We all probably have great memories of sitting around campfires telling stories or singing songs while roasting hot dogs or mallows for s'mores, but there are so many more great things you can cook over a campfire. Learning how to cook over a fire is a one of the many ways we can prepare for times when we have to cook without power during an emergency. 
There are many different techniques and ways that you can cook over a campfire. The real trick is prepping your fire pit and building the correct fire to allow you to cook whatever you want. There are 2 main ways to build you own fire pit. First is the most common, just dig a circle pit surround it with rocks or something similar, these will help with some wind break and also help keep little ones from walking right through it. The second kind is a straight fire pit where you don't have to dig a hole, just find some good relatively flat rocks and make 2 straight lines with them and then one bigger rock which you will place at one end. This will act as your windbreak and a chimney of sorts to help direct the smoke out. This would be a good one to use if you are just finding wood near you and you don't have a way to cut long logs. You can just slowly feed them in as needed.
As far as building the fire there are 5 standard ways to do it depending on what you are using it for.
1. TEEPEE- this is probably the most common. You lay some tinder down in the middle, teepee some smaller pieces of wood (kindling) around that and then form a teepee with the bigger logs around all of that. Then light it on fire.
Pros- burns really hot and you can even use damp or green wood with this type of fire and it will still burn.
Cons- because it burns so hot it goes through wood quicker and it isn't ideal for cooking over unless you don't mind a little burnt food. However, it will produce coals faster so push those to one side with a shovel and you can cook over those.
2. LOG CABIN- as the name implies you make this fire by making a log cabin out of your wood. Start by laying down 2 logs, lay some smaller sticks (kindling) across those two logs, then put 2 larger logs on top of that and 2 more logs going the other way on top of that and place a little tinder in the space at the bottom under the kindling and start it on fire. There are different variations of this style but this is the basics of it. You can also build it with a hollow center and build a small tinder and kindling teepee in the middle to get it going.
Pros- it will make a really nice coal bed for cooking and because it is "flat" you can even put a grate over it and cook directly over the flame if you wanted.
Cons- doesn't burn as hot as a teepee fire so it won't keep you as warm if you are using for both warmth and cooking.
3. LEAN-TO- this is a super easy one to set up. You lay a log down, put your tinder leaning up across the log and then your kindling laying across you tinder.
Pros- great for when it is windy just make sure to set you wood perpendicular to the wind direction.
Cons-it doesn't burn very hot so it isn't very ideal for cooking but maybe use this to get a fire going in the wind and then get a better one for cooking going.
4.UPSIDE DOWN- normally when you build a fire you start with tinder, kindling, then logs. With the upside down fire you do the exact opposite. Almost like you are building a log cabin, you start with laying down a couple of layers of logs on top of that a layer of kindling and finally a layer of tinder.
Pros- long lasting and needs little attention
Cons-takes a long time to set up since you have to find the right wood and make sure it is nicely packed and if you like tending to the fire this is not the one for you. Not ideal for cooking either.
5.STAR- this is the kind of fire you've probably seen in old westerns. It's easy to set up, just put your tinder in the middle make a small teepee out of kindling and then set your logs in a 3 or 5 point star shape around the edges of the teepee. Start the fire and slowly start pushing the logs in from the edges.
Pros- it is a slow long burning fire so if you are sleeping out under the stars and need some warmth this is the one for you.
Cons- because it is so slow burning it isn't ideal for cooking either.
Now it's time to get into the good stuff. Let's talk about what equipment/utensils you will need and some delicious foods you can cook over the campfire.
GRILL- There are specific grill plates meant for using over fires. They will have legs (usually foldable) on the end that will make it possible to keep food elevated over the fire or you can turn it over and keep it close to the fire. When using a grill like this the possibilities are endless since they will work similar to your backyard grill. Just make sure to keep a close eye on your food if you are grilling directly on the grill. Fires are hard to maintain a consistent temperature with so make sure your food isn't getting too hot or not enough heat. If you really want to go crazy there are even grates that come with a rotisserie spit on it so you could cook a whole chicken or turkey, or if you really want to get creative throw some venison or other type of large piece of meat and cook it up. There are many options out there for grill grates just do a little research and have a price in mind. As with most things you can get a cheap one that might last a few years or invest in a little more expensive one and have it for many years to come. Make sure to keep your BBQ tools handy (spatula, tongs, etc.)
