A fire to cook on.

[Home Guard]

Cooking over a fire is really the main reason I got out for a night in the woods.

Although I still havent mastered this.

So I was just wondering if any of you could share some advice or pictures on building a good small fire to cook with.

I have a billy can and a pan, so I'm not sure whether I am best to hang the billy over a roaring fire or put the pot on a good ash bed.

Thankyou.

Jake

 

[Mesquite]

If you want a quick boil then a flaming fire is what you need. It doesn't need to be roaring, just flames

If you want a steady heat for making stews or simmering then a fire with a good base of hot coals is what you need.

 

[dwardo]

For slow cooking and least maintenance you need a fire that's been burning for a while. If you dont have the time then your cooking pot needs to be higher and you need to adjust fuel as you go.
A fire that's been burning for at least a few hours is much easier to control as its already warmed the surrounding ground.
If you just need a quick brew then its flame on! Thin stuff and lots of it on a raised dry bed.

 

[Home Guard]

How should Igo about managing the roaring fire? Should I move all the burning material to the centre (under the pot) in order to keep the fire small, yet heat concentrated?

And for the coals I guess it's a big fire, spread out and then left to burn out, and then gathered up.

I apologise for my incompetatance, but I'm extremely greatful for your help.

 

[copper_head]

I'd add that its easier to control a suspended pot as you can adjust the height to affect the cooking temp. Lots of designs out there but I like the 'Waigan stick'.

 

[Ogri the trog]

How should Igo about managing the roaring fire? Should I move all the burning material to the centre (under the pot) in order to keep the fire small, yet heat concentrated?

And for the coals I guess it's a big fire, spread out and then left to burn out, and then gathered up.

I apologise for my incompetatance, but I'm extremely greatful for your help.

If you think of your fire as a generator for the embers that you need for cooking and it becomes a planning exercise - the fire burns to make the big embers that carry the heat that cooks your food. Alignment to the wind direction becomes important so that you can get to your food to stir and turn it and so that any supports don't get scorched or burn through.

There are groups here (and photos that'll make your mouth water) that can cook extensive meals in the woodland - study their photos and descriptions and get along to meet if you can to witness how it is done - often starting many hours before, gathering wood and planning the whole exercise.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[santaman2000]

......I have a billy can and a pan, so I'm not sure whether I am best to hang the billy over a roaring fire or put the pot on a good ash bed.

Thankyou.

Jake

Unless you're "smoking" then neither of these. You need coals (preferably glowing for the highest heat) Probably what Ogri eans when he says "embers." That's where the real heat is. Also the consistent heat.

Here's a few videos demonstrating the technigue (granted he's cooking at a fireplace in a cabin but the technique is the same):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTqI0b1xwCs and www.youtube.com/watch?v=mysiBE3qX1k and www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvjVZSmFmg8

These not only show the technique but give some good recipes as well.

 

[Big Stu 12]

There are groups here (and photos that'll make your mouth water) that can cook extensive meals in the woodland - study their photos and descriptions and get along to meet if you can to witness how it is done - often starting many hours before, gathering wood and planning the whole exercise.

ATB

Ogri the trog

I can only agree with you Orgi, great way to learn is from going to group meets, your two nearest groups, the Suffolk Group cook all the time on a fire, so do the Norfolk Group, keep your eye on their threads, pop along to a meet, you'll be welcome to both groups, also other groups are great for a vist... shameless punt, Suffolk have a meet this weekend near Bury St Edmunds.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84745&page=51

and the Norfolk Thread

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30784&page=75

But as far as how to do it it depends on how what you want at the time, I use the fire and adjust it to my needs....

 

[Man of Tanith]

Do you have the space at home to use a bbq?
I practiced on mine in back garden before I felt confident to cook on open fire in the woods.
I occasionally still take one of the two kg fast lighting bundles of bbq charcoal if I know I'm on limited time once I get into camp.
It might be considered a cheat but it works well for quick decent embers.

For a fast boil I use the traditional tipi fire. With the right woods used this will do a nice rapid boil for a brew when I first get to camp then as it collapses the embers/coals will provide you with the other slower cooking methods.

A wannigan stick is very useful. Another one is the jungle stick. Basically a stick with notches on the back stuck into the ground next to the fire

 

[ged]

Cooking over an open fire is (as you probably know by now) a lot more effort than it is at home, where you have running water, work surfaces, appliances, all manner of vessels and equipment.

Ogri is right about the planning aspect. There's planning in getting the fire to the state you want it, but there's also planning what sort of food to cook given the limitations of camp fire cooking, planning for where to put the spoon after you've stirred something, planning for how to get a hot pot off a fire when there are flames licking around your elbows, planning where to sit with the food to eat it when it's ready, planning what to do with the empties.

Whatever it is you're cooking be prepared to take some time over it. If you hurry with a thin, lightweight pot you're going to burn the food in it. Last time I did a chicken in a gas bottle it was probably in there for about four hours. Doing another couple this weekend (Derbyshire) it's a shame you're so far away or you could have popped along to peel^H^H^H^H join in...

