A camping trip just isn’t complete unless you’re cooking something over an open campfire. Everyone knows about roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. But not everyone is familiar with the old cowboy way where practically everything was cooked over a live fire with the use of some good old fashioned cowboy campfire cooking equipment.
If you’re going to be cooking directly over a campfire, there are a few things you’ll need, plus a lot of things you might want which will make cooking easier and a lot more fun!
Finding the right cowboy campfire cooking equipment or live fire cooking equipment will be essential in guaranteeing a successful cookout that’s full of rustic flavor.
What is Cowboy Campfire Cooking Anyway?
As you can imagine, back in the 1700’s and 1800’s as cowboys roamed through the Western United States on horseback, they didn’t have much choice but to take their meals to go. That meant cooking over an open campfire daily, whether it was breakfast and coffee or steak dinners. And so, open campfire cooking became known as the cowboy method in much of the western United States.
As you can picture in your mind, cowboy cooking equipment has that rugged and tough look to it. It looks like it’s been on the trail for a while and has a story to tell. It is most often durable, heavy and often looks like it’s been hand forged. The main goal with these tools was practicality. Aesthetics came second, if it all. But many of todays products are beautifully manufactured and finished so they look great in a backyard or out at your campsite.
What is cowboy campfire cooking equipment made from?
Cowboys most often used cast iron skillets to cook because of its excellent heat retention properties. This would have been a paramount tool in searing their meat for dinner time. Cast iron skillets became so popular with cowboys that many saddle bags were actually sized to fit a skillet inside.
The two main products used to make cowboy cooking equipment are cast iron and wrought iron.
Cast iron is made by melting down the iron to a liquid and pouring it into a mold to form different shapes of pots, pans and other equipment.
Wrought iron is produced by heating, then bending and hammering the iron into different shapes. While cast iron can be fairly brittle, wrought iron actually gets stronger the more it is worked, which results in a product that is more bendable than cast iron.
What equipment is available for cowboy campfire cooking?
There are tons of different items that can be classified as cowboy cooking equipment and we’ve taken our best shot at identifying them all right here:
Cast Iron Skillet
If you could only take one item with you to cook over an open campfire, it just might be a cast iron skillet. A cast iron skillet can withstand very high temperatures so you can place it directly on top of hot coals if need be. A well seasoned skillet won’t rust or corrode and if it does, it can be restored with just a little bit of work.
The thing I really love about a cast iron skillet is its versatility. Designed as a frying pan makes it ideal for cooking eggs, bacon and other meats. However, the pan is also deep enough that you can cook up a stew or even bake some cinnamon buns in it.
Camping Dutch Oven
Similar to the cast iron skillet, a Dutch Oven is another extremely useful piece of equipment for campfire cooking. They are perfect for cooking soups and stews, but that’s not all! You can literally bake a cake or a loaf of bread in a Dutch Oven. Just place the lid on top and you’ve essentially created your own little oven where heat can’t escape.
They can be placed on top of or near the hot coals of a fire in order to reach the desired temperature. Or you can hang it over the campfire from the durable handle.
Dutch Oven Lid Lifter
The easiest way to remove the lid from a Dutch Oven to check if your food is done cooking is to have a lid lifter close by. That way you don’t have to get too close to the fire and also don’t need to remove the pot from the campfire to check on it.
Campfire Grill Grate
A heavy duty campfire grill grate is useful for many reasons. Number one, you can place it over the fire and cook right on top of it. This is a great way to grill meats as well as toast bread and buns. It leaves food with the nice grill marks and can provide a smoky flavor if you desire it.
You can also place a cast iron skillet or Dutch Oven on top of it to fry, warm or bake foods. You’ll just want to make sure that the grill is well supported so that it doesn’t fall over.
There are plenty of choices when it comes to campfire grill grates. You can get light stainless steel models that are easy to carry and can be propped up on top of logs or firewood. There are also heavy duty options with foldable legs that rest on top of the ground so you never have to worry about balancing the grate or having it fall over.
Campfire Swivel Grills
This has to be my favorite piece of cowboy campfire cooking equipment because of its usefulness around the campfire. A fire pit swivel grill allows you to easily move food around so that you can keep it out of the flames and over the best parts of the coals. This is so helpful in ensuring a consistent temperature when cooking.
Some models come equipped with a grill for barbecuing, but also have a griddle so you can fry eggs, bacon and vegetables.
When food is ready, you can easily turn the grill away from the fire and remove it without any fear of getting burned.
Campfire swivel grills work best in soft soils where they can easily be staked into the ground.
Check out this list of the top fire pit swivel grills and find one that’s right for you. The Best Campfire Swivel Grills.
Campfire Tripod
A campfire tripod is an excellent alternative to the swivel grill and works especially well in rocky soil where hammering a stake in the ground might be too difficult. The campfire grill hangs from a chain which is supported by the tripod, making it easy to set up over any campfire in any type of soil.
