Cooking over coals

[OutBackP]

Just been reading "ozymandias" thread about food to take when camping. When I was travelling round Australia we used to do most of cooking outdoors over the fire. These included cakes, scones, bread etc. I was wondering how many of you cook meals over the fire. and what do you cook?
From experiance some of these quick cook meals taste like **** and take as long to cook as the real thing.
Take noodles leave in boiled water for three minutes add some sauce. Same time as instant noodles. Sure you have to carry some ingrediants but at least your not restricted to what you can cook.
What are your thoughts??

 

[bloodline]

Ive got a big cast iron pot that I make a stew, curry, or boil up vegs I like grilling meat and sausages I dont use any instant food as I enjoy the round the fire experience and like the preparation and time it takes. I made damper a couple of times but it was revolting but a mate of mine in Kent (you know who you are ) makes it better than best bread. My best meal ever was spatcocked chicken prepared in the woods with only my Lapplander 115 and lit the fire with my bowdrill real back to the basics I think the harder you work for a meal the better it tastes. This (next) weekend Im gonna butterfly a leg of lamb and bar-b-que it and cook a selection of fresh veg and herbs to go with it. A great favourite of mine is kebabs just take the meat to your favourite spot light your fire, while its burning down and creating a nice bed of coals prepare you skewers season the meat and get grilling

 

[Ogri the trog]

stew, curry, vegs I like grilling meat and sausages ..damper ....best bread.... spatcocked chicken..... butterfly a leg of lamb and bar-b-que .... fresh veg and herbs to go with it..... kebabs..... meat

I feel the need.....
The need to feed.


Mouth watering stuff Bloodline.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[pierre girard]

Just been reading "ozymandias" thread about food to take when camping. When I was travelling round Australia we used to do most of cooking outdoors over the fire. These included cakes, scones, bread etc. I was wondering how many of you cook meals over the fire. and what do you cook?
From experiance some of these quick cook meals taste like **** and take as long to cook as the real thing.
Take noodles leave in boiled water for three minutes add some sauce. Same time as instant noodles. Sure you have to carry some ingrediants but at least your not restricted to what you can cook.
What are your thoughts??

Growing up in the northwoods, with a grandfather who enjoyed sharing his way of life with his grandsons, the first cooking I learned to do was over (or in) an open fire. .He taught me to cook a lot of different foods in hot ashes. Makes for exceptionally good food. Secret to doing it right is to tend food closely, experiment until you get a feel for what you are doing.

 

[snake]

hi
all this talk of lamb freesh veg is making me hungry,it shure souond better than cooking on hexi block,s (those where the days.) :AR15firin
i have never realy cooked on an open fire,ive had food cooked for me but never done it myself so this sunday should be very interesting for me (pardon the pun )it should rekindle the good old days

cheers mate

 

[JonnyP]

This weekend we had a leg of lamb, wrapped in foil and cooked on a pan lid over the coals. With it we had new potatoes, carrots and gravy with garlic crushed into it, mint sauce too.
Next day we had lamb again with steak (fried) and stir fried vegetables, sugar snap peas, baby sweetcorns, beansprouts, and shi'taki (sp?) mushrooms and left over gravy.
All this was cooked over a small fire and was the best food I have eaten outdoors.........

 

[British Red]

My biggest question is ...wheres the rush? The fuel is free. The only restriction is your imagination and what you can pack into the site. Heres a few possibilities

Lemon Chicken (with basmati rice)



Fajitas with freshlt prepared tortillas



Spatchcocked fresh pigeon with spices





J's famous "whatever came into range" casserole

Wild cherry bannock

We aren't animals and you don't get a body like this without working at it

Red

 

[snake]

hi
all this talk of lamb freesh veg is making me hungry,it shure sounds better than cooking on hexi block,s (those where the days.) :AR15firin
i have never realy cooked on an open fire,ive had food cooked for me but never done it myself so this sunday should be very interesting for me (pardon the pun )it should rekindle the good old days

cheers mate

 

[Mad Mike]

Spatchcocked fresh pigeon with spices



Red

This is an interesting cooking frame. :notworthy Is that a double hoop of say hazel with crosspices traped between the 2 (twisted )hoops?
It looks nice & stable

 

[British Red]

Its a single Y shaped green hazel branch with very long bars to the Y. The bars are bent back round each other to form a "tennis racket" frame. Smaller twigs are then woven through the twisted frame to form a full racket. The spatchcocked bird is placed on top(actually you can fit about three on this one - but there aint much meat on a pigeon). A few more branches over the top in an X shape to hold the pigeon in place and then stick the "handle" into the ground so one side face the heat but not directly in the smoke and flames (carcinogens and all that).

Hardly elegant but to be honest I was going for "cooked" rather than "pretty" at the time. I think the answer to your question is probably "yes" but I hope that explanation helps. I have a step by step photo guide to that particular dish if you would like one?

Red

 

[Mad Mike]

Thanks Red a single Y rather than 2 branches

I like it no splitting & no cordage needed
How do you give Rep Points

Looks big enough to do a butterfly leg of Lamb

Why is my hazel hedge looking nervous ?


Cooked looks pretty to me & photos would be good

 

[bloodline]

Why are those lambs by Little Hall looking nervous?

 

[Longstrider]

If you can cook it on the stove-top or grill at home, you can cook it on the fire. A lot of things you'd normally do in the oven can be fire-cooked as well if you put your mind to it.

I particularly like Reds descriptive "J's famous "whatever came into range" casserole". Reminded me of two fabulous recipies from my childhood, mum's "Summer" stew. (Summer this, summer that and summer the other) and my old keeper mentors "Silly b*gger Stew" i.e It was daft enough to let him "get a bead on it" and end up getting stewed !

Lord only knows what some of the stuff we ate was before it got to the pot. Keeps' theory was, "If it moves on it's own, it's an animal. Animals are made of meat, and meat's good for you, so eat up boy ! "

 

[British Red]

Mike,

I'm glad Longstrider posted on this thread - it reminded me to post a few for pictures - I've shoved 'em into "fair game" as they include some pigeon prep etc. I have culled some of the piccs of that trip, but if its not clear, say so and I'll do a quick step by step over the weekend (probably be bunny this time though)

Red