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.
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 ?
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.
Let’s get crackling – er, we mean cracking!
Enjoy a bit of the outdoors at home. Image: Coleman
Guidelines for Having a Fire in Your Backyard
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.
For example: in South Australia, according to the Environmental Protection Authority, 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.
If you’re 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.
Cook up some delicious campfire food at home. Image: Mary Billard
Cooking with Charcoal Vs Cooking with Wood
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.
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.
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.
Cooking with charcoal is a bit quicker and easier than using wood. Image: osoliving
What to Cook On?
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’ve got your eye on over the coming months.
Firepit Options for Warmth and Cooking:
Stainless Steel Designs
Darche have a stainless steel design that comes in two sizes, the 310 which is perfect for a couple or the 450 which is slightly bigger for a small family.
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.
The 23ZERO BBQ 51 is a similar model, while the SupaPeg Frontier fire pit 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 stainless steel fire pit is ideal for at home or campsite use. Image: Darche
High-Tech Fire Pits
A more high-tech option is the snazzy-looking Fire Pit Plus from BioLite, which is the smokeless solution to cooking and warming up outdoors.
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 or wood as fuel.
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.
The removable grill plate allows you to cook yummy Japanese hibachi-style meals too, so it’s a great option for those who love a bit of technology and style with their gear.
For something a bit more high-tech, check out BioLite’s Fire Pit. Image: BioLite
Cookers
The classic Ozpig cooker is something you might already have in your camping kit, as it’s 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 and rotisserie kit – to name a few, so you can try an array of tasty dishes on your pig!
Warm up by the fire, while cooking up a storm on the Ozpig. Image: Ozpig
Cookware to Use with Firepits
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’t have as much control, but with a bit of practice, you’ll be a natural.
For more on cooking with camp ovens, check out this episode of the Snowys Camping Show with Ron Wilson and Mick Viller:
Camp Ovens
Camp ovens come in two different formats – spun steel and cast iron.
Spun steel is lighter and more durable in terms of transportation – however, cast iron can last you a lifetime with proper care, and retains heat beautifully so you can cook roasts to perfection. That said, cast irons can be quite heavy and slightly brittle, which means they’re not ideal for transporting on corrugated roads. You will have to season your camp oven too; check out our guide here for details on how.
Spun steel weighs less, won’t break if you drop it, and are a little easier to use on a gas stove, so are more versatile. For more on how to choose the right camp oven for you, check out our video here!
Whether it’s spun steel or cast iron, a camp oven is a must. Image: iStock
For more on spun steel versus cast iron, check out this episode of the Snowys Camping Show:
Jaffle Irons and Toaster Forks
If you’re feeling a bit lazier, or you want to try something a bit more fun with the kids – a jaffle iron is the perfect campfire cooking solution. Grab two pieces of bread and your favourite fillings, stick them in the jaffle iron and the kids can toast them at a safe distance from the fire or fire pit. A toaster fork is also a must for roasting marshmallows for an after-dinner treat.
In this blog, Ben can’t talk highly enough of the humble jaffle iron!
A jaffle iron is a fun choice for the whole family. Image: Campfire
Cooking Stands
There are a number of cooking stands available that come in a few different configurations to suit your cooking style. You can choose from a flat plate, grill or combo plates that enable you to create a variety of dishes over a fire, whatever your setup.
Cookstands are versatile and ideal for camping home or away. Image: Campfire
Camp Cooking Recipe Ideas
Damper: Sweet or Savoury
Damper – a campfire classic that always goes down a treat with it’s crunchy outer, and fluffy inside. Here is a delicious recipe on how to bake one in your camp oven. The great thing about damper is that it’s super versatile depending on what you put in it. Try it with sultanas, brown sugar and cinnamon for a sweet treat or add cheese and bacon for a savoury twist.
Yum! You can’t go wrong with a classic damper recipe. Image: Christina Pickard
Roast Meat with Veggies
Or, if you’ve got more time on your hands, fill up your backyard with the mouth-watering smells of roast pork and veggies by trying out our roast pork in a camp oven recipe here.
The whole family can sit down outside to a traditional roast in the backyard. Image: Bobbi Lin
Other Great Dishes to Try
Other delicious and meals to make include nachos, brisket, ribs, corn on the cob, and paella to name a few. You could even give some simple dessert options a crack as a treat. For more camp recipe inspiration, check out our range of recipe books here. The benefit of cooking at home is that you’ve got everything you need inside your own pantry, so you’ve got the flexibility to be a bit more creative with what you cook.
Are you going to give homestyle campfire cooking a crack this autumn/winter?