{"id":36366,"date":"2024-07-11T23:52:42","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T14:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/?p=36366"},"modified":"2024-07-12T11:32:27","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T02:02:27","slug":"tips-for-campfire-cooking-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/tips-for-campfire-cooking-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Campfire Cooking at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s July – which means that annual Aussie winter chill is officially, well-and-truly, and unapologetically shuddering its way down our spines. We’ve retired our shorts and thongs, rolled out the trackies, and shrugged on the hoodies.<\/p>\n

At this time of the year, the fire bans are usually lifted – providing the perfect opportunity to venture to your favourite secluded campsite and flex your rusty camp cooking muscle! But why not enjoy the outdoors from the comfort of your own backyard ?<\/p>\n

In this blog, we take you from breaking in the hiking kicks to breaking out the Ugg boots, with top tips to make the most of camp cooking at home.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get crackling – er, we mean\u00a0cracking<\/em>!<\/p>\n

\"Stirring<\/p>\n

Enjoy a bit of the outdoors at home. Image: Coleman<\/em><\/p>\n

Guidelines for Having a Fire in Your Backyard<\/h2>\n

Make sure you check what the restrictions are in your state for contained fires before you get excited and start your cook-up. These are in place to reduce the impact of smoke on the environment as well as the health of your neighbours.<\/p>\n

For example: in South Australia, according to the Environmental Protection Authority<\/a>, inside the Adelaide metropolitan area, you can have a fire for the preparation of food and beverages and for heating an outdoor area using a brazier, chiminea or fire pit, but you can only use charcoal.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re outside of metropolitan Adelaide and townships then you can have a fire for preparation of food and beverages and for heating an outdoor area using a brazier, chiminea or fire pit using dry timber, charcoal or plant matter.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

Cook up some delicious campfire food at home. Image: Mary Billard<\/em><\/p>\n

Cooking with Charcoal Vs Cooking with Wood<\/h2>\n

Charcoal is going to be faster than wood fire cooking, and will also produce less smoke so you won’t have that smoky flavour you get when cooking over a fire. But, this does mean that it causes less air pollution. Charcoal is also lightweight and fairly easy to get your hands on as most hardware or barbecue stores will sell it.<\/p>\n

In terms of wood, there are some limitations as to where you can collect it for fires if you are out camping, but you can get your hands on alternatives, such as briquettes\/Ekologs or timber from hardware or landscape suppliers. For more information on how to choose wood for campfires, head here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It will take you a bit more time to burn the wood long enough to create coals on the fire to have it ready to cook your food, but once you do, the woodfire flavours will be worth the wait.<\/p>\n

\"Cooking<\/p>\n

Cooking with charcoal is a bit quicker and easier than using wood. Image: osoliving<\/em><\/p>\n

What to Cook On?<\/h2>\n

When it comes to what you can cook on, according to the regulations in place at this time, you can use a brazier, chiminea or fire pit – so those are your best bet for trying the delicious campfire recipes you\u2019ve got your eye on over the coming months.<\/p>\n

Firepit Options for Warmth and Cooking:<\/span><\/h2>\n

Stainless Steel Designs<\/h2>\n

Darche have a stainless steel design that comes in two sizes, the 310<\/a> which is perfect for a couple or the 450<\/a> which is slightly bigger for a small family.<\/p>\n

The folding design makes it easy to set up and store, and the shiny food-grade stainless-steel design is nice and stylish, so it will look good set up in your backyard.<\/p>\n

The 23ZERO BBQ 51<\/a> is a similar model, while the SupaPeg Frontier fire pit<\/a> boasts an innovative 8-panel design for greater efficiency and safety. For more on these, check out our hot picks and best-selling fire pits here<\/a>!<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/p>\n

A stainless steel fire pit is ideal for at home or campsite use. Image: Darche<\/em><\/p>\n

High-Tech Fire Pits<\/h2>\n

A more high-tech option is the snazzy-looking Fire Pit Plus<\/a> from BioLite, which is the smokeless solution to cooking and warming up outdoors.<\/p>\n

This unit uses patented airflow technology for hyper-efficient flames without the smoke, the x-ray mesh on the Fire Pit gives you the mesmerising view of a floating fire, and the rack can be adjusted to use with both charcoal\u00a0or wood as fuel.<\/p>\n

It features 12,800 mAh pack which can be recharged easily via USB to give you up to 30 hours of power on ‘low fan’. Plus, it’s controlled by the free compatible Bluetooth app, and it folds up for transport.<\/p>\n

The removable grill plate allows you to cook yummy Japanese hibachi-style meals too, so it\u2019s a great option for those who love a bit of technology and style with their gear.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

For something a bit more high-tech, check out BioLite’s Fire Pit. Image: BioLite<\/em><\/p>\n

Cookers<\/h2>\n

The classic Ozpig cooker is something you might already have in your camping kit, as it\u2019s versatile enough to be used on your outdoor adventures as well as out on the deck. You can cook all sorts on here, and there are various accessories available such as a smoker<\/a> and rotisserie kit<\/a> – to name a few, so you can try an array of tasty dishes on your pig!<\/p>\n

\"OZpig<\/p>\n

Warm up by the fire, while cooking up a storm on the Ozpig. Image: Ozpig<\/em><\/p>\n

Cookware to Use with Firepits<\/span><\/h2>\n

Now would also be a great time to dust off your camp oven and give it a whirl. The art of camp oven cooking is quite different from normal cooking as you don\u2019t have as much control, but with a bit of practice, you\u2019ll be a natural.<\/p>\n

For more on cooking with camp ovens, check out this episode of the Snowys Camping Show<\/a> with Ron Wilson and Mick Viller:<\/p>\n