Easy Campfire Cooking

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Marshmallows are not the only thing to cook over a campfire. You can cook a whole meal over hot coals. If you are wondering what to cook for your next camping trip here are some easy campfire cooking tips.

Use Coals

When cooking over a campfire you don’t want the food right in the flames. It is best to use hot coals so the food will not burn and char. That way it is the heat from the coals that is doing all the cooking.

A huge campfire is not necessary. You can make these foods with the little fire ring that comes with a lot of standard campsites.

Take the grates off when cooking food on sticks. So you can hold the stick yourself. Or you can also leave the grates on and cook these foods like cooking on a barbecue.

If you are not sure your campsite will have a grate you can bring your own folding campfire grill.

For cooking foods in foil, place the foil packet over the coals. Or on the grate of a fire ring.

Campfire Foods on Sticks

When you are cooking food over a fire, remember to keep rotating the stick in your hand. That way the heat is evenly distributed.

Which is especially important if you are dealing with raw meat. Here are some quick and easy foods you can cook and eat on sticks.

Hot Dogs

Hot dogs are good for roasting over a fire since they are not raw meat. Which means all you are doing is heating it up. Make sure your skewers are the extra-long kind.

So there is room to hold the stick over the fire without burning your hands. The long ones even have enough room to slide two hot dogs on at a time. Rotate the hot dog until you like the amount of char on it.

Shrimp

Many people don’t think about cooking shrimp when they’re camping. Remember when packing it that it needs to remain cold and fresh. So it should stay in the coldest part of your cooler and cooked the first night. Or you can cook it before you leave and heat it up on the sticks.

Vegetable Kabobs

Vegetable kabobs are perfect when you are camping. You can use vegetables like squash, zucchini, bell peppers, and onions. Then sprinkle some olive oil and seasonings over them before you begin roasting.

Campfire Foods in Foil

The great thing about making food in foil packets is that the foil can double as the plate. That way you don’t have to waste any of your paper ones. Also if you forget the paper plates you’ll have something to eat on.

Chili Cheese Fries

Who doesn’t love chili cheese fries? This works best with frozen French fries. So it is also super convenient!

Pack a bag of frozen French fries and keep them cold in the bottom part of your cooler with lots of ice on top. Also, bring along a few cans of chili or jars of homemade chili and some shredded cheese.

Grab a big piece of aluminum foil and put a handful of French fries in the center of the foil. Then start folding up the edges to begin creating your pocket. After folding the edges, you can add your chili to the foil packet. Then finish folding up the edges and sealing the packet.

Check every 15-20 minutes to see how the fries are doing. Once they are almost cooked, open the packet, add your cheese, and keep cooking until the cheese melts.

Salmon

For an easy dinner over the fire make your family some delicious salmon. Start by preparing the salmon before you leave for your trip. Coat it in olive oil and add your choice of seasonings, such as lemon and herbs.

Let it soak in a storage container until you’re ready to cook it, making sure it stays cool before cooking it. Then place the salmon fillets in foil packets and secure the ends. Place over the fire for about 15 minutes to cook completely.

You can also place some veggies in the foil packet with the salmon to make it a complete meal. Use veggies that can cook quickly like green beans.

Campfire Breakfast Recipies

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eat a hearty meal with these breakfast ideas during your camping trip.

Pancakes

One of the easiest ways to make pancakes while camping is to prepare the batter before you leave. You can pour it in any container but using an old ketchup bottle is ideal.

The pour spout makes it super easy to squeeze out batter onto the pan. Mix up your pancake batter and pour it into some empty bottles, then pack it with you.

Put a little oil or butter on a skillet (cast iron is best), then add your pancakes. Mini pancakes are often better for camping since you want to make a large amount of them in a short period of time.

Egg Scramble

An easy way to mix the ingredients for an egg scramble is to use a half-full bag of frozen hash browns. Add beaten eggs, cheese, salsa, diced sausage or ham, and other ingredients you enjoy.

Close the bag and squeeze it to mix the ingredients together. Now heat up a skillet and place it on grates over the fire ring or cookstove. Heat up the mixture until cooked through.

Eggs in a Basket

Another simple breakfast to make if you have a skillet and spatula with you on your camping trip is eggs in a basket. What you need for each serving is a thick slice of bread, butter, and an egg.

Start by cutting a hole in the middle of the bread, then butter one side of it. Place it butter side down on the pan as it heats up, then crack open the egg into the middle hole you made. Let it cook for a few minutes, not turning until the egg has almost completely cooked.

Easy Campfire Desserts

Roasted Strawberries and Marshmallow

This is a sweet and fruity twist on the traditional s’mores. All you need are strawberries, marshmallow fluff, and some skewers. Take a strawberry and place it at the end of a skewer.

Then dip it into some of the marshmallow fluff. Next place it over an open fire, rotating it until it gets a nice roasted appearance. It only takes a minute or so for each one.

S’mores Dip

You’ll need a grate over a fire and a tin foil fan. Place an entire box of cream cheese on the bottom, spreading it around the pan. Add some marshmallow cream, some mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips.

Heat the pan on for about 20 minutes or until the ingredients start to melt together. Dip graham crackers, cookies, pretzels, or strawberries into the s’mores dip.

Canned Biscuit Donuts

For biscuit donuts, you need a can of buttermilk biscuits, sugar, cinnamon, and some oil. You will need a pot for this recipe.

Add some oil to the pot, enough to fry the biscuits. Take the biscuits out of the can and poke a hole into the center of each one. A screw cap from a water bottle works for this.

Place the biscuits in the oil, flipping with tongs every minute or so. While they are frying, mix some sugar and cinnamon in a freezer bag.

When done frying, take them out and place on a paper towel. Now put them in the cinnamon sugar, shake it a little, and they are ready to eat.

Camping Cookware and Utensils

Don’t forget to bring cookware and utensils with you when going camping. Campfire cooking will be a lot easier with these items.

Pot with a lid
Frying pan or skillet
Knives
Serving spoon and ladle
Spatula
Tongs
Cutting board
Oven mitts or cooking gloves

More Cooking and Eating Supplies

For cooking and eating, you might need a few other supplies. Here is another list to check off when getting ready for your camping trip:

Eating utensils
Cups, plates, and bowls
Fuel and fuel bottles
Skewer sticks
Aluminum foil
Plastic bags and containers
Water bottles
Strike-anywhere matches
Corkscrew
Can opener

Making a list during the planning stages will help you determine what else you should bring with you.

More Easy Campfire Cooking Tips

Make sure you create a list of prep work to do at home before your camping trip to make campfire cooking easier. Here are a few more tips to keep in mind.

Do meal planning and prep work before you leave
Fill the cooler with block ice, which lasts longer
Bring supplies to clean your pots and pans
Don’t forget an oven mitt for roasting over the fire

I hope you found these easy campfire cooking tips helpful. What do you cook when you go camping? Let me know in the comments:)

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Easy Campfire Cooking – Cooking over an Open Fire