Everyone needs some hacks for campfire cooking before they head out on a camping trick. You won’t have your usual full kitchen to make every meal so you’ve got to be prepared. If you do a little bit of prep and planning before you go, there are plenty of ways to have some great meals.
Check out these 11 hacks!
The Top 11 Hacks for Campfire Cooking
You know how to cook but cooking over a campfire can be a challenge. With a little bit of planning and following these simple hacks, your campfire cooking is bound to be a hit. Take a look!
1. Disposable Camping Cookware
One really great hack to follow is to use disposable camping cookware. Everything from foil pans to throwaway plates and silverware will be incredibly helpful here. This way, you won’t have a big mess to clean up when you finish.
Foil pie trays work really well to separate things like veggies and meat that you can cook on the fire. You can dice up your potatoes and roast them or even create a medley of foods. It’s simple and delicious! Check out the cookware section in Camping Essentials for more information on the types of camping cookware
2. Bottled Pancakes
Every camping trip needs pancakes for breakfast. These are great for cast iron campfire cooking too. You will definitely need a campfire skillet or a griddle in order to make those pancakes. But the hack here is rather than taking a bowl or powdery mix, use a condiment bottle!
The next time you empty a bottle of ranch or ketchup, clean it out and keep it. Use that to pre-mix some pancake batter and make the campfire cooking much easier.
3. S’mores a New Way
Ok, we know what you’re thinking. But don’t knock it until you try it. Rather than having to pack marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate for your s’mores, we have a better idea! Instead, go get some cookies that are already made with chocolate on them and use that!
Some people will use Chips Ahoy or a similar cookie but you could use fudge grahams, or any type of cookie that has cookie and chocolate. It just makes storage and the process much simpler.
4. Make Food on a Stick
You don’t always have to cook elaborate mills on the campfire. Instead, try making some campfire food on a stick. You can make fish this way or even kebabs. Of course, one of the most common options for a stick is simple hot dogs roasted over the fire. Use the same sticks for s’mores later! Check out these 4 simple campfire meals, I have a great recipe for Shish Kabobs
5. Don’t Forget a Meat Thermometer
Cooking on the open fire is great but sometimes it’s hard to know when the meat is ready. It’s a good idea to bring a small meat thermometer with you. This way, you can always check the meat to make sure it gets cooked properly and doesn’t make anyone sick.
6. Aluminum Foil Packets
One of the best things that you can do is bring plenty of aluminum foil with you. Rather than worrying about fitting everything into a campfire skillet or a campfire cookpot, you can create individual foil packets and cook everything that way.
This is really great for your fish or meat and then load it with veggies and spices and maybe some butter too. Let the packets cook and then enjoy.
7. Make Pot Meal at the Campfire
You should consider investing in a campfire Dutch oven or even a cooking pot that is campfire friendly. This will allow you to make some larger meals or even enjoy things like soups and stews that are easy to throw together. Check out my One-Pot Chili Recipe – it’s super simple and pretty delicious as well!
Simmer those things over the campfire for a delicious meal.
8. Mesh Bags for Dishes
When you wash dishes, there is no simple fix but you can dry them much easier now. Grab a cheap mesh bag. You can often find these in laundry aisles or even at dollar stores. Store the dishes in this bag for travel and then use it to put wet dishes in for drying after you wash them. It’s a win-win.
9. Reduce the Spice Load
Rather than loading up all of your spices, there are things you can do to have spices in a much smaller capacity. One of the hacks for campfire cooking is to use pill containers to separate out smaller amounts of spices. You can also simply create a single bottle with your favorite spices mixed together.
10. Plastic Bag Omelets
Another great breakfast option is eggs or omelets. You could also do scrambled egg delights. Rather than taking all the eggs and sides, you can prep these before you go. Mix up the eggs with veggies, spices, and whatever else, and put those mixtures into zip lock bags. Much less to pack and you can just pour it into the campfire skillet to cook it.
11. Craft Box Organization
Finally, here’s a great organizational hack for you. Find small craft boxes that you can use to pack up your silverware and any cooking utensils you need to take along. This will help keep those items together and easy to find when you need them! This Sterlite stack and carry is one of our favorites.
Campfire Cooking for the Win
Campfire cooking doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the meal. These simple things will make a big difference in your efforts. With these hacks for campfire cooking, you can create some awesome dishes and make your job much easier too.
