Fire-cooked food is so wholesome and delicious, and it’s a great way to get kids interested in cooking, too! It’s also an easy way to cook on a budget, and can be made in a variety of ways. Here are a few recipes that you can try out by the fire this summer.
How to make a potke for fire
There are many different ways to cook by the campfire, but one of the easiest is to use a pot or kettle hanging over the fire. This allows you to retain a rolling boil or a gentle simmer, which means you can easily heat water for a cup of coffee, heat up a cowboy casserole, or simmer a stew for a hearty meal.
To make a potke, you’ll need a small, round terra cotta bowl or pot with a diameter of about 3 1/2 inches. You can find these at most craft stores or online.
You will also need a folding saw, some wood pieces and charcoal. You may want to practice cutting sticks before making the hanger, so that you don’t have any problems with burning your fingers.
Gather together a pile of green branches and some sticks. Once you have enough to create your hanger, cut a long piece at the bottom of the branch that is about twice as tall as your pot hanger. Where this piece connects to the main branch, make a groove for the bail of your pot hanger to sit in.
Next, place the stick into the ground to secure it and hang the pot over the fire. If you need to, you can add a rock to support the bottom of the stick.
There are other pot hangers you can make, such as a spit, which is made of forked uprights with a green stick suspended across the two forks. These can be constructed from wood or even metal. The most common type of spit is used to hang small pots or pans over the fire, but there are other types of spit that can hold bigger pots.
Using a dingle stick is another popular method of suspending pots over the fire. Unlike a tripod, which can be unstable in rough terrain, this method allows you to swivel the pot off and away from the fire, allowing for more flexibility.
How to make a fire pit for your potke
Having a good fire is essential if you’re going to be able to cook by the campfire. This is especially important if you’re going to be firing pottery. It can help the clay to warm up gradually, so it doesn’t shatter or break if it becomes too hot quickly.
If you’re making large pots, you might want to build a fire pit around the kiln rather than just putting it on the ground. This will protect the ground from the scorching heat, and give you a level surface to set your pots on.
