Campfire cooking is often one of the best parts of camping or backpacking: It’s outdoor food preparation at its simplest that results in flavor-packed meals, which taste all the more delicious after a long day of hiking and other outdoor activities. That, and it’s easy and requires very little gear.
When it comes to stocking up on campfire cooking gear, one of the keys to success is keeping versatility in mind. Keep your load light, while keeping your cooking options open, by choosing items that will serve multiple purposes.
The variety of ways to cook over a campfire are endless and depend upon your food choice. We’ll help get you started with these four multi-purpose campfire cooking tools. Pick your cooking method or try all. We've also included a few campfire cooking recipes.
The CanCooker by Seth McGinn
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| CanCooker Jr. by Seth McGinn |
Head to the great outdoors with the Bone Collector CanCooker, its the perfect choice to cook a lot of food without a lot of work wherever you are. Designed to work over any heat source that will boil water, the four-gallon and the smaller two-gallon CanCooker Jr. uses circulating steam to cook a complete meal. The CanCooker is an updated version of the old milk can cookers used by ranchers and farmers to cook meals over campfires. You can use it indoors or outdoors.
Tip: Find the Bone Collector Edition CanCooker at Cabela's here. Pack it with ingredients and enjoy a mouthwatering, slow-cooked meal in a fraction of the time.
Gunnar's Campfire Stew Recipe - for use with any CanCooker
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes
- 6 medium potatoes, quartered
- 1 or 2 onions, quartered
- 1 bag baby carrots
- 6 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- CanCooker Original Seasoned Salt
- CanCooker Onion Pepper Seasoning
- 1 stick butter (optional)
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1/2 can beef broth
- 1 can beer
Place the 2-piece stainless steel rack on bottom of the CanCooker and spray the inside with non-stick cooking spray. Add potatoes, carrots, onion and celery. Place meat on top of the vegetables. Add garlic, seasonings and butter. Add tomato sauce, beef broth and beer.
Latch lid and cook on a low to medium heat. Steam for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large serving tray. Serve with warm bread.
Also try these favorite CanCooker Recipes:
CanCooker Fan Favorite recipe
Campfire Beef Stew recipe
Campfire Brown Rice Jambalaya recipe
Campfire Clam Bake recipe
Campfire Beer Brats recipe
The Over-Fire Grill for Campfires
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| Adjust-A-Grill for campfires |
The over-fire cooking grill like the Adjust-A-Grill is an excellent tool for campfire cooking. Use it to grill vegetables and meats. Use it as a “burner” for your coffee percolator and other cookware. And by moving it away from the fire, you can even use your (cool-to-the-touch) over-fire grill as a small makeshift table for holding s’mores ingredients or other items.
Dutch Oven Camp Cooking
In terms of versatility and durability, the Dutch oven goes the distance perhaps more than any other campfire cooking gear. With it, you can cook stews, cobblers, biscuits, pizza -- or pretty much anything else that fits inside of it. And, depending on the size of your oven, you can make all these foods for a pretty large camping party, and still have leftovers! In addition, with the right care of your cast-iron Dutch oven, it can last a lifetime, and can be passed down to be enjoyed over several more years to come.
Read How to do Dutch Oven Cooking
Dutch Oven Venison Casserole Recipe
- 4 pounds venison tenderloin or steak, cut in one-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, stems removed
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 (10.5-ounce) cans condensed onion soup
- 2 soup cans water
- Salt, black pepper
In a Dutch oven, saute venison cubes in butter until brown on all sides. Add onions and mushrooms; saute until vegetables are wilted. Sprinkle with flour. Stir in wine, soup and water. Stir to blend. Cover and place on coals at edge of campfire. Add coals to the oven lid. Cook 45 minutes for tenderloin, 1-1/2 to 2 hours for steak. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bass Pro Shops 34'' Deluxe Roasting Fork
Camp Fork and Fire Iron Camp Cooking
Get back to the basics of cooking by packing along some Camp forks like the Bass Pro Shops 34'' Deluxe Roasting Fork. Roast hot dogs or marshmallows over the fire, with little to no cleanup required afterwards. On top of being great for simple cooking, adventurous campers should note that camp forks can also double as a frog gig or a fish spear.
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| Pie Iron Tasty Tacos photo by Liz, Two Maids a Milking |
Camp cooking with the Bass Pro Shops Single Camp Fire Iron or a pie iron is excellent for making campfire hamburgers, quick bread or dessert.
Pie Iron Tasty Taco recipe by Liz, Two Maids a Milking
- 1 lb. ground beef1 – oz. package taco seasoning mix
- 12 5-inch tortillas
- 1 c. shredded cheese
- 1/2 cup onion
Garnish: shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, salsa and sour cream
Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned. Drain; stir in taco seasoning according to package directions. Spray the inside of a pie iron with non-stick spray; place tortilla on one side. Add about 1/4 cup of beef on tortilla; sprinkle with cheese and onion. Arrange a second tortilla over filling; close pie iron. Cook over medium-hot coals until tortilla is crispy and filling is heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove from pie iron; garnish as desired. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Watch this video about Fire Iron Recipes
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What campfire cooking tools are on your camping list?
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