Fire

Fire

Of all the ways to prepare food outside, using a fire is my favorite. I work as a summer camp counselor, and I have some of the best time records at work for our weekly cookouts, where we cook over a campfire. It may not be the easiest or the most accurate method of cooking (it does get easier with practice), but it is the most fun. To efficiently build good campfires and cook over them, teamwork is the secret to success.

How to build an effective fire.

The word “build” is used to describe creating a fire for a reason. Often the structured methods of building fires are named after physical structures: teepee, log cabin, etc. Think of building this structure from the inside with tinder and kindling to the outside with larger logs. In order for fire to burn, it needs oxygen. Allow space for the fire to “breathe” and grow.

Begin building the fire with kindling. Use small twigs, pinecones, pine straw, or any small, easily consumed fuel source. This is extremely important in the beginning to create a large, hot fire. Around the kindling, place medium sized sticks and around those place the largest logs. Have kindling and slightly larger sticks on hand after you start the fire to make sure that it will continue to burn so that the largest logs will catch.

If you have a group of people helping, give each person a job to look for and gather the pieces necessary to build the fire.

Ways to start a fire

If using matches or a lighter, tinder is not necessary to start a fire. While I enjoy using matches to start fires, if the goal is to look cool, ferro rods are the best option. They do take a little bit of practice. There are other methods that utilize friction, but they take forever and are not practical in most situations. After choosing a method to get the first sparks and small flames. Try to start the fire in many points so that way it has a better chance to spread through the structure made for it.

Cooking with a Fire

There are ways to prepare everyday meals using a fire, but I do not care for that idea. Since an open fire is not a common way to prepare food, do not dull the experience with everyday food. When cooking with a fire, it is important to remember that it burns. This sounds obvious, but fire burns. Direct exposure to flames will burn food instead of cooking it. Keep the food away from flames by waiting for the fire to die down and use the remaining coals as your heat source. If there is room, keep a small fire going on the side of the coals so that more pieces can be added to different parts of the cooking area to keep it hot and the overall temperature even.

While one person manages the fire, another person should be in charge of preparing the food.

Be mindful of what you decide to cook. Temperatures are difficult to judge accurately with this cooking method. Meats must reach specific temperatures in order to be safe to eat. For more information check with the USDA.