CAST IRON- The best pots and pans to cook over a fire with are cast iron because they can handle the heat without getting burned or ruined. These can be put on the grate that you have over your fire or if you have a dutch oven or cast iron pan with a lid, you can use those directly on the coals. There are even tripod stands you can buy that will hold either a grate or dutch oven directly over a fire. I have never tried this, but I am definitely game to try it and see how well it really works. One thing to be aware of with all cast iron pans is they are super easy to clean as long as you take proper care of them. They never need to be cleaned with soap, just a little bit of water and then put a small amount of oil in the pan to help keep it seasoned. If for some reason you have some stubborn food that is sticking just put some water in it and put it over the fire and bring to a boil. It will loosen or boil it right off. Once the pan has cooled you can dry, oil, and store it. One of my favorite things to cook in a dutch oven over a fire is bacon wrapped chicken. To start with put your dutch oven on the grill over the fire, then get either small chicken breasts or chicken tenders and wrap pepper bacon around it. Make sure when you put the chicken in the pot to put the loose end of the bacon facing down so it will hold in place. Then let it cook. Wait for the bacon to begin to brown on the one side before turning it. While that is cooking you could season some quartered baby red potatoes with some olive oil and herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, cajun seasoning) and throw them in a cast iron pan to cook up. When the chicken is about done, you could get a little BBQ sauce and baste it on or just pour some on the side of your plate to dip the chicken in. Super easy and delicious.
Desserts, well lets just say the possibilities are vast. An easy one would be to have all the dry ingredients for you favorite cookie or brownie all put together in a bag, dump that in the cast iron pan or dutch oven, add the wet ingredients and stir. Put a lid on and then place it over the coal making sure to put some on the lid to create an oven effect and wait about 20-30 minutes until done. Here is a link to another great dessert, a berry cobbler.
STICKS/SKEWERS- These are great for roasting over the flame. What can you cook with this method? Easy answer: hot dogs. Basically if it can be skewered and safely stay there without falling in the fire you can cook it this way. Other things would be sausage, vegetables, small chunks of chicken, bacon and so much more. Make a shish-kabob. Marinate all your ingredients in your favorite flavor before hand and then once the fire has had time to get going steadily, start roasting away. Just make sure to not to get it too close to the flames unless you like burnt food. Dessert wise there is also the obvious answer of s'mores or just roasted marshmallows, but I have to say my all time favorite is actually Brown Bears. You get a long wooden dowel, cover about the top 1/3 to 1/2 of the stick with aluminum foil, put some oil or cooking spray on the foil, then wrap bread or roll dough around the stick. Carefully roast it over the fire, I've actually found it puffs better and tastes better to me when you cook it over the white hot coals from the fire. When it is cooked through (golden brown on the outside and puffy and possibly starting to separate from the stick) carefully remove it from the stick dip it in melted butter and then cover it in cinnamon and sugar. SOOO GOOD! Or how about some roasted strawberries. Take a whole strawberry dip it in marshmallow fluff then roast it over the fire for a slightly more nutritious dessert. Here is another great recipe to try it can be used for both a dinner and dessert.
