On a campsite, there’s no better way to cook than using that mighty campfire that I know you love. But do you know there are so many ways you can improve this experience if you choose the proper campfire cooking equipment and tools?
Think outside the box and don’t let that old bbq grill be the only open fire cooking gear you bring in.
Dutch Ovens
There’s no way around this: you need to have a dutch oven get the rewards of a long and slow cooking process. It’s the mother of all cast iron cookware. There aren’t too many recipes that this cast iron beast can’t cook. It’s the “oven” of every campsite, roasts, stews, and soups are the perfect recipes for it. It can even bake pizzas and biscuits.
The American variant of a dutch oven has a shallower pot and three legs to keep it over the coals. The cast iron variant is recommended for best results. The heat retention of the cast iron, combined with a tight fitting lid will cook the meal very slowly and keep all those tasty juices inside. You can also find aluminum builds, but in my opinion, they ruin the slow cooking experience.
There’s no need to worry about how long they will last; a good quality piece of equipment can serve for more than a lifetime. Don’t believe me? Check the antique stores; I’m sure you’ll find some 100 years old cast iron pans or dutch ovens.
You can buy a quality dutch oven at a very good price on Amazon.
Camping Portable Smokers
You’re out in the wilderness, and there are no crazy neighbors that will be disturbed by the smoke. A perfect opportunity to test those smoking recipes you know.
A portable campfire smoker it’s ideal for cooking fish and soft meat that will otherwise fall apart on a grill over the open fire. It’s easy to use, and you’ll have fewer chances to burn the meat, achieving a perfect even cook.
The guys from Ziv came out with an impressive design, a foldable smoker that you can carry inside a briefcase. And all this for a reasonable price.
Cast Iron Grill and Griddle Combo
Any camp chef should buy this combo deal. Perfect for cooking breakfast and dinner, pancakes or stakes, these twins are the ideal campfire cooking equipment.
If you set them correctly over the campfire, you should get the best heat distribution and retention that you’ll get out of any other cookware. Just make sure you have some heat resistant gloves as they can be quite tricky to maneuver.
When you buy this set, make sure you check what seasonings the manufacturer used – make sure there are no synthetic oils or chemicals used, just pure 100% vegetable oil. Lodge builds cast iron cooking equipment for over 150 years, and I’m sure that their grills and griddles have a natural finish and are safe to use.
Open Fire Rotisserie System
A rotisserie system might seem that is too bulky to bring in, but if you have space for it, it’s the ultimate way of cooking over a campfire. You’ll need to prepare large joints of meats to make this useful, but I’m sure that meat eater will love this.
For me, there’s no better way to roast a turkey. By spinning it over and over again above the open fire, the meat will cook evenly and will retain all of its juices.
Spit-roasting is the way to go if there are a lot of people on the campsite that you need to feed. Be careful though, it will attract a lot of attention, and people will quickly gather around the rotisserie.
You might think that is too expensive, but a portable electric version shouldn’t set you back more than 120 dollars. Not bad right?
Pie Iron Sandwich Cooker
Everybody loves their cheese sandwich in the morning, and I can guarantee you that it will test a lot better if cooked over the campfire in a cast iron pie cooker.
They don’t look like much, but it’s a fast and easy method to cook something really fast. They usually have a long handle making it easy to set it properly without burning your hands. Toast anything you like over the fire pit with this heavy duty cooking tool.
Campsite Popcorn Popper
I bet that for the last few years you’ve only used your microwave to pop that popcorn kernels. But when camping, it’s time to leave that nasty piece of equipment behind. A stainless steel popcorn popper that works great over the campfire is just what you need.
They’re cheap and easy to use, all you need to do is to unbox it and poor just a drop of vegetable oil and you’re ready to pop.
Just make sure you try other popcorn recipes as well, don’t just stick with the salted ones.
Campfire Roasting Sticks
Smores, hot dogs, kabobs…all this comfort food is easy to cook with the help of some long and adjustable stainless steel roasting sticks.
There no need to buy wood sticks every time – they’re not even that practical and can burn quickly.
Open Fire Cook Sets
You can find some good deals on campfire accessories if you look for cook sets. They are an essential part of any outdoor kitchen and fill most likely satisfy all of your needs.
Find some cast iron heavy duty cookware in a set that will include a dutch oven, frying pan, chicken fryer and so on. Not only that will be great for cooking, but you can use them to keep food warm for a long time.
Whenever you’re cleaning this cookware, make sure you season the iron. Wash them properly and spread a thin layer of vegetable oil on the cooking surface. New equipment doesn’t need seasoning, but the more you use it, the protective coat will wear off. That’s when you’ll need to maintain it.
Cast Iron Skillet
You’ll use them for almost everything, from making fresh sauces to frying stuff. Who said you can’t stir fry when camping?
The size of the skillet is essential, but to get a good deal, look for those sets of different sizes. A high-quality heavy duty set will have at least three pans with sizes ranging from 6 inches to at least 10-12 inches.
Cast iron loaf pan
Have you had home baked loaf before? If you did, you’d know how good it is. But cooking it over a campfire is the next level.
You can find loaf pans suitable for open fire for some reasonable prices. That iron will disperse the heat evenly to achieve a perfect bake. Just try it, I bet you never had bread that tastes so good.
Campfire tripod
With this, you never have to worry if the fire is too hot or not powerful enough. With adjustable legs and a chain to lower the pots/dutch oven/grill grates. You might need a fire ring beneath it to concentrate all the charcoals in one place.
As a guideline, try to find one that is made of a sturdy material, steel or iron. Don’t choose the cheap one with poles made out of aluminum.
Final thoughts
Having all these listed cooking tools is out of the question unless you are truly passionate about this. But it’s worth giving it a try on some of them.
I’m sure I left out a lot of campfire cooking equipment that deserved to be on this list. If you can think of any, please let me know in the comments section below.
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