One huge benefit of the campfire tripod is that the chain height is adjustable so you can move food up or down to get the perfect temperature and avoid flames. For most models you can also remove the grill and hang a pot or Dutch Oven from the hook. You can also place a Dutch Oven or skillet right on top of the grill and cook that way.
Campfire Cooking Gloves
Skillets, pots and grills themselves get really really hot while cooking over an open campfire. A good pair of gloves will protect your hands from getting burned. You can use a pair of oven mitts, but I find they get dirty easily and are hard to clean.
A pair of welders mitts or grilling gloves work exceptionally well and you can brush off the dirt and sand easily. Many are long enough to protect your wrist and forearms from the flames as well.
Rotisserie and Spit Grill
Slow cooking a chicken is a great excuse to stay at the campsite for a few hours and relax. A campfire rotisserie and spit grill is a great way to cook chicken to perfection and impress your family and friends.
While the meat slowly cooks on the rotisserie above the grill, you can still use the grill grate to cook other foods as well.
This is a great item for RV Campers looking to stick close to the campsite.
Grill Swing Campfire Cooking Stand
While this is somewhat similar to a campfire tripod, the grill swing cooking stand provides a little more flexibility so you can get a few things cooking at the same time. The grill can hang over the fire while a Dutch Oven can be positioned to the side or over top of the grill.
The legs of the stand are usually height adjustable so you can have it as low or high as needed, depending on the fire pit being used. It also comes with several different length hooks.
Cowboy Cooking Fire Box
If you’re planning to do most of your cooking at home then a fire box might be the best option for you. A cooking fire box is easy to move around so you can store it when it’s not being used. They usually will have some slots available so you can connect a swing out grill or cooking stand too.
This is also a good option for taking with you to the campsite if you’d like to have a dedicated area for cooking, separate from your recreational fire pit.
Grilling Utensil Set
Having a good set of utensils makes cooking over a campfire a lot easier. Flipping burgers with a spatula or turning over chicken with a good pair of tongs will help to keep you from burning your hands. While you could use your kitchen set, you’ll probably want a set that’s a little longer so that you can stay further away from the campfire. Even though you might be wearing gloves, a campfire still exudes a lot of heat and getting close can be tough.
A true cowboy campfire grilling utensil set wouldn’t be complete without some hand forged campfire cooking tools like a spatula, fork and ladle. Extra points if it’s got a hook on the end to hang it from the cooking stand just like the cowboys did back in the day.
Coffee Tipper
A coffee tipper is a really unique item used to hold a pot of coffee near the fire so it stays warm. You don’t have to grab the pot directly. Just push on the tipper handle and the pot will tip so you can pour a cup. These only truly work if you have a handle on top of the pot and a hook on the bottom.
While this isn’t something that most campers will have in their equipment, it is very neat.
Trammel
A trammel is a double sided, adjustable hook so you can raise or lower a pot over the fire easily. There would be several different slots to choose from between a half inch and one inch apart. That way you don’t need to adjust the tripod or cooking stand itself. It’s a nice little tool that makes life a little easier.
Pot Hooks/Meat Hooks
A few solid, heavy duty pot and meat hooks of different lengths are also nice to have so you can easily hang a Dutch Oven over the fire.
Cowboy Wok
A cowboy wok, also known as a barbecue disc blade is a large round pot-like piece of cooking gear. It’s deep design provides a large surface area for making stir-fry, as well as searing plenty of your favorite dishes, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The design of this cook gear makes it easy to stir food without having it fall out and into the fire.
Enamel Coffee Percolator or Tea Pot
There’s not much in life I look forward to more than a fresh cup of coffee while sitting outside in the fresh air, listening to the birds sing and the wind whistle.
You can make an excellent, smooth cup of cowboy coffee and all it takes is a coffee pot, water and some coffee grinds.
An enamel coffee percolator or enamel tea pot can be hung above the fire on a campfire cooking stand or you can place it on top of the grill grate. Within a few minutes you’ll have water boiling and ready to make tea or coffee. Just scoop in the grinds and let them boil for a few minutes, until you’ve got the roast just how you like it.
Cowboy Coffee Mugs
To go with your coffee pot you’ll need a cowboy coffee mug that’s fit for the outdoors. An enamel, stainless steel or titanium mug are a few good choices that you won’t have to worry about breaking. They’re also lightweight and easy to clean.
All-in-one Cowboy Fire Pit Grill
Finally, this all in one fire pit grill from Cabela’s is pretty amazing. It’s transportable and comes complete with a fire pit to make a cooking campfire in, a grill grate, a swivel grill, a Dutch Oven hook and a rotisserie so you have everything you need to cook any meal.
Final Thoughts on Cowboy Campfire Cooking Equipment
As you can see, there are loads of cool and unique items when it comes to cowboy cooking equipment. The most important thing to remember is that your tools and equipment are going to get rained on and beat up being outside most of the time. So you’ll want to pick the items that are most weather resistant and easy to clean and maintain.
Happy camping and we’ll see you on the trail!!
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