FOIL- Aluminum foil is another versatile way to cook over a campfire. The best way to do foil pack meals over a fire is to push all the white hot coals to one side of the fire pit and put your foil packs there. Now there really is a little bit of technique to preparing these correctly so you don't get ash and soot in them. To start with get 2 pieces of foil, one longer than the other. Place the shorter piece in the middle of the longer piece. Make sure to either coat your foil or your food in oil so they won't stick, best practice is to do a little on both. Then place your food in the middle of the shorter one, try not to over fill as this will make it harder to keep it sealed. Once your food is in and seasoned pull the short edges of the short piece together and crimp, then take the remaining edges of the short piece and roll them over at least 2 times and then crimp down. Repeat with the longer piece of foil and you are ready to throw them on the coals. You could also put them up on the grill grate and cook them directly over the fire but you will need to pay closer attention to them if you do this. Make sure to turn them over at least once during cooking to ensure they are evenly cooked and the bottom doesn't get burned. Dinners- one of the easy and most common is the hobo dinner with a hamburger patty, potatoes, carrots and onions. Some people jazz it up by adding a scoop of cream soup or dry soup seasoning. My sister in law likes to brown and crumble her hamburger first. I have to say though 2 of my favorite foil pack meals are a shrimp boil one where you take some spicy sausage and cut it into chunks add some cut up potatoes, small chunks of corn on the cob, bell peppers, cajun seasoning and then some shrimp. Often we will cook the shrimp separate since it tends to cook faster than the other stuff and also as extras for those who want more shrimp. It's super easy and good. The other one is adobo pork and sweet potato packs. While the recipe calls for it to be cooked on a BBQ grill it totally works for camping too. Desserts are awesome too. There are the banana boats, where you take a whole banana cut it in half lengthwise (make sure to leave the peel on) and add chocolate chips and marshmallows, wrap it in foil and throw it in the coals. Cone desserts, where you take an ice cream cone fill it with your favorite s'mores ingredients (marshmallows, any kind of candy bar or M&M's) wrap in foil and throw it on the coals. Then there is the orange cake/brownie. Take a whole orange, cut the top 1/5-1/4 off, scoop out all the insides, fill it with your favorite cake or brownie mix, put the top back on, cover in foil and cook over coals. One final one is take your favorite crisp dessert and instead of cooking a large one in the dutch oven or cast iron pan do individual ones in foil packs that way everyone can individualize it with their favorite fruit.
There are many different techniques and ways that you can cook over a campfire. The real trick is prepping your fire pit and building the correct fire to allow you to cook whatever you want. There are 2 main ways to build you own fire pit. First is the most common, just dig a circle pit surround it with rocks or something similar, these will help with some wind break and also help keep little ones from walking right through it. The second kind is a straight fire pit where you don't have to dig a hole, just find some good relatively flat rocks and make 2 straight lines with them and then one bigger rock which you will place at one end. This will act as your windbreak and a chimney of sorts to help direct the smoke out. This would be a good one to use if you are just finding wood near you and you don't have a way to cut long logs. You can just slowly feed them in as needed.
As far as building the fire there are 5 standard ways to do it depending on what you are using it for.
1. TEEPEE- this is probably the most common. You lay some tinder down in the middle, teepee some smaller pieces of wood (kindling) around that and then form a teepee with the bigger logs around all of that. Then light it on fire.
Pros- burns really hot and you can even use damp or green wood with this type of fire and it will still burn.
Cons- because it burns so hot it goes through wood quicker and it isn't ideal for cooking over unless you don't mind a little burnt food. However, it will produce coals faster so push those to one side with a shovel and you can cook over those.
2. LOG CABIN- as the name implies you make this fire by making a log cabin out of your wood. Start by laying down 2 logs, lay some smaller sticks (kindling) across those two logs, then put 2 larger logs on top of that and 2 more logs going the other way on top of that and place a little tinder in the space at the bottom under the kindling and start it on fire. There are different variations of this style but this is the basics of it. You can also build it with a hollow center and build a small tinder and kindling teepee in the middle to get it going.
Pros- it will make a really nice coal bed for cooking and because it is "flat" you can even put a grate over it and cook directly over the flame if you wanted.
Cons- doesn't burn as hot as a teepee fire so it won't keep you as warm if you are using for both warmth and cooking.
3. LEAN-TO- this is a super easy one to set up. You lay a log down, put your tinder leaning up across the log and then your kindling laying across you tinder.
Pros- great for when it is windy just make sure to set you wood perpendicular to the wind direction.
Cons-it doesn't burn very hot so it isn't very ideal for cooking but maybe use this to get a fire going in the wind and then get a better one for cooking going.
