It’s fall, and the season is bringing cool, crisp air along with it. For me, that means plenty of outdoor fires. There’s something about fire that mesmerizes us. Once wood is burning, we gather around the fire for warmth, conversation, and hardly often enough… cooking. Camping is usually the exception but cooking over the campfire is often reserved for marshmallows. At least that’s been my experience with a variety of individuals with whom I’ve camped. Do you ever wonder why some campgrounds have separate barbeque pits? Or why is someone cooking on a portable gas grill only steps away from a roaring fire in a firepit? Well, the same tends to happen at home. We cook in the kitchen or on the grill outside. And depending on the season, a fire may be burning in the firepit only steps away. Newer cooking methods are easier and quicker. But when you work hard for something, you usually enjoy it even more. Think about how rewarding it is to curate a long, intact piece of crab leg meat after cracking it and working at it. We cooked over an open fire for millennia and spent a lot of our time on basic needs such as food and warmth. I wanted to have a day like that where only the simple things garnered most of my attention. Going into the weekend, we decided on a campfire breakfast to cook over an open fire on Saturday morning.
Before we get to the cooking, Friday night deserves a plug. We sat down to watch an episode of “Chef’s Table” on Netflix. As fate would have it, the next episode on the list highlighted Argentine chef Francis Mallmann, who is an expert in traditional earth cooking methods and a very interesting man. If this article doesn’t motivate you to cook over an open fire, check out Season 1 Episode 3 of the series. It does not disappoint.
Saturday morning started with a couple cups of coffee per usual, then I got started on building the fire. The goal is to get the fire as hot as possible before beginning the cooking process. This is where patience is important. I built the fire somewhat off-center so I could have better control of the heat while cooking. If the pan is getting far too hot, you can shift to indirect cooking if need be. Once the fire was nice and hot, I covered it with a grate. Luckily, my firepit came with a cooking grate, so life was a bit easier. If you don’t have a grate, there are many inexpensive options out there for you. Or you can always borrow the grate from your grill if it fits on your firepit. Contrary to some beliefs, a grill doesn’t have feelings of jealousy. The downside to my firepit grate setup is that it covers the entire pit. So, if you like to cook slower over lower heat, tending to the fire can be mildly difficult unless you have a nice opening for access to the fire. Eggs, bacon, and sausage were on the menu. First, I slow cooked the bacon and sausage in a freshly seasoned, non-washed (without soap; very important to your pan) and pre-heated cast iron pan. Once all the pork was cooked to my liking, I discarded most of the grease into a separate can. Pro Tip – especially to the pyromaniacs out there like my girlfriend – don’t dump the grease on the fire even though you are outside. Then, I scrambled the eggs in the same pan. Easy. Light seasoning. Nothing special. And it all turned out great, and probably even better perception-wise after the work I put into the meal. Life is all about the experience, not just the final product.
Next time you have a day available, and your patience is at a high-level, get primal and cook over an open fire. Enjoy the experience, the warmth, the conversation, and the hard-earned and delicious meal. And remember, if it doesn’t meet all expectations, try it again using different methods. Micro evolution will allow you to get better each time you have the experience.
Practice fire safety and patience, gather your friends and family around the fire, and have fun.