No matter how spectacular the scenery, meals around the campfire are often the highlight of the camper's day. Modern camp stoves and specialized cookware make the cook's job easier, but nothing beats the taste and appeal of a meal cooked over the campfire. Success at campfire cooking will encourage you to go camping more often.
In days gone by, cooking over an open fire could be taken for granted. Today, with concerns about air quality, restricted areas for camping and dwindling firewood stocks in many campgrounds, the freedom to cook over an open fire is a privilege which requires the utmost in caution and respect. Here are a few important considerations:
Wood: Campfire cooking requires a clean-burning, hot fire. This is only achieved with dry, seasoned wood. Stripping trees of green wood is fruitless - your fire will be smoky, will burn poorly and create unnecessary pollution. If dry wood is not available, it will need to be packed in. Many public campgrounds supply firewood - ring first to see what's available. Click here for a breakdown of which wood is best for burning and cooking.
Location: Pay close attention to the ground before preparing any fire. In circumstances where building your fire on a rock is not possible, one should ensure that the base of the fire is on bare mineral soil.
Wind: Any medium to strong wind is hazardous. The danger of sparks getting away can ignite a forest fire. Also, the coals will reduce more quickly and provide much less cooking time. If substantial wind shelter is unavailable, any outdoor fire is out of the question.
Cruben
EnniskillenIngredients
wheaten or whole meal flour. olive oil.water.fillingsInstructions
mix flour with a little water and small amount of olive oil in a plastic bag( keeps hands and bread clean) add a small amount of water and mix until you have a thick dough, the drier the better. Form as a saugage on the end of a green stick which has had the bark removed. cook slowly near hot coals until golden brown. slide off stick and fill the hole with butter and marmelade or any luxury filling.Guest
NottinghamIngredients
1 pack of chocolate cake mix 1 egg water 4 large oranges foilInstructions
This is v good to keep kids amused, if you can stand the mess! make up the cake mix in a jug with the egg and water. cut the very top off the oranges so you have a 'lid', the carefully remove as much of the orange from inside the whole skin as you can.It doesn't matter if there's quite a bit left, it'll add to the overall taste, just try and remove most of it. carefully pour cake mix in the empty orange until its about 3/4 full - the cake will RISE as it cooks so don't overfill! put the 'lid' back on, and wrap each orange in a double layer of foil. put in the campfire embers and heap a few embers around and on top, although don't cover them. After 12-15 min remove from fire and unwrap, then eat lovely oozing chocolately orangey gorgeousness with a spoon straight out of the orange :-)Guest
TexasIngredients
any kind of fish that you catch and are willing to eat.. cut into filets (we have used trout, salmon, fluke, flounder and red snapper)Instructions
set filets in heavy duty foil which can be wrapped up add tablespoon of butter or olive oil couple of tablespoons of white wine (optional) add juice from half a lemon seasonings to taste salt, pepper, and others such as dill, or oregano, basil, or herbs d'provence, red pepper, etc.... wrap completely closed in the foil cook over hot coals or in oven for about 30 minuteswe have also added shrimp and scallops, and have added onions, garlic, and julienne of vegatables, etc....
