9:30am-12:30pm

DIRTY BEAR RANCH

69156 RR 63

Grovedale, AB T0H-1X0

OVERVIEW

Yes, open fire cooking…Since the creation of fire & coals, mankind has been attempting to perfect how to cook their food. Whether you are in the kitchen or out in the woods, there is something primal at the heart of cooking that makes us so enamored with it.

Being able to cook over open fire is an essential part of the outdoor experience.

From coffee to steaks, campfires throughout history have not only warmed us up but have also cooked our food.The problem with campfires is they don’t have a knob to dial the heat up or down like a kitchen stove. Learning to managing your cook fire for what you’re cooking is key. If all you’re having is ramen noodles and hot cocoa, a hot burning twig fire will get the job done. Cast iron cooking needs a whole new arrangement of hot coals. Baking biscuits in a Dutchoven requires radiant heat from flames.

But first, Coffee…There is nothing quite like the smell of brewed coffee and the crackling of the fire.

MANAGING COOKING FIRES

You’d best process or collect enough kindling-size wood to keep your heat steady. Once lit, keep adding kindling sticks to maintain a robust fire that eats through the top of your fire lay. Take advantage of these hot flames by hanging a pot of water from a cooking tripod for coffee, tea, or cocoa.

DUTCH OVEN COOKING

with three legs on the bottom, sprinkle coals on top of the flanged lid and around the perimeter at the bottom of the oven. With experience, you’ll learn to adjust the amount of coals to control the temperature of whatever you’re cooking.

DETAILS

I’ll give you basic guidelines that have worked for me when baking and cooking at fixed camp. If you cook in your kitchen, you can cook over a campfire.