Bushcraft cooking methods

Learning a few Bushcraft cooking techniques can turn those boring leaves and roots into something special, or at least much better. The difference between bushcraft cooking and regular camp cooking is the methods and equipment involved, with camp cooking normally being nothing more than a gas stove or disposable BBQ. You may find yourself with food but lack the equipment to cook it, or maybe just prefer a more natural way of preparing your dinner, whatever the reason for resorting to bushcraft cooking methods, hopefully, these tips will help you create a filling and tasty meal.

Bushcraft Cooking methods

We all know how to cook things using pots and pans, hopefully, but when it comes to the following bushcraft cooking methods we’re going to assume you have nothing more than a knife and a way to start a fire, with no equipment used.

The Ground oven

This is an ancient method of cooking that has been used all around the world and remains one of the favorite methods of cooking food for bushcraft enthusiasts. The only thing you need is a way to start a fire, and preferably a shovel or digging tool. If you don’t have anything to dig with then cut a strong and straight stick into a point and stab it into the ground and try to prise up as much dirt as you can.

The ground oven involves digging a hole and lining the bottom and sides with rocks. The hole should be big enough so you can have 4 to 6 inches of rocks on the bottom and sides, plus enough space for the food to go in the middle and still have air space above it for the heat to circulate.

The diagram shows the general layout for this method but there are a few extra things you should know. The first is to never take rocks from rivers or streams, or anywhere they have been permanently submerged in water as they might explode when heated. The same goes for any type of rock that may contain flint, which will explode when it reaches a high enough temperature, sending shards of hot rock flying into the air.

Always make the fire inside the hole instead of on the ground and then putting the hot rocks in afterward. The amount of heat the rocks will lose from bringing the damp and cold earth up to temperature will affect the cooking.

The seal over the top should be as air-tight as possible. To do this, put a layer of sticks over the top and cover those with some kind of holding material, like moss or large leaves. Then cover the top with soil, sand, or whatever type of ground you are on and pat it down, making sure there are no large gaps or holes.

Be careful of the type of ground you’re heating up as ground that contains peat could start a slow smoldering fire that could get out of control.

Flat-rock cooking

A very simple technique that can create a frying surface for those bushcraft bacon and egg breakfasts. It is as simple as it sounds, find a flat rock that’s as smooth as possible, and place it next to a fire. Make sure the rock isn’t too thick, contains flint, or has been taken from anywhere submerged to avoid accidents.

If there’s plenty of stone in the area then make a small mantel for the flat rock to sit on, and then start the fire directly underneath. If you don’t have anything other than the flat rock to cook on, then wait until there’s a good amount of ash and embers and place the rock directly on top.

As for cooking, it should be treated as any other frying surface, though you can’t easily control the temperature. The main problem with this method is the food tends to stick quite badly, especially if you’re cooking something with a lot of fat, like sausages.

Pin-Board cooking

This one is a similar concept to the flat rock method but involves pinning, or somehow fastening the food to a flat piece of wood, such as a short plank or split log. It works best with flat food like bacon or anything that isn’t too thick. The flat face of the wood is placed at an angle to the fire so it catches the heat but won’t light on fire. This is one of the least popular methods of bushcraft cooking as it’s just as easy to use a skewer, and speaking of skewers.

Skewers

If all else fails, put it on a stick and hold it over the fire. This is one of the oldest and probably the most common methods of cooking anything over a fire, and one of the easiest. The main thing to watch for is that the skewer isn’t made from a poisonous plant, such as the yew tree. Whatever type of wood you use, it’s important to remove all of the bark from the skewer as this will affect the taste. You can get creative with the holders you make for keeping the skewers in place, but the easiest way is to just stab them into the ground at an angle.

A useful Bushcraft Cooking technique for flour

The only type of bread you can make without any kind of equipment is a type of flatbread that’s cooked with the pin-board or flat rock methods, but it isn’t great and doesn’t cook evenly. The best way to use flour while in the wild is to make twisty bread sticks using skewers.

Mix the flour with some water, and if you do not have anything to use to do this then make a small mound of flour on a flat rock and create a small bowl in the middle. Slowly pour in the water and mix it to the desired consistency.

Roll the dough into a long strand so it’s about 1 cm thick and wrap it around a barkless stick, leaving enough space in between the twists to ensure even cooking. The ends may need to be tucked in or pressed down so it doesn’t come undone before it’s cooked.