Summer is for spending as much time outside as possible. By the pool, near the patio and where the trees are filtering the soothing breezes.
If you are into making meaningful memories this summer in a digital-free way, take some inspiration from these ten ways to cook outside without a grill.
Why not use a grill?
A grill is the most ubiquitous way of cooking outdoors and there are plenty of websites dedicated to the subject.
While grilling is perhaps the best way to cook a steak or to make a burger, it’s not the only way.
So, let’s go back to before the grill was born and look at some alternative options for cooking outside.
Cooking Over an Open Fire
It may take some practice to light a fire if you haven’t started many. With practice, you can even do it with your eyes closed. (Though I can’t recommend that.)
You need to choose the right wood, you need to know when to add it at the right time to get the right heat to cook whatever it is that you’re cooking.
To bring something to a quick boil, use a fast, hot flame.
For stewing, use a low flame with plenty of coals.
And for frying, you’ll want no flames at all. Frying is best done over a glowing bed of coals. Depending on the dryness of your wood, it could be about an hour before the fire is heated and the embers ready to go.
In the meantime, you can cool yourself down with a switchel or a hard apple cider.
First, a few campfire cooking rules:
- Someone is wearing thick leather gloves and they are holding wood spoons and stirring a pot of chili being cooked over an open campfire.
- Always make sure it is safe to build a fire – check the wind direction, have a bucket or other source of water nearby, don’t build a bonfire for cooking.
- Use cast iron pans and pots or other heavy cookware that can withstand the heat without cracking.
- Never use plastic utensils or pans that have plastic handles as they can melt as the fire changes direction.
- Be sure to use wooden or metal spoons for stirring, and have thick leather gloves handy for removing pots from the fire.
- Use extra care around a fire, especially if children are around.
- Never leave a campfire unattended.
Of course, you can always opt for a camp stove if you’re in an area where building a fire is not permitted.
1. Grate
Cooking over a grate is akin to cooking on a grill.
The only thing is, that a fire is more unpredictable. Heat intensity will fluctuate, the wind will whip the flames and smoke around. It’s wild and needs to be honored.
Use a long pair of tongs for flipping meat and vegetables that are grilled directly on the grate.
Just be sure not to grill something too fatty, like bacon, which will sizzle and burn.
A grate is also great for setting pots on, for example, if you’d like to make a soup. You can also use it to boil down your apricots for homemade jam.
2. Tripod
I was first introduced to the fine art of using a cast iron camping tripod for outdoor cooking when my husband and I moved to Hungary.
A bogrács (kettle) is used for magicking up pörkölt (beef stew), paprikás krumpli (potato stew) and the traditional Hungarian gulyás (goulash).
There is no easier way to cook for a crowd than this.
3. Rotisserie Grill and Spit
While hunting for wild game is one thing, bringing your own chicken to the feast is another.
Either way, they are going to taste wonderful when roasted over the fire.
4. Sticks
Toasted marshmallows come immediately to mind, don’t they?
Let’s stick to some healthier options, ones that don’t require pots and pans, grills, or kettles. No washing of dishes after the meal is necessary.
All you need to do is head to the woods for the right sticks.
Which sticks are safe to cook on?
Those that are not toxic are the ones to harvest from the wild: willow, hazel, cherry, plum, pear, beech, birch, maple and so on. Be sure to know how to identify trees before you get hungry if you want to cook with sticks.
5. Pie Irons
I can’t tell you how many pie-iron pizzas and cherry pies I’ve eaten, simply because there have been too many.
Take a slice of bread, slather one side with butter and place it on the inside of one iron. Do the same with the other. Then place your toppings on one slice of bread, not too close to the edges.
Close it up and set in the embers until the bottom side turns a golden brown. Toast the other side, then slide it onto a plate. Blow on it fiercely, because it is too hard to wait for it to chill.
6. Dutch Oven
There are few things that can’t be cooked in a Dutch oven. This makes it one of the best camping investments you’ll ever make. It’s even a possession that can put your backyard grill to shame.
So, what can you cook in a Dutch oven?
- chili and cornbread
- vegetable stew
- red beans and rice
- chicken and potatoes
- lasagna
- enchiladas
- pizza
- garlic bread
- banana bread
- apple pie/cobbler
- bisquits
- cinnamon rolls and so on
7. Foil Dinners
If you don’t want to carry around a heavy pot, you can always make do with a roll of heavy-duty foil for cooking your campfire meals.
While I’m not convinced this is the healthiest way to cook a meal, there are worse ways (consider microwaves).
Looking on the bright side, cooking in foil is cheap, portable and mess-free. At the same time, it gives you so many options to choose from.
8. Building an Earth Oven
Having an earth oven in your backyard assumes that you have plenty of outdoor space. And that you like to bake. Or that you want to start baking.
Right from the start, I highly recommend that you participate in a workshop related to the subject, so you get the hands-on experience before building your own.
9. Digging a Pit Oven
How about an oven in the ground?
Long ago (some ovens are dated to about 29,000 BC to be more accurate), pit ovens were used to cook large amounts of meat for several people.
Now, you won’t be baking mammoth thighs for dinner, but you may want to roast several chickens at once.
10. Using a Solar Oven
With the strong appearance of the sun these days, combined with higher than normal temperatures, it only makes sense to utilize what is there. Not to fight it in any way. Just be aware and help to offset the changing climate by planting more and more trees.
A note of caution: out of all the ways to cook outdoors, using a solar oven has the least predictable outcome. If temperatures don’t get high enough, the food won’t be thoroughly cooked. Depending on what you are cooking, it may be destined for the compost.
