How to Cook Over an Open Fire: Basic Beef Stew
No matter the time of year, cooking over an open fire is a basic survival skill that just so happens to be fun.
Today was very warm for the middle of January. Even though it was a little windy and we had scattered showers, I wanted to cook something outside on the open fire–so beef stew was perfect.
Open Fire Beef Stew is an all day affair
I started preparing this at about 1:00 in the afternoon. After I put all my ingredients in the pot, I let it warm up on my woodstove then started my fire outside. Here’s how to fix beef stew on the open fire.
Ingredients:
1 lb beef stew meat
1 onion
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 sweet potato
2 garlic cloves
One Pint tomato puree (from my canned tomatoes)
½ stick butter
Parsley
Salt and pepper
Directions
The first part is done on the stovetop, not the fire. (I mean, it can be done on the fire, but I just used the indoor stove to quickly get the first part done.)
Start out by browning the beef stew meat in oil. (I used leftover bacon grease, but any cooking oil will do.) Heat the oil for a minute, then salt and pepper the meat, and brown on all sides. This just takes a few minutes if the skillet is good and hot. Transfer the contents of the skillet (meat and grease and all) to the stew pot.
Chop veggies. I kept them in larger pieces, because this stew will be cooking for a while and I don’t want it to turn to mush. Add all the veggies to the pot. Add the garlic, minced.
Fill up the pot with water. I used about 4 cups for my pot, but just make sure everything is covered by an inch or two.
Pour in the tomato puree. I used a pint of my canned tomatoes for this. I just blended them up with an immersion blender. You could leave them whole, but my little boy complains about seeing tomatoes in his food.
Add the ½ stick of butter. Sprinkle in about 2 tbsp dried parsley. Salt and pepper the whole stew. Stir it up good, and get ready to put on the fire!
It would be a good idea to have the fire prepared ahead of time, but I was busy doing other things and didn’t start it on time! So, as you can see in the picture, I just set my pot on my hot woodstove and let it kind of warm up while I was getting my fire ready.
Fire Starting 101
Find dry kindling. Damp kindling will stall the process considerably. (This I know from experience. I learn the hard way sometimes.)
Today, I shoveled about two heaping shovels full of coals from my woodstove to speed up my fire. I added my coals to the kindling, and we were on our way to a good fire. I slowly added bigger pieces of wood until I had a good fire going.
Usually we have to start all the way from scratch, meaning newspaper, twigs and lighters! But my coals from my stove moved me forward several steps!
(Some of you may be wondering where my boys were during this process. They were playing on porch, swinging in swings, and sitting in the stroller.)
So once the fire has coals built up, it’s time to put the pot on the fire! My beautiful tripod set and S hooks were made by my very talented blacksmith father, Donny. Thanks Daddy! Some daughters like jewelry or whatever, but I like iron-work.
Cast Iron Heirlooms
Speaking of this, I have to take a minute to talk about my stew pot. The pot belonged to my great-great grandparents on the Abbott side. My daddy got the pot, cleaned it up, and re-seasoned it for me for a Christmas present several years ago. I love cast iron, but I especially love it if it is a family heirloom! This pot may have been used as a flower pot the last part of the 20th century. But once cast iron is cleaned up and taken care of, it’s like brand new.
(Read all about cast iron care here!)
So now I cook in it! I love it.
I also cook with my Dutch oven with an iron lid when I cook outside over the fire. In the photos below, you’ll see I have improvised with my soup pot and placed aluminum foil over the top as a lid. Whatever works!
Back to the stew. This stew is not something you can just leave for the rest of the day. I run out every half hour or so and make sure it’s boiling properly, while also making sure I have plenty of wood on the fire. I give it a stir, too, and make sure it’s not sticking. (Also make sure there is still plenty of liquid.) After about 5 hours on the fire, it’s dinnertime! I taste it, make sure the seasonings are just right, and we eat.
A note on timing for cooking on an open fire:
Unlike an oven, where the temperatures are constant, the open fire is obviously not constant. The only temperature I know to describe the open fire is “hot”. So, if you have your pot on a hot fire for several hours, you’ll know when the stew is done. Check the meat for tenderness, and once it’s to your liking, it will be perfect.
Cooking on the open fire is not very hard. It just takes time and hot coals.
Open Fire Beef Stew
Equipment
- cast iron cooking pot
- open fire
- fire set
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef stew meat
- 4-6 cups water more if needed
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 sweet potato cubed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pint pureed tomatoes
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- parsley
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- First, prepare you fire and have a nice bed of hot coals to ensure plenty of heat to cook.
- Before assembling in the soup pot (or in the Dutch oven) brown the beef stew meat in a tablespoon of oil.
- Add the browned meat and plenty of water to the soup pot. Add the seasonings, onion, garlic, and celery.
- Place pot over the fire. It will begin boiling shortly.
- Keep a close eye on the pot, not letting the water boil out, but also keeping a constant simmer.
- After several hours of cooking the meat, add in the other veggies.
- Cook for an hour or two more, or until the veggies are soft and ready to eat.
Fire Tips:
- Open fire cooking is a learned skill. It's not something you master your first try! My best tip is to keep an eye on your fire, check it and stir it often, and you will get the hang of it in no time.
- Keep the fire hot and have plenty of wood ready to add to keep the fire going.
- Don't allow the flames to reach up over the pot because it could quickly boil and burn your food. A steady flame with plenty of hot coals is sufficient to cook with.
Notes
What are your favorite open fire meals? Share your experiences with us!
For more recipes, see my Farm Fresh section!
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