Dave
RotherhamIngredients
marshmellows,stick,choclate.Instructions
prick marshmellows on end of stick twirl and toast have some chocolate pre melted any type and dunk marshmellows in chocolate,hmmm lovely.Fiona
YorkIngredients
Bananas Chocolate Marshmallows (optional)Instructions
Warning - only for sweet tooths! :) Hold the banana like a banana boat and slit the banana down the middle going through one side of the skin and through the fruit but not right through the bottom. Squeeze the banana open and fill the slit with chocolate pieces or chocolate and marshmallows and place on the hot embers. When the banana skin is a bit black on the bottom and the chocolate has melted it is ready - the banana should be hot and soft and everything should be all squishy and sweet and lovely. You can eat it out of the skin with a spoon.MIKEYB
SandbachIngredients
Small sweet cherry tomato's Smoked streaky bacon Kebab skewersInstructions
Simple, just wrap the streaky bacon tightly around a cherry tomato making sure no tomato can be seen and place on your skewer, continue until there your skewer is full and cook over a low heat until the bacon is crispy and the tomato will be done to perfection, carefull, they explode in your mouth and can be quite hot but there worth it. Excellent for breakfast or as an accompliment with any meal. Yummy!Swampy
CoventryIngredients
Chicken portions or lamb chops or roll up lamb burgers into koftas. chopped onion, 3 cloves garlic, extra chillies 2 tbsp curry powder mix or curry paste 1 can cream of tomato soup 1/3 pint water tbsp oil or knob butter, salt to season. Cooking pot, wok or large saucepan and direct heat from coals.Instructions
Wash meat and lightly fry to seal. Chop onions fry 15 mins until golden Add garlic and chilli. Fry 5 minutes. Add curry powder and mix well. Add can soup and water. (at this point you have the sauce) Add meat. Cover and simmer 45 minutes until tender. For other options, replace meat at this stage, or add extras, with dried fruit, herbs, boiled eggs or par boiled potato. Serve with rice or naan. NAAN Make dough from SR flour,water, pinch salt. Leave 15 minutes. Roll out into discs 15cm wide. place on any hot flat surface lightly oiled, (spade blade, tin tray or upside down pan. Cook until brown spotted and bubbly. Turn over, repeat and serve hot with curry.Dave palowkar
Milton keynesIngredients
Kebab sticks King or tiger prawns (fresh best, frozen ok) 1/2 Lemon or 1 tbls spoon of lemon juice 2 Cloves Garlic 2 Challots Chilli Powder 1 tablespoons corriander butter Sea Salt Black PepperInstructions
Take Prawns (remove veins) put on kebab sticks and put in foil. Make the foil a basic tray and add 1/4 pint water. grate or cut garlic, challots, season well and add corriander to the tray and some nobs of butter all over. wrap like the foil into a sausage and seal the ends as best you can. (I always double wrap mine and cook a little slower). Place directly on coals for 30 mins, rotating every 5. When ready open up tray (or make new one), sprinkle chilli powder over all prawns. Leave foil open and replace onto grill (12 inches above fire) and turn using kebab sticks until nicely pink, add chilli powder on turning to your taste. I made this for 18 people once on an impromptu BBQ, we had been trekking for 9 days, blisters, sores, aches! the lot..we camped 1 mile from the sea, the local town had the biggest freshest praws! They all took the recipe home after! Lots of ingredients and faffing around, but essentially good food for seafood lovers.Dave
HalifaxIngredients
Marshmallows StickInstructions
stick the marshmallows onto a stick about 18 to 24inch long and place near the fire, not too close or they'll melt. turn the stick so as to toast them all round. eat when slightly browned.Jayne
EnglandIngredients
Fresh lemons, slice thinly (unless you REALLY like lemons!!)Crushed Garlic
Italian Seasoning
A smigion of Real Butter per pack ( Spread LIGHTLY on tinfoil)
Instructions
For best results use boneless/skinless chicken breasts. Use as many as needed for your folks!!! We put 2 in each pack!!! 1 pack usually per person!!!Take a piece of tinfoil - shiny side IN - place 4 lemon slices - to make a square. Lay 2 breasts, side by side, each on 2 of the lemon slices. Sprinkle breasts with Italian seasoning, and crushed garlic, use your own judgement on the garlic!!! (We like alot!!!!) If you are a true lemon lover, place 2 more slices on top of each breast. (or 1 will work also!!) Or none at all!!!
Pull sides of tinfoil up and roll the sides together back down and then roll the ends in. Place the packs right onto your hot coals!! This works great on a grill, or even an open campfire!!! Cook for about 40 minutes, turning about every 10 minutes.
My Husband says - If you see the packs start to puff up, turn 1 more time and they should be done in about 10 minutes!!! We really hope you enjoy this as much as we do!!! Even our 4 year old loves it!!! Happy Camping!!!