Slow Cooking Over a Fire

Slow cooking over a fire is much like raising a child – you get out of it what you put into it. A fire is something that has to be nurtured and grown in order to get the desired effect for both cooking and even sometimes for survival. The flavors and experience that you get from such cooking can't be replicated in a kitchen. The time spent around the fire certainly conjures up stories from creekside lunches, fishing trips or memories of camping trips.

Whether roasting whole cuts of meat at camp or frying fish and potatoes over an open fire for a shoreside lunch, it does take a little practice to maximize the best cooking potential from your fire. Get the coals to just the right glowing red temperature, and then maintain that temperature to cook everything evenly by moving items closer or farther away from the fire. Add fuel to the fire to cook more robust items. No matter what food you are cooking, remember that at some point in history it was likely cooked over an open fire.

– Chef Josh Feathers