Outdoor cooking on fire: the basics

🔥 From Backyard BBQs to Fire-Fueled Feasts

There’s something primal about cooking with fire, the crackle of wood, the glowing embers, the way it transforms simple ingredients into something smoky, rich and unforgettable. Outdoor fire cooking isn’t just about feeding people; it’s about the atmosphere it creates, the gathering of friends and family, long conversations and delicious food savoured under open skies.

Whether you’re just dipping your toes into outdoor fire cooking or you’re already thinking like a backyard chef, here’s how to make the most of it.

🌳 1. Choose the Right Fire Cooking Setup

Your outdoor cooking experience starts with your equipment, and there’s a range of options to suit every style:

• Versatile Fire Bowls & BBQ Racks: Fire bowls that double as cooking stations, like steel fire bowls with swing arm BBQ racks, can be both a source of heat and your main grill surface. They let you cook directly over the flames or glowing coals.

• Outdoor Kitchen Fire Pits: A fully equipped fire pit with removable BBQ racks, hanging bowls and work surfaces (like the Complete Outdoor Kitchen) turns a garden into a functional kitchen space - ideal for roasting meat, stews or even baking with indirect heat.

• Wood-Fired Ovens & Plancha Grills: For those who love variety, a wood-fired oven or plancha grill adds another dimension - from pizzas and slow roasts to skillets seared at high heat.

Each type of setup offers a different cooking approach. A simple bowl with a BBQ rack might be perfect for quick barbecued meats and vegetables, while a larger outdoor kitchen can handle sophisticated menus.

🔥 2. Mastering the Fire

Cooking on fire isn’t as simple as lighting a BBQ and throwing food on the grill - though it can be that relaxed once you know a few basics:

Build your fire right:
Start with smaller kindling and dry wood, arranged so air can circulate - a teepee or pyramid shape helps the flame establish quickly. Once the fire is burning well, add larger logs to build lasting coals.

Cooking over embers:
True fire cooking happens when flames have died down and you’re left with glowing embers. They provide even heat, reducing flare-ups and giving better control over cooking. Rest your grill above the embers rather than over tall flames for most foods.

Airflow matters:
Fire needs oxygen as much as fuel. Don’t smother it - keep gaps between logs so air flows freely. A simple puff of air (even blowing between logs) can help revive an aging fire.

🍖 3. Fire Cooking Techniques

Once you’ve got a hot bed of coals, it’s time to cook. Here are some foundational methods:

🔹 Direct grilling: Place meat, fish or veggies right above the coals or flame. Great for quick cooks like burgers, sausages, kebabs and flatter cuts.

🔹 Indirect heat & slow roasting: Push coals to one side, place food where it’s not directly above heat, and close a lid or tent with foil. This is how you slowly cook larger joints or whole birds.

🔹 Hanging & rotating: If your setup includes a hanging arm or cooking bowl (like on some swing arm BBQ racks or outdoor kitchens), you can hang stews or rotate meat for even cooking without flipping constantly.

Pro tip: Let meats rest before cooking and avoid moving them too much once on the grill — it helps achieve better caramelisation and juicier results.

🍽️ 4. Recipe Ideas to Try

Here are a few crowd-pleasing fire-cooked dishes to get you started:

🔥 Smoky BBQ Ribs: Season well, cook low and slow over indirect heat, and baste with a sauce in the final minutes for sticky goodness.

🔥 Wood-Fired Pizza: If you have a plancha or pizza oven attachment, try baking pizzas with fresh dough — fire ovens can reach intense heat perfect for fast, crisp crusts.

🔥 Cast Iron Skillet Sear: Place a cast iron pan over coals for things like seared steaks or pan-roasted vegetables with herbs and garlic.

🔥 Fire Roasted Veggies: Wrap seasoned veg in foil, tuck them into the embers, and let them steam in their own juices for tender, smoky results.

🧯 5. Fire Safety and Best Practices

Fire cooking is fun, but safety should never be an afterthought:

• Place Fire Pits Wisely: Set up grills or fire bowls on stable, non-combustible ground and well away from structures, vegetation or low branches.

• Always supervise: Never leave a fire unattended, especially with children or pets nearby.

• Extinguish thoroughly: When cooking is done, make sure embers are fully out. Use water or a lid to starve the fire of oxygen and keep ashes cool before disposal.

• Check local rules: Some parks and common spaces have restrictions on open flames or barbecues — especially in dry weather.

🍷 Make It a Gathering

Fire-based outdoor cooking is as much about the people as the food. Arrange comfy seating, have drinks ready, and let conversations flow as the fire burns down. It’s a wonderful way to extend warm evenings, entertain friends and savour food that’s literally cooked with fire.