Do you cook at home? Man of Tanith's BBQ idea is great, you can get some experience and win some Brownie points at the same time.

 

[John Fenna]

Boil on flames, cook on embers
Have a look at "Hunter's Fire" and other fire lays in Kepharts books (or try google).
A "fire frame" to hold pot hooks of varying lengths allows you to cook multiple things in multiple pots all at the same time but at different heats.
Hardwoods give a better cooking fire than softwoods, though softwoods give a better/faster boiling flame (this is a gross generalisation but like most generalisations is generally good...)

 

[Home Guard]

Those videos have seemed to have helped alot. Searching through this forum it seems that most people focus on "one pot" food. I imagine because it's less to carry, less to time and easier to wash up.

I do barbeque quite alot in the summer and cook alot at home, so I sort of understand the basics, but I'm still a newbie around a proper fire. Thanks for posting those pictures, they're a good help.

I'll try and get along to one of the Norfolk meets. I have no reason not to now as I have a proper car, instead of my 52 year old Land Rover that was on it's last legs.

Do I just post on the thread that I'm interested, or should I PM someone?

As suggested I've planned a meal. I'll start off by boiling water to make a brew over the roaring flames and once they've died down I'll fry some bacon, add a tin of beans and stir in half an oxo.

What sort of things do you guys normally eat?

And that's another skill I've yet to learn, wood identification.

Thanks guys, you've been a great help, this forum never fails to help fools like myself.

 

[ged]

...Do I just post on the thread that I'm interested, or should I PM someone?

There's little formality, although we often meet on land which is owned by a third party so there may have to be rules to satisfy the land owners. Take a look at the recent 'Bluebell Meet' thread at North wood for an example of how it's often done.

As suggested I've planned a meal. I'll start off by boiling water to make a brew over the roaring flames and once they've died down I'll fry some bacon, add a tin of beans and stir in half an oxo.

Now you're making me hungry!

What sort of things do you guys normally eat?

On my own, mostly corned beef, cans of things and cous-cous. With a group, we might do something more adventurous.

And that's another skill I've yet to learn, wood identification.

There's broad leaves and there's narrow leaves. That about covers it for me.

Thanks guys, you've been a great help, this forum never fails to help...

What goes around comes around.

 

[Man of Tanith]

Normally I eat- bacon rolls. Porridge. Sausages.
If I'm cooking flash then its venison slow cooked in port and red wine with root vegetables and jacket potato's.
Or whole leg of pork.
Or stews.

If you can cook it at home then you can cook it at camp. Just need a decent plan of how t do it

 

[copper_head]

What sort of things do you guys normally eat?

If I'm by myself or weight is an issue I tend to opt for simple boil in the bag type stuff or anything that just requires heating to water to cook (I did a little thread about such things available from supermarkets, might be of use to you?).

If I'm in a group or car camping then I like to try something a bit more gourmet . Stews and roasted meat are my favourites as they are easy to prepare and well, damn tasty!

 

[Ogri the trog]

And that's another skill I've yet to learn, wood identification.

And that might well be the reason that you have found it difficult up to now.

Trying to get coals with conifer browse or a quick boil with oak or hawthorn or simply waiting for elm or elder to catch light will all make for a poor fire.

Have a search for the Woodmans poems and learn to identify a small handful of good fuel woods and things could well be looking up very soon.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[santaman2000]

I to cook and eat loads of different things. But sinece you've mentioned the umbiquitous tin of beans, I can suggest a couple of ways to make them a complete one dish meal:
-First brown some meat (either a pound of crumbled ground beef or half pound diced bacon) then add diced onions to soften. Next pour in the tin of beans and you have a decent Baked Bean Casserole.
-First broen about a pound of crumbled chorizo then add a tin of good Mexican refried Beans for the same effect (even better if you can serve/eat them wrapped in soft tacos) If you can't get mexican Refried Beans, jusy us a tin of Kidney Beans and mash them yourself.

 

[Paul_B]

Sausages, onions, potatoes diced and tomatoes make a nice enough sausage casserole. Especially with seasoning and herbs. Never done it over a fire though. I'm usually a lightweight kit kinda person which means boiling water for a brew and dehydrated pouch food. Plus I'm in places where fires are not really practical training IMHO.

Aren't there fire types that use thick, parallel logs either side of a long, narrow fire to hold up pots and contain the fire for good heat transfer I guess. Also ones with reflectors. No expert but think RM used one on one of his shows.

 

[Paul_B]

One thing I'd like to do if I had a cooking fire is pine needle tea. Read somewhere that it is better with a longish brew time which suits fire better than gas stove.

 

[santaman2000]

....Aren't there fire types that use thick, parallel logs either side of a long, narrow fire to hold up pots and contain the fire for good heat transfer I guess. Also ones with reflectors. No expert but think RM used one on one of his shows.

Yep. That's one of the methods the Boy Scouts used to teach. If you add a circle at one end of the logs it's called a "keyhole" fire because the "fire place" resembles a keyhole. You build the fire in the circular part and then shovel (or drag) coals from there to between the logs to cook over.