates and bowls, bring along a tablecloth, and a few small luxuries like candles, a pepper grinder, or a bottle of good olive oil. Enjoy.