It doesn't get any better
The great old westerns with their Chuck Wagons and cantankerous cooks always conjure for me a desire to get outside and do things the way they did in the good ‘ole days. Who didn’t admire those salty chefs? All they needed was a rustic fire pit, a side of beef, and a bag of beans to cook up a first rate meal for hungry cattle drivers. A craving for some campfire food and an even greater desire to not heat up my kitchen inspired me to create my own fire ring and get cooking in the great outdoors.
The Fire
A cooking fire can be as simple (your basic tinder, kindling, and a teepee of small sticks/logs), or as elaborate (a three zone fire) as you would like. Because I was at a national forest and had to make my own fire pit, I created a basic firepit. I was making a simple meal of grilled steak, roasted potatoes (already par-cooked in the microwave), and roasting ears. Once the fire had mostly burned down to beautiful light gray coals, I began cooking. I cooked the meat directly on a rack where the temperature was the highest and put the potatoes and corn directly in the pit further away from the hottest coals.
When cooking over a firepit at home with a lot more area, it’s ideal to create three zones in which to cook. Zone 1 is the coal feeder area. Here, I build the fire and constantly keep it fed to create a continuous supply of coals. Zone 2 and Zone 3 will be medium-high and medium-to-low heat. By shoveling coals over from Zone 1, you can create two areas with varying temperatures so that you can cook different foods. Zone 2, would be where you would cook your steak. In Zone 3, you can cook foods like, baked beans, vegetables, chicken and pork at a more low and slow temperature.
The Proteins
Meat is so delicious cooked over an open fire. A skirt or flank steak is a great meat to throw on because it cooks quickly and has a lot of fat and flavor. Par-cooking country style pork or beef ribs in an oven in the coolness of the morning and then throwing them on the grill with your favorite sauce to finish is simply delicious. The only bad thing is you and your family will be wanting them at least once a week!
If you want to get a little fancier, a paella, gumbo, or jambalaya are great “everything but the kitchen sink” one pot meals that are easy to cook over the fire with their mixtures of seafood, sausage, and chicken.
Here’s a great recipe to try the next time you decide to cook outdoors:
Flank Steak with Chimichurri
Marinate the steak in the chimichurri for 4-24 hours in the refrigerator or cooler. Let the steak sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
Chimichurri Sauce
2 Tbsp. garlic (6-8 cloves)
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or mint (try it with both!)
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper (based on spice level preferences)
½ Tbsp. Salt
Add the ingredients to a food processor and you have a delicious sauce.
Cook the flank steak on a grill grate over the hottest area of your fire. Cook it for three minutes on each side and then add some more chimichurri and cut the meat opposite of the grain. Enjoy!
Breakfast
There is nothing better than breakfast over an open fire. Maybe it is because of the pureness and peacefulness of mornings outdoors or maybe it is just the fact that pancakes cooked on a cast iron skillet just taste better? My mother mastered the art of cooking pancakes outdoors. The key is to make sure that your pan is nice and hot. You definitely want to cook them over a medium to medium-high zone. If the coals are too cool, the pancakes won’t cook through, if you cook too close to the coals or there are still open flames, the pancakes will likely burn on the outside and be doughy inside. Once the pan is hot, add your favorite fat to the pan (butter tastes the best, but canola oil and coconut oil work well). Add a ½ cup of batter and wait patiently. When the pancake has bubbled nicely, flip and finish! Add your favorite freshly tapped maple syrup and you have breakfast made for kings, or at least cattle drivers!
In the Western movies, Chuck Wagon cooks sure make cooking over a fire look easy. And while nothing is ever as easy as it looks in the movies, it doesn’t have to be difficult either. It takes a little patience and some practice, but the rewards are great. When you are ready to give it a go, try the Campfire Beans recipe from Taste of Home – nothing says Chuck Wagon like a one pot meal of baked beans.