4.UPSIDE DOWN- normally when you build a fire you start with tinder, kindling, then logs. With the upside down fire you do the exact opposite. Almost like you are building a log cabin, you start with laying down a couple of layers of logs on top of that a layer of kindling and finally a layer of tinder.
Pros- long lasting and needs little attention
Cons-takes a long time to set up since you have to find the right wood and make sure it is nicely packed and if you like tending to the fire this is not the one for you. Not ideal for cooking either.
5.STAR- this is the kind of fire you've probably seen in old westerns. It's easy to set up, just put your tinder in the middle make a small teepee out of kindling and then set your logs in a 3 or 5 point star shape around the edges of the teepee. Start the fire and slowly start pushing the logs in from the edges.
Pros- it is a slow long burning fire so if you are sleeping out under the stars and need some warmth this is the one for you.
Cons- because it is so slow burning it isn't ideal for cooking either.
Now it's time to get into the good stuff. Let's talk about what equipment/utensils you will need and some delicious foods you can cook over the campfire.
GRILL- There are specific grill plates meant for using over fires. They will have legs (usually foldable) on the end that will make it possible to keep food elevated over the fire or you can turn it over and keep it close to the fire. When using a grill like this the possibilities are endless since they will work similar to your backyard grill. Just make sure to keep a close eye on your food if you are grilling directly on the grill. Fires are hard to maintain a consistent temperature with so make sure your food isn't getting too hot or not enough heat. If you really want to go crazy there are even grates that come with a rotisserie spit on it so you could cook a whole chicken or turkey, or if you really want to get creative throw some venison or other type of large piece of meat and cook it up. There are many options out there for grill grates just do a little research and have a price in mind. As with most things you can get a cheap one that might last a few years or invest in a little more expensive one and have it for many years to come. Make sure to keep your BBQ tools handy (spatula, tongs, etc.)
CAST IRON- The best pots and pans to cook over a fire with are cast iron because they can handle the heat without getting burned or ruined. These can be put on the grate that you have over your fire or if you have a dutch oven or cast iron pan with a lid, you can use those directly on the coals. There are even tripod stands you can buy that will hold either a grate or dutch oven directly over a fire. I have never tried this, but I am definitely game to try it and see how well it really works. One thing to be aware of with all cast iron pans is they are super easy to clean as long as you take proper care of them. They never need to be cleaned with soap, just a little bit of water and then put a small amount of oil in the pan to help keep it seasoned. If for some reason you have some stubborn food that is sticking just put some water in it and put it over the fire and bring to a boil. It will loosen or boil it right off. Once the pan has cooled you can dry, oil, and store it. One of my favorite things to cook in a dutch oven over a fire is bacon wrapped chicken. To start with put your dutch oven on the grill over the fire, then get either small chicken breasts or chicken tenders and wrap pepper bacon around it. Make sure when you put the chicken in the pot to put the loose end of the bacon facing down so it will hold in place. Then let it cook. Wait for the bacon to begin to brown on the one side before turning it. While that is cooking you could season some quartered baby red potatoes with some olive oil and herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, cajun seasoning) and throw them in a cast iron pan to cook up. When the chicken is about done, you could get a little BBQ sauce and baste it on or just pour some on the side of your plate to dip the chicken in. Super easy and delicious.Desserts, well lets just say the possibilities are vast. An easy one would be to have all the dry ingredients for you favorite cookie or brownie all put together in a bag, dump that in the cast iron pan or dutch oven, add the wet ingredients and stir. Put a lid on and then place it over the coal making sure to put some on the lid to create an oven effect and wait about 20-30 minutes until done. Here is a link to another great dessert, a berry cobbler.
