Campfire cooking equipment

Mike Harding · Guru

Campfire cooking equipment

Dougwe · Chief one feather

I'm not a camp fire person, mainly because I have to avoid smoke where possible but that said, I have been with happy campers and have seen many people with a 'Oz Pig' or similar. They have a chimney and get the smoke up that little bit higher. They also keep the fire itself safe in it. You can cook on a hot plate or open flame. I have had meals cooked in a camp oven on one and just as good as if on a open fire. They pack up into a smallish bag and don't weigh all that much. Not sure of exact weight sorry Mike.

Enjoy your camp oven meals if you gone down that path.

Keep Safe on the roads and out there.

Radar · Guru

For those days when it my turn to cook, ruin food but I love it.

Cast iron skilley, 4.5 cut up gas bottle for our confined fire place.

23 008 camp Don Rvr Qld.JPG 24 001 breakfast Don Rvr Qld.JPG

FMC · Veteran Member

Eggs over easy please and crispy bacon served with 3 pieces of toast.

Whenarewethere · Guru

Very clever!

We just use a tiny metho (with a whisker amount of water) cooker to save space & cleaning.

Possum3 · Guru

Mike, There are many views on reliable Outdoor cooking equipment and after nearly half a century, I have concluded the ideal set-up as; Metal skillet, Billy with easy pour spout, long tongs, enamel plate/s, 50mm wide S/S paint scraper, spun camp oven.

A roaring fire is where most go wrong, coals (or heat-beads) is where you get most control. I am amazed at how many campers collect firewood, massive amounts of dead-fall or chainsawed from dead trees (destroying bird habitat). I never fail to find sufficient fuel by collecting "tree-bones" small sticks from twig size up to 30mm dia.

I utilise a pressed metal fire box grill set up see www.kogan.com/au/buy/weber-charcoal-go-anywhere-grill-121020-weber/%231
I cook out side most of the time not only when in the van - I take my little "Go Anywhere" on picnics and to family gatherings.

These versatile cookers are much lighter than "Pigs" or "Choofers" are easily stored and carried without a need to "set-up" and dismantle again.

I do carry heat-beads as a just in case - I bought two bags around 2014 and still have 75% of one bag left, so tree-bones are preferred fuel, for an old miser.

These fire boxes are sufficient for a warming or comfort fire. A trick I learned from local aboriginals as a young lad sleep close to a small fire just refueling with tree-bones as required.
Last item; I do cheat and use commercial fire-lighters, normally half of one block to start a fire. Using old tea bags stored in jar of kerosine as firelighters is old century stuff.

Plain Truth · Guru

I made a firepot out of a washing machine drum,I can put a wire basket with heat beads in the top plate if I don't want a fire.

When we have a big together we have a campfire cookout,with plenty of camp ovens.

You need a long handle shovel,tongs,lid lifter and good gloves,we use welding gloves.

Nifty150 · Veteran Member

Biji Barbi is a versatile unit. Like a shallow wok with 3 folding legs and folding handle. Aussie designed and made in Hillston I believe. Not heavy and folds very flat.

STRETCH ARMSTRONG · Senior Member

Hey Mike. Because l'm fulltime weight is always on the mind. I carry three items for cooking on the fire. A long handle carbon steel frypan, my old camp oven and a jaffel iron. I don't cook on the fire but dig a small camp oven size holes beside the fire and fill with hot coals. The camp oven lid can also be turned upside down and used as another pan/hotplate.

Bicyclecamper · Guru

I swear by a jaffle iron myself, but have recently, bought a stainless steel version that is designed for the larger cafe style bread, so only 1 jaffle is required each for a good meal. We also have a tin billycan from yesteryear, a dutch oven, 3 different sized cast iron skillets, long tongs,, a wire lid lifter, a coffee percolator, 2 cast iron sizzle pots with the wooden bases, and I must admit, a liking for fondue, so have one of those cheap versions of one. I also have a 4.5kg converted gas bottle fire stove. Most of the gear is only taken out when we are car tent camping, otherwise, only bits for c.vaning.

Bicyclecamper · Guru

Plain truth, I turned a similar, but larger washing machine tub, into my portable forge, I use it at home as well as taking it out on the job, if a hinge, tractor implement or tool , has to be made or repaired. The airholes keep the ironbark timber I use roaring and extremely hot. A very useful tool.

-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Wednesday 20th of January 2021 06:57:40 PM

-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Wednesday 20th of January 2021 07:06:07 PM

Mike Harding · Guru

Thanks guys, some great ideas and photographs.

I'm also most interested in how you support the various saucepans/frying pans etc over the fire or whether you simply place them on the embers?

I'm thinking about making something with a moveable steel plate which may be adjusted up/down and clockwise/anti.

STRETCH ARMSTRONG · Senior Member

The reason l dig small holes next to campfire and fill with coals is to sit pan/campoven/ kettle/jaffle iron directly on the coals. Its easy to regulate the temp by adding or removing coals. Makes a nice flat surface too.

Cupie · Guru

Mike Harding wrote:
Thanks guys, some great ideas and photographs.
I'm also most interested in how you support the various saucepans/frying pans etc over the fire or whether you simply place them on the embers?
I'm thinking about making something with a moveable steel plate which may be adjusted up/down and clockwise/anti.

I'm a long time observer rather than regular user of campfire cooking stuff but have been long impressed with that gadget that starts with a long sturdy rod that is banged into the ground adjacent to the fire.

