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How to Cook Over Campfire: Complete Beginner Guide

Learn campfire cooking techniques, tools, and recipes. Master fire management, grate setup, Dutch oven cooking, and techniques like direct grilling, skillet cooking, and foil packets.

How to Cook Over Campfire: Complete Beginner Guide

Why Campfire Cooking?

A camp stove is convenient. A campfire is an experience.

There’s something primal about cooking over open flames—the crackling wood, the smoke, the slower pace. And with the right technique, campfire food isn’t just edible—it’s genuinely better than what you’d make at home.

The Foundation: Building the Right Fire

Not all fires are cooking fires. That roaring blaze you stare at? Terrible for cooking. What you need is coals.

The Cooking Fire Stages

  1. Start with a standard fire — Teepee or log cabin structure
  2. Let it burn down — 30-45 minutes
  3. Spread the coals — Create an even bed
  4. Cook over coals, not flames — This is key

Flames = burned outside, raw inside. Coals = even, controllable heat.

Heat Zones

Create areas of different heat:

  • Hot zone — Thick coal bed, directly under cooking surface
  • Medium zone — Fewer coals, edge of fire
  • Warming zone — No coals, just radiant heat

Move food between zones as needed.

Essential Campfire Cooking Tools

The Minimum Kit

  • Cast iron skillet — 10” or 12” for most camping
  • Metal grate — Elevates cookware over coals
  • Long metal tongs — For moving coals and food
  • Heat-resistant gloves — Leather or silicone

Level Up

  • Dutch oven — The campfire slow-cooker
  • Cast iron griddle — Pancakes, bacon, smash burgers
  • Pie irons — Sandwich magic
  • Tripod with chain — For hanging pots over fire

The Grill Grate Setup

Place a metal grate over rocks or directly on the fire ring. This creates a stable cooking surface at a consistent height.

Grate height:

  • 4-6 inches above coals for high heat
  • 8-10 inches for gentler cooking
  • Adjust by coal bed depth or grate position

Cooking Techniques

Direct Grilling

Place food directly on the grate over coals.

Best for: Steaks, burgers, sausages, vegetables Tips:

  • Oil the grate or food
  • Don’t move food constantly
  • Use hot zone for searing, medium zone to finish

Skillet Cooking

Cast iron + coals = even heat perfection.

Best for: Eggs, bacon, stir-fry, one-pan meals Tips:

  • Preheat the skillet before adding food
  • Handle stays hot—use gloves
  • Cook lower and slower than you think

Dutch Oven Cooking

The secret weapon. A Dutch oven lets you bake, braise, and slow-cook.

How it works:

  1. Place Dutch oven on coal bed
  2. Add coals on top of the lid
  3. Top coals + bottom coals = oven-like heat distribution

Coal ratios (for 12” Dutch oven):

  • Baking (350°F): 8 coals under, 16 on top
  • Roasting (400°F): 10 coals under, 18 on top
  • Simmering: 6 coals under, 0 on top

Foil Packet Cooking

Wrap food in aluminum foil, place in coals.

Best for: Vegetables, fish, desserts Tips:

  • Double-wrap to prevent burns
  • Leave room for steam expansion
  • Rotate packets halfway through

Spit/Skewer Cooking

Food on sticks over fire. Classic.

Best for: Kebabs, sausages, marshmallows Tips:

  • Soak wooden skewers to prevent burning
  • Rotate frequently
  • Keep food moving over medium heat, not flames

Campfire Recipes

Campfire Breakfast Skillet

Ingredients: Bacon, diced potatoes, eggs, cheese, onion

  1. Cook bacon in skillet, set aside
  2. Cook potatoes in bacon fat until crispy (10-15 min)
  3. Add onion, cook until soft
  4. Create wells, crack eggs into them
  5. Cover with foil, cook until eggs set
  6. Top with cheese and crumbled bacon

Foil Pack Fajitas

Ingredients: Sliced chicken or steak, peppers, onions, fajita seasoning, oil

  1. Toss everything with oil and seasoning
  2. Divide into foil packets
  3. Seal tightly, place on coals
  4. Cook 15-20 minutes, flipping once
  5. Serve in tortillas

Dutch Oven Chili

Ingredients: Ground beef, beans, tomatoes, onion, chili seasoning

  1. Brown beef in Dutch oven
  2. Add onion, cook until soft
  3. Add beans, tomatoes, seasoning, water
  4. Cover, place coals under and on top
  5. Simmer 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally

Campfire Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients: Refrigerated cinnamon roll tube, butter

  1. Grease Dutch oven with butter
  2. Arrange rolls in single layer
  3. Cover, place on coals with coals on lid
  4. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden
  5. Apply icing while hot

Safety

Fire Management

  • Never leave a cooking fire unattended
  • Keep water nearby
  • Be aware of wind direction (sparks)
  • Fully extinguish when done

Food Safety

  • Bring a meat thermometer
  • Keep cold food cold until cooking
  • When in doubt, cook longer

Personal Safety

  • Assume everything is hot
  • Long sleeves, closed-toe shoes
  • Hair tied back
  • Keep kids at safe distance

Common Mistakes

  1. Cooking over flames — Use coals
  2. Not preheating cookware — Food sticks, cooks unevenly
  3. Constant stirring/flipping — Let food develop crust
  4. Forgetting salt — Season everything
  5. No coal management — Replenish coals for long cooks

The Bottom Line

Campfire cooking takes practice, but the results are worth it. Start with simple skillet meals, graduate to Dutch oven dishes, and eventually you’ll be making meals that put home cooking to shame.

The fire does the work. You just need to guide it.

Cook with fire. Eat like you mean it.