Cooking over fire is an ancient practice.
There's something about the crackle of fire and the smell of smoke that makes food cooked over a fire more appealing. Whether you're camping or in your back yard, cooking over an open pit fire is a rewarding experience. Having the appropriate tools helps you get the most utility out of your fire. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Small Tools
There are a few small tools you may need when cooking over an open pit fire. A metal fire poker helps you stoke the fire and move coals and logs into position. Long metal tongs are good for removing food from a hot fire. A spyder is a cast iron platform that keeps cookware elevated above the fire. When using a dutch oven, you may want a lid lifter to safely remove the hot lid.
Skewers
Skewers are hand-held rods or sticks used to cook small amounts of meat, vegetables or fruit. You can buy metal skewers or you can find sticks and whittle one end to a point with a knife. Use a skewer by forcing it through the food item, then hold it over the hot coals and rotate slowly until done.
Grills
Grills elevate food above the fire and allow for heat, flame and smoke to make indirect contact with the food. You can create a ring of similarly-sized rocks in the fire pit and place the grill over the rocks to achieve a good elevation. Cook over coals instead of open fire when using a grill for a more balanced heat exchange.
Dutch Ovens
Dutch ovens are cast iron pots with a lid which are used to bake, braise, stew, roast or fry food within a fire. You can maintain a high temperature by surrounding the base of the dutch oven with coals then covering the lid with coals. Bury a dutch oven with coals for slow, even cooking.
Cast Iron Skillets
Cast iron skillets are good for cooking over an open fire because of their durability and ability to evenly distribute heat. You can use a cast iron skillet to fry and saute foods over the fire. Keep cast iron skillets elevated above the coals with a grill, rocks or spyder to prevent them from getting too hot and burning food.
Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
Heavy duty aluminum foil is used to wrap foods before placing them over or in coals. You can braise or roast meat and vegetables inside of aluminum foil packets by putting the packets directly on coals. Cooking inside of aluminum foil packets is a somewhat slow process, and you'll need to flip the packets over periodically for even cooking.
Spits
A spit is a bar or pole elevated above the fire by resting it on posts positioned on either side of the fire pit. Spits are usually used to roast meat for long periods of time. Secure the meat to the spit with twine and turn the spit occasionally for even cooking. You can also use a spit to hang pots above the fire.
Tags: above fire, open fire, cooking over open, dutch oven, elevated above, even cooking, over coals