cooking over an open fire or fire pit.

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Dgflorida
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Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

cooking over an open fire or fire pit.

Post by Dgflorida »

I did a search here, but didn't find much. I intend to do some cooking on my outside fire pit. I haven't done this since camping many years ago. I could use experienced advice on the process. What works. What doesn't.
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Jackielou
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Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: cooking over an open fire or fire pit.

Post by Jackielou »

Over the years Hubby and I have cooked over our firepit.

We have found that while wood works great for cooking items like sausages, hot dogs, pork chops, hamburgers (last two are so so , unless you have a good bed of hot coals) some things need to use briquettes.

A few years ago we roasted a whole ham on a spit over the briquettes. It turned out beautifully, but keeping a constant temperature was a chore until Hubby found a metal bowl (large open bowl from another fire pit) and covered the cooking ham with it.

Things need to be watched carefully, and turned more often as the cooking is a bit uneven, and you need to soap the outside of any pots you use on a wood fire, to make them easier to clean.

I am moving this thread to Homesteading, as this thread would be a wonderful addition to that forum.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
dlrcpa
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Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 8:45 am

Re: cooking over an open fire or fire pit.

Post by dlrcpa »

I have often wondered about using a dutch oven for cooking near the fire/coals. Mine is aluminum. DH also has a ceramic "bean pot" that might work better? Our soapstone fireplace burns a very hot fire (a hot fire of short duration heats the stone which then radiates the heat for hours.) But there is an ash box under the grate where the fire burns. It have wondered if anything placed in the ash box would withstand the fire's heat and cook food. I have thought about wrapping potatoes in aluminum foil and placing them in the ash box. Worth an experiment?
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Jackielou
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Re: cooking over an open fire or fire pit.

Post by Jackielou »

Definitely worth an experiment.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
Dgflorida
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Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: cooking over an open fire or fire pit.

Post by Dgflorida »

I've done the aluminum foil for both potatoes and some fish. Also had some hamburger with stuff in foil on a camping trip. It is ok, but a bit of work for the reward. The fish worked out pretty good. I wondered if the soaping of the bottom of the pan was still in vogue.
gaylejackson2
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Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: Utah

Re: cooking over an open fire or fire pit.

Post by gaylejackson2 »

Dgflorida wrote:I've done the aluminum foil for both potatoes and some fish. Also had some hamburger with stuff in foil on a camping trip. It is ok, but a bit of work for the reward. The fish worked out pretty good. I wondered if the soaping of the bottom of the pan was still in vogue.
We've made tinfoil dinners (meat, veg, seasoning, chunks of butter wrapped in 2 or more layers of tinfoil) that we placed directly in coals of fire.

WE've also wrapped potatoes in 2-3 layers of foil, and cooked them directly in the coals.
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