Cooking with hot stones. What kind to use.

[Monikieman]

I'm running a Scout camp base soon and was wanting to do some hot stone cooking.

I've tinkered before with the idea but the stones I used were not too good.

I was thinking of hot stones in a hole in the ground, hot stones to boil water.

Any ideas.

Camp is at Blair Atholl, Scotland.

Thanks.

 

[Clouston98]

Granite is good, as is slate. They are the two I've used both held the heat really well, and cooked brilliantly. My Loch Shiel bannock was cooked on a hot granite rock- delicious!

 

[Monikieman]

Aberdeen is nearby so might be able to source some granite stones.

Cheers

 

[hog]

Be carefull with stones from rivers though...they can and may explode.

 

[Perrari]

Granite is good, as is slate. They are the two I've used both held the heat really well, and cooked brilliantly. My Loch Shiel bannock was cooked on a hot granite rock- delicious!

Dont use slate !!! Very prone to crack and explode !

 

[Monikieman]

Cheers. I'll give granite a try and see. Had heard about river stones before and was wary.

 

[ammo]

I've cooked fish in a hangi before. As above just don't use stones from the river or sea. Was with a few bushcrafters on Dartmoor, not long ago. They dug a pit 18 x 24 inches ....24-30 inches deep. The stones had been on the fire since the morning. Place stone's at the bottom. A Lambs leg, dressed in garlic and tyme, was wrapped in foil, place stone's on top and at sides, about 5 hours later we had the most exquisite roast lamb.
Ooh aarh them Devon boys, do bushcraft proper.

 

[bushwacker bob]

House bricks, make sure you use stock or engineering bricks made from clay not concrete ones common in Scotland.
I've used them with scouts and cubs on geology with no stones except flint.

 

[dwardo]

I have had all different types of rocks go pop. One safety tip is to make the fire well away from your main camping area so if one does go pop you are no where near it.

 

[swotty]

As others have said beware of explosions! I would recommend putting the rocks in the fire at the start of the fire so as they warm/dry gradually and not just lobbing them on a hot fire that's asking for trouble.
I've used limestone before now for a outdoor sauna under an old parachute

 

[Monikieman]

Thanks folks. The info is piecing together!

Cheers