Building and cooking over a campfire is a great way to make your meals while “living off the land!” This method is cheaper than firing up that RV oven and it can produce some pretty great dishes too! With the proper gear, you can make pretty much anything on a campfire that you can with your stove or in your oven at home. Here’s our list of essential gear for campfire cooking that will get you started!
Roasting Sticks
Roasting sticks are kind of a no-brainer for campfire cooking. You can make the standard hot dogs and marshmallows, or put things like bacon, crescent roll dough, and fruit on them! These reusable roasting sticks are the way to go! The wooden ones catch on fire and you have to buy more each time you head out! With the reusable type you just wash them off and pack them up!
Pie Irons
Pie irons should be number two on everyone’s list right after the roasting sticks. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and desserts can all come from these! All you have to do is butter a couple pieces of bread, put some filling between the two pieces, and close it tight. Toast it over the fire to make things like grilled cheese, pizza, fruit pies, and more! You can get a pretty decent set on Amazon that won’t break the bank!
Cast Iron Skillet
A cast iron skillet is tough and holds up to the heat, unlike the traditional skillet you’d find at home. The handle is also cast iron so you can plunk it right in the fire without worrying about plastic melting or wood catching on fire. Fry up your hash browns, eggs, or chicken! Check out this skillet at Dick’s Sporting Goods!
Dutch Oven
Boil, simmer, sauté, and even bake in a dutch oven! This is the holy grail of campfire cooking gear and a must have if you want top-notch cuisine in the great outdoors! They’re made of cast iron and built to go directly into the fire. Slap the lid on and put some hot coals on top of it and you have incredibly even heating. A major plus to cooking with these guys is that the thickness of them distributes the heat so well that it’s really hard to burn anything. This 8 quart dutch oven is great for soups, stews, and chili!
Camp Grill
Want a juicy steak, or to be able to cook something over the fire but not necessarily in the fire? Get a camp grill! This is just a grate that goes over the fire so you can throw some meat or a pot right on it. It works well with pretty much any of the other gear mentioned in this article.
Griddle
A griddle compliments the camp grill well. This cast iron griddle from Lodge is reversible and has one side that’s flat for things like pancakes and a side that’s a grill for things like burgers and chicken. Just slap the griddle on top of the camp grill and you’re all set!
Coffee Maker
Making coffee over an open fire like mountain men is the way to go! A percolator will make a great strong cup of coffee over the fire and give you the energy to get up and moving in the morning! Check out this set found at Dick’s Sporting Goods that has the percolator and 4 cups.
Long-Handled Cooking Utensils
The fire gets hot and you don’t really have to be that close to it to feel the burn. Protect your skin with long handled utensils such as tongs, spatulas, spoons, and ladles. These will keep your hands farther away from the heat but still allow you to perform the duties needed to make that delicious meal. What’s your favorite item that you cannot cook over a campfire without? Let us know in the comments!
