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What are Some Ideas for Cooking over a Campfire?

Shannon Kietzman
Shannon Kietzman

Cooking over a campfire is a great outdoor tradition. It can be done while camping, in your own backyard at a social gathering, or simply while enjoying time with your family. To ensure that you have a great time and stay safe, there are a few things to keep in mind when using this method of cooking.

One of the best ways to have a great time when cooking over a campfire is to tell stories. Traditionally, ghost stories are told over a campfire, but that does not have to be the case. You can simply share personal stories with each other, tell stories that are not scary, or even make up stories together. To do this, one person sitting at the fire can start the story with a single sentence, then the next person in the story adds the next sentence, and so on. You can continue in this manner until a group story has been told and you are ready to end it.

Hot dogs are commonly cooked over a campfire.
Hot dogs are commonly cooked over a campfire.

When cooking over a campfire, you also need to keep safety in mind. You should be sure the fire is contained so that it will not spread and ignite your surroundings or hurt anyone near it. In addition, you shouldn’t use any chemicals to get the campfire started, such as gasoline. This is dangerous because it can accidentally cause someone to get burned, and it will also ruin the flavor of your food.

Kabobs are ideal for campfire cooking.
Kabobs are ideal for campfire cooking.

Most people think of roasting hot dogs when they think of cooking over a campfire, but you can select other meats as well. Be sure to use caution, however, when roasting pork, beef, and chicken on a campfire. If undercooked, these meats can cause illness and even death in severe cases. For this reason, it is best to cut the meat into small cubes and roast them as a kabob over the fire.

Campfires shouldn't be started using chemicals or gasoline.
Campfires shouldn't be started using chemicals or gasoline.

In order to ensure your meat tastes great, it is best to avoid putting it directly into the campfire. If you place it directly in the fire, the outside will burn and the inside will remain undercooked. Instead, apply the heat indirectly to ensure the entire piece of meat is cooked completely.

Discussion Comments

andee

Going camping with the family and spending time around the campfire is one or our favorite family activities. We have several "pie cookers" that we always keep with our cookware for camping.

These have a long handles on them and you take two pieces of bread and fill the middle with pie filling. You hold them over the fire just like you would to cook marshmallows or hot dogs until the inside is melted. When they are done, they taste like a warm piece of pie.

You can use whatever your favorite kind of pie filling is. Seems like we like cherry the best, but apple is always good too.

honeybees

We have many memories of sitting around a campfire when our kids were growing up. Cooking in a dutch oven over a campfire is a great way to go. You can prepare whole meals in just one oven. You can also use dutch ovens to make great desserts.

If you are not familiar with cooking with a dutch oven, there are many recipe books available. I found some great recipes online, and also some good cookbooks at a Bass Pro Shop. I was amazed at all the different things you can do with them.

One of our favorites is making a peach cobbler in them. We always have to have smores over the campfire too, but a dessert in the dutch oven is nice for a change of pace.

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    • Hot dogs are commonly cooked over a campfire.
      By: Brent Hofacker
      Hot dogs are commonly cooked over a campfire.
    • Kabobs are ideal for campfire cooking.
      By: Sandor Kacso
      Kabobs are ideal for campfire cooking.
    • Campfires shouldn't be started using chemicals or gasoline.
      By: MariaBobrova
      Campfires shouldn't be started using chemicals or gasoline.