7 Easy Campfire Recipes for a Portable Fire Pit

You don't need a big fire ring or a camp stove to eat well outdoors. A small portable fire pit and a grill that fits it can handle almost everything on this list. Each recipe uses a handful of ingredients you can prep at home and pack in a cooler.

Before you start: cook over coals, not flames

The most common campfire cooking mistake is putting food on too early. Big flames burn the outside and leave the middle raw. Let the fire burn down for 20 to 30 minutes until you have a bed of glowing coals. That's your stove.

• High heat (for searing steak): you can hold your hand about 10 cm above the grill for only 2 seconds.
• Medium heat (for most things): 4 to 5 seconds.
• Low heat (for foil packs and warming): 7 seconds or more.

Push coals to one side to make a hot zone and a cooler zone. Then you can move food around as it cooks.

1. Campfire steak

Take the steak out of the cooler 20 minutes before cooking. Pat it dry and season it well with salt and pepper. Sear it over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side for a 2.5 cm (1 in) steak, then move it to the cooler side until it's done the way you like it. Rest it for 5 minutes before cutting.

2. Sausages and peppers

The easiest camp dinner there is. Grill sausages over medium heat, turning every couple of minutes, for 12 to 15 minutes. Add thick strips of bell pepper and onion alongside for the last 8 minutes. Pile it all into a bun.

3. Foil-pack potatoes

Slice potatoes thin (about 5 mm) and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and a little sliced onion. Wrap tightly in a double layer of heavy-duty foil. Set the pack on the grill over medium-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway. Open carefully: the steam is hot.

4. Bannock on a stick

A Canadian campfire classic. At home, mix 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons oil or melted butter in a zip bag. At camp, add water a little at a time until you have a soft dough that isn't sticky. Wrap a rope of dough around a clean stick and turn it slowly over the coals for 10 to 15 minutes until golden. Eat with butter and jam.

5. Grilled corn

Pull the husks back, remove the silk, then fold the husks back over the corn. Soak in water for 10 minutes if you can. Grill over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning often. Finish with butter and salt, or chili and lime.

6. Breakfast egg-in-a-pepper

Cut a bell pepper into thick rings and set them on the grill. Crack an egg into each ring and let it cook over low heat for about 8 minutes until the white is set. Season and serve with toast grilled on the side.

7. S'mores (and a twist)

Toast marshmallows slowly over the coals, not in the flame, until golden all the way through. Sandwich with a square of chocolate between two graham crackers. For a twist, swap the chocolate for a peanut butter cup, or the crackers for chocolate chip cookies.

What to pack

• Long tongs and a heat-resistant glove
• Heavy-duty foil
• Oil, salt, pepper and one spice mix you love
• A cutting board and knife
• Dry wood or charcoal, plus kindling
• Water to put the fire out completely when you're done

Choosing a grill for a small fire pit

Every Campik fire pit comes with a free grill, and you choose which one:

• The 3-Step Grill for general cooking
• The Steak Grill for searing
• The Family Grill for cooking for a group

The pit burns wood or charcoal. The stainless steel pot holder can also hold a pot for boiling water or making soup.

Always check local fire restrictions before lighting up, and make sure your fire is fully out before you leave or go to bed.