Self-Reliance · Food
A real meal, not just marshmallows, from an open wood fire. The technique is simple once the fire itself is understood: coals do the cooking, flames just look impressive.
Read the fire safety rule firstHow it works
Direct flame is high, fast, and unpredictable, useful for bringing a pot of water to a boil but a poor tool for anything that needs steady, even heat. A bed of glowing coals is the opposite: quieter to look at, but far closer to a real oven, which is why it does most of the actual cooking work at a campfire.
Start a fire 30 to 45 minutes before you plan to cook, using hardwood if it's available, oak, hickory, maple, or fruit woods burn longer and produce more consistent coals than softwoods like pine. Let it burn down from an active blaze to a glowing bed before food goes anywhere near it.
From there, three simple methods cover most campfire meals: a grate or skillet set over the coals for anything you'd normally fry or sauté, foil packets laid directly on the coals for a hands-off one-pot meal, and a Dutch oven for baking or a longer braise.
Getting started
Heavy-duty aluminum foil, a pair of long tongs, and a grate or a couple of sturdy rocks to hold cookware above the coals cover the bare minimum. A cast-iron skillet expands what's possible considerably and holds up to direct heat better than nonstick or thin aluminum cookware, which can warp or release coating at fire temperatures.
Beyond gear, the real requirement is time. A fire needs to burn down before it's ready to cook over, and most campfire meals take longer than their stovetop equivalent. Plan the fire-building step into the schedule, not as an afterthought once everyone's hungry.
Keep a dedicated set of cookware for fire use if possible. Soot is difficult to fully remove, and coating the outside of a pot with a thin layer of dish soap before cooking makes cleanup considerably easier afterward.
Nearly nine out of ten wildfires are human-caused, and an improperly extinguished campfire is a common source.[1] Before leaving any campfire, drown it with water until the hissing stops, stir the wet embers and ash with a shovel to expose anything still smoldering, drown again, and feel for heat with the back of your hand.[2] If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave.[2]
Check local fire restrictions before building any campfire at all, and never build one in windy or dry conditions where embers could carry beyond the fire ring. Use an established fire ring where one exists, and never leave a fire unattended, even for a few minutes.[1]
The work
A grate set over a bed of coals is the most direct route to anything you'd normally grill or pan-fry. Set the grate low enough to catch real heat but high enough to avoid flare-ups, and hold off on high-fat foods like bacon early in a cook, since dripping grease onto coals can flare and scorch what's cooking.
Foil packets are the most forgiving method for a first attempt. Wrap meat and vegetables tightly in two layers of heavy-duty foil, and set the packet directly on the coals rather than in active flame, which would burn the outside before the inside finishes. Most packets take 25 to 40 minutes, flipped once partway through; open one carefully to check doneness, since trapped steam vents quickly and can burn skin on contact.
A skillet works the same way it would on any stovetop, just set directly on or just above the coals rather than a burner. Cast iron tolerates this kind of direct heat well; thinner or coated pans generally don't, and are better saved for the kitchen.
Ground meat, poultry, and other proteins still need to reach the same safe internal temperatures over a fire as they would in a kitchen; an outdoor setting doesn't make undercooked food any safer. Bring a food thermometer rather than judging doneness by color, especially for foil packets and thicker cuts where the center is hard to see. If perishables were carried to the fire, keep them cold until they go on to cook, the same danger-zone rule that governs every other kitchen on this site.
Common mistakes
Flame scorches the outside of food long before the inside is done. Wait for coals, even though the fire looks less impressive.
A fire needs 30 to 45 minutes to burn down to good cooking coals. Start it well before anyone's actually hungry.
Coals that look cold on the surface can still be hot underneath. Drown, stir, and feel before leaving, without exception.
Trapped steam escapes fast and hot the moment a packet opens. Turn the opening away from yourself and let steam vent before leaning in.
Next steps
Briquette counts, coal placement, and cast-iron care for a Dutch oven.
Read the guideYeast bread and sourdough basics that transfer directly to outdoor baking.
Read the guideThe doneness targets that apply everywhere food gets cooked, fire included.
Read the guideSources