It supports a couple of cooking platforms that are each attached via a short rod to a suitably sized piece of pipe that can move up & down the rod or rotated over or out of the fire as required.

(The weight of the platform causes its' sliding pipe to lean down & dig into the vertical rod to hold itself in place.)

The cooking platforms are usually a flat skillet, a wire grill and a hook for billies or camp ovens etc.

I first saw one in action when a rice growing ****ie on holidays pulled up beside me at Rawnsley Park (near Wilpena Pound), threw one out of the back of his beat up farm ute & commenced to cook up for his family. Impressive & no mucking about. I've actually seen them on sale at camping stores, but would love to have a go at making my own. One day perhaps.

For Camp ovens the important factors are short legs so that you can lift then just over the coals & hold them steady, and a lid that extends just past the rim of the oven with a good sized lip to hold/retain the coals as it is lifted off. Furphy is a good brand. I prefer the lighter but less forgiving Bedourie oven. They require more attention to maintaining the correct temperature & avoiding hot spots.

Edit 1

This might give you an idea of the principle involved

https://www.snowys.com.au/cooking-combo?msclkid=e878f5f792a913aa454895ff41245086&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping&utm_term=4583108066186925&utm_content=Products

Edit 2

A bit about Camp ovens

https://www.thecampovencook.com.au/docs/how-to-identify-vintage-camp-ovens/

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 21st of January 2021 12:08:27 PM

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 21st of January 2021 12:17:50 PM

Edit 3 ..

Here's a range of camp fire cookers .. Gotta be one in this lot that suits ..

https://www.snowys.com.au/campfire-cooking-equipment?utm_source=CommissionFactory&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=37262&utm_content=The+Camp+Oven+Cook&cfclick=b391f1422d7b40f6ba145774ed9fa580

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 21st of January 2021 02:26:36 PM

gdayjr · Senior Member

Cupie wrote:
Mike Harding wrote:
Thanks guys, some great ideas and photographs.
I'm also most interested in how you support the various saucepans/frying pans etc over the fire or whether you simply place them on the embers?
I'm thinking about making something with a moveable steel plate which may be adjusted up/down and clockwise/anti.
I'm a long time observer rather than regular user of campfire cooking stuff but have been long impressed with that gadget that starts with a long sturdy rod that is banged into the ground adjacent to the fire.
It supports a couple of cooking platforms that are each attached via a short rod to a suitably sized piece of pipe that can move up & down the rod or rotated over or out of the fire as required.
(The weight of the platform causes its' sliding pipe to lean down & dig into the vertical rod to hold itself in place.)
The cooking platforms are usually a flat skillet, a wire grill and a hook for billies or camp ovens etc.

I first saw one in action when a rice growing ****ie on holidays pulled up beside me at Rawnsley Park (near Wilpena Pound), threw one out of the back of his beat up farm ute & commenced to cook up for his family. Impressive & no mucking about. I've actually seen them on sale at camping stores, but would love to have a go at making my own. One day perhaps.
For Camp ovens the important factors are short legs so that you can lift then just over the coals & hold them steady, and a lid that extends just past the rim of the oven with a good sized lip to hold/retain the coals as it is lifted off. Furphy is a good brand. I prefer the lighter but less forgiving Bedourie oven. They require more attention to maintaining the correct temperature & avoiding hot spots.
Edit 1
This might give you an idea of the principle involved
https://www.snowys.com.au/cooking-combo?msclkid=e878f5f792a913aa454895ff41245086&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping&utm_term=4583108066186925&utm_content=Products
Edit 2
A bit about Camp ovens
https://www.thecampovencook.com.au/docs/how-to-identify-vintage-camp-ovens/

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 21st of January 2021 12:08:27 PM

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 21st of January 2021 12:17:50 PM
Edit 3 ..
Here's a range of camp fire cookers .. Gotta be one in this lot that suits ..
https://www.snowys.com.au/campfire-cooking-equipment?utm_source=CommissionFactory&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=37262&utm_content=The+Camp+Oven+Cook&cfclick=b391f1422d7b40f6ba145774ed9fa580

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 21st of January 2021 02:26:36 PM

Some fantastic info here, thanks for sharing this.

oldbloke · Guru

9kg gas bottle, similar to what radar has made. Grill or plate on top.

peter67 · Guru

I take a pair of powerful binoculars to spot smoke from other people having a cook up in the bush, then it's Ned Kelly time, stand and deliver!! :)

landy · Guru

Another vote for the Biji Barbie. Light, compact, sets up and packs up in seconds and a couple of handfuls of small stick's
has your food sizzling in no time. Depending on what the fire risk is we sometimes stand it in half of a stainles beer keg.

tea spoon · Senior Member

i have a 2 burner gas cooker that folds flat when not in use ........the bottle is only 3 kilo ........the grill plate came off a propane can double cooker i use at home ..........it cooks all i need for my partner and i ............

dabbler · Guru

I travel with a Wooshka from Bunnings. It's on the heavy side but has many accessories that are useful when camped for several days. Much like a pig but I think better accessories and cheaper too. It let's me heat water, run a skillet or oven and grill foods at the same time. If I'm using an open fire it's usually just the billy and small camp oven. My jaffle iron is cheap garbage so one day I'll spring for a decent one. I can also suggest grabbing an old oven rack or two as a handy cooking rack for coals. Racks let you modify heat and cook things like corn cobs in their husks.

darjak · Senior Member

We use a EZY Q plus which has a plate on top and a small camp oven