STICKS/SKEWERS- These are great for roasting over the flame. What can you cook with this method? Easy answer: hot dogs. Basically if it can be skewered and safely stay there without falling in the fire you can cook it this way. Other things would be sausage, vegetables, small chunks of chicken, bacon and so much more. Make a shish-kabob. Marinate all your ingredients in your favorite flavor before hand and then once the fire has had time to get going steadily, start roasting away. Just make sure to not to get it too close to the flames unless you like burnt food. Dessert wise there is also the obvious answer of s'mores or just roasted marshmallows, but I have to say my all time favorite is actually Brown Bears. You get a long wooden dowel, cover about the top 1/3 to 1/2 of the stick with aluminum foil, put some oil or cooking spray on the foil, then wrap bread or roll dough around the stick. Carefully roast it over the fire, I've actually found it puffs better and tastes better to me when you cook it over the white hot coals from the fire. When it is cooked through (golden brown on the outside and puffy and possibly starting to separate from the stick) carefully remove it from the stick dip it in melted butter and then cover it in cinnamon and sugar. SOOO GOOD! Or how about some roasted strawberries. Take a whole strawberry dip it in marshmallow fluff then roast it over the fire for a slightly more nutritious dessert. Here is another great recipe to try it can be used for both a dinner and dessert.
FOIL- Aluminum foil is another versatile way to cook over a campfire. The best way to do foil pack meals over a fire is to push all the white hot coals to one side of the fire pit and put your foil packs there. Now there really is a little bit of technique to preparing these correctly so you don't get ash and soot in them. To start with get 2 pieces of foil, one longer than the other. Place the shorter piece in the middle of the longer piece. Make sure to either coat your foil or your food in oil so they won't stick, best practice is to do a little on both. Then place your food in the middle of the shorter one, try not to over fill as this will make it harder to keep it sealed. Once your food is in and seasoned pull the short edges of the short piece together and crimp, then take the remaining edges of the short piece and roll them over at least 2 times and then crimp down. Repeat with the longer piece of foil and you are ready to throw them on the coals. You could also put them up on the grill grate and cook them directly over the fire but you will need to pay closer attention to them if you do this. Make sure to turn them over at least once during cooking to ensure they are evenly cooked and the bottom doesn't get burned. Dinners- one of the easy and most common is the hobo dinner with a hamburger patty, potatoes, carrots and onions. Some people jazz it up by adding a scoop of cream soup or dry soup seasoning. My sister in law likes to brown and crumble her hamburger first. I have to say though 2 of my favorite foil pack meals are a shrimp boil one where you take some spicy sausage and cut it into chunks add some cut up potatoes, small chunks of corn on the cob, bell peppers, cajun seasoning and then some shrimp. Often we will cook the shrimp separate since it tends to cook faster than the other stuff and also as extras for those who want more shrimp. It's super easy and good. The other one is adobo pork and sweet potato packs. While the recipe calls for it to be cooked on a BBQ grill it totally works for camping too. Desserts are awesome too. There are the banana boats, where you take a whole banana cut it in half lengthwise (make sure to leave the peel on) and add chocolate chips and marshmallows, wrap it in foil and throw it in the coals. Cone desserts, where you take an ice cream cone fill it with your favorite s'mores ingredients (marshmallows, any kind of candy bar or M&M's) wrap in foil and throw it on the coals. Then there is the orange cake/brownie. Take a whole orange, cut the top 1/5-1/4 off, scoop out all the insides, fill it with your favorite cake or brownie mix, put the top back on, cover in foil and cook over coals. One final one is take your favorite crisp dessert and instead of cooking a large one in the dutch oven or cast iron pan do individual ones in foil packs that way everyone can individualize it with their favorite fruit. There are stoves out there that you can check out that are designed to burn wood such as the Rocket Stove, Kelly Kettle, or the Volcano stove which will work on 3 fuels(wood, charcoal, or propane).
Phew.... that's a lot of information. But what a great way to start off our cooking without power weeks. I know after this post I am totally excited to go camping and get cooking. There is just something about camping that makes things taste that much better than if you make them at home. Just remember an emergency is not the best time to start figuring out how to do something, so practice before hand and you will be ready to go whatever may come your way.
Phew.... that's a lot of information. But what a great way to start off our cooking without power weeks. I know after this post I am totally excited to go camping and get cooking. There is just something about camping that makes things taste that much better than if you make them at home. Just remember an emergency is not the best time to start figuring out how to do something, so practice before hand and you will be ready to go whatever may come your way.
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