Open Fire Cooking - as the nights get longer and the temperature gets colder… 

As the weather gets colder and colder, the temptation is strong to retreat indoors. Even if you’re the most avid lover of the outdoors! However, this is not a necessity. For those who appreciate the art of open fire cooking, winter offers a completely unique and surprisingly rewarding experience. There’s something incredibly satisfying about gathering around a fire, feeling the warmth spread through you while you’re preparing a hearty meal. There’s nothing like the feeling you get from embracing the challenges of cooking in the elements.

In this blog, we’ve got hints, tips and techniques that you can use to make the most of open fire cooking during the winter months. All tried and tested by the Warrior Garden crew (we love open fire cooking, just saying).

Why open fire cooking could be right for you

Winter may not seem like the ideal time, but open fire cooking can be incredibly rewarding year round, if you’re just willing to brave the cold. Here’s a few things we’ve learnt through years or trial and error…

• Flavour boost: the cold air helps the wood smoke infuse deeper into your food, enhancing that smoky, rich flavour that comes from open fire cooking - and let’s be honest, is the best part!
• Seasonal comfort: traditionally winter foods like stews, roasts, and grilled vegetables taste better when slow-cooked over a crackling fire. The warmth and smokiness provide a lovely complement to hearty, seasonal ingredients.
• Invigorating experience: there’s simply nothing like it. We’ve always found that cooking in the crisp, cold air is energising, it provides a refreshing break from the often stuffy, indoor routine that we all get a little stuck in the second the clocks go back. Plus, it’s an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors even in colder weather.

How to get open fire cooking right

All that being said, winter open fire cooking does require a few adjustments to your usual methods, just to ensure you’re making the most of it. Here are our key tips and techniques to help you get started.

First off, you need to build and be sure you’re maintaining your hot fire. The nature of the colder months means that you need a hotter, more consistent fire. A strong fire ensures that you can maintain adequate cooking temperatures despite the cold and wind. Plus it’ll keep the chef (you) warm through the process!

So, how to do that? We recommend that you use hardwoods like oak, hickory, or birch, as they burn hotter and longer than softwoods. In fact, avoid woods like pine entirely, they can often create excessive smoke and give off a resinous flavour.

And remember to build a larger fire than you would in the summer, to combat the natural heat loss that comes from colder air or even frost and snow. Don’t forget to keep extra firewood nearby and be prepared to replenish the fire frequently.

If you’re being exceptionally brave and there’s snow on the ground, clear an area thoroughly before starting your fire. Use dry kindling and hardwood, and consider using fire starters or fatwood to get the fire going in wet or snowy conditions.
Our open fire cooking pro tip… use a firepit shield or windscreen to protect your fire from strong winter winds.

Open fire cooking tools and techniques

We’ve always had brilliant success when slow cooking over an open fire with a Dutch oven. Perfect for your favourite stews, soups, casseroles, and of course for slow-cooking meats.

The Dutch oven is your best friend in winter open fire cooking. Its thick, cast-iron construction helps retain heat, making it perfect for long, slow cooking on a bitter, cold day.

We know that this is a way of cooking that’s a little less familiar to most people, so a few tips from us. Place your oven on a stable bed of coals, ensuring even heat distribution by surrounding the pot with additional coals. Make sure you’re checking your oven regularly, and stirring as needed to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking.

It you want to be really fancy, we recommend experimenting with covering the lid of the oven with coals as well - for that really consistent, all-around heat.

Open fire grilling

Are you more into a good grill? Don’t worry, in our experience, grilling is just as enjoyable in the winter, you just need to adapt your technique a little to make up for the colder conditions. The goal is to create a bed of hot coals for consistent, direct heat rather than relying solely on open flames. To do that, we recommend that you let the fire burn down until you have a thick bed of glowing coals. Then use an elevated grill grate or cast-iron grill pan to maintain the proper distance from the heat. Don’t forget, winter winds can cool your food faster, so keep a close eye on cooking times and we would always cover our grill with a lid to trap heat.

Roasting over an open fire

And spit roasting? Ideal for any whole bird or roast. Considering your Christmas Turkey on the grill this year? Don’t worry - Winter is the perfect time to try spit roasting over an open fire. The slow, consistent rotation over the flames ensures that the meat cooks evenly while absorbing that distinctive smoky flavour. Yum.

For a successful spit roast, skewer your meat onto the spit and balance it over your fire, rotating frequently for even cooking. Again, you need to always ensure that the fire remains steady with plenty of coals for a longer cook time. We try to create a heat-reflective wall using a metal backdrop (or you could use a stone one) to bounce the heat back toward the food for faster cooking.

Of course, cooking over an open flame in winter presents a few challenges to you - the intrepid warrior chef - but with the right preparation, you can enjoy a warm, hearty meal outdoors no matter the weather.

Our open fire cooking top tips

1. Dress for the weather. Layer up with insulated, weatherproof clothing and wear heat-resistant gloves when handling cookware. Keep your feet dry and warm by wearing proper boots and wool socks. You want this to be an enjoyable experience after all
2. Use insulated containers - especially when prepping your side dishes or sauces.
3. Planning makes all the difference. Prepare your ingredients and utensils in advance to minimise time spent outside in the cold.
4. Location, location location. When setting up your fire pit or grill, choose a sheltered area away from wind. If possible, use a windbreak or set up near natural wind barriers like trees or rocks.
5. Safety first. Just like open fire cooking in the summer… always have a fire extinguisher, water bucket, or sand nearby in case the fire gets out of control. Unlike the summer though, we also advise you check your cooking area is free from snow or ice to prevent slipping.

Open fire recipes

If this is all sounding too tempting, we do have some recipes that we think work especially well, all tried and tested by our open fire loving team…

Hearty Beef Stew (Open Fire Dutch Oven)

Spit-Roasted Chicken

Grilled Winter Vegetables

Campfire Chilli

The fact is, if you - like us - are a fan of all things open fire, then winter doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying the timeless art of open fire cooking. From our experience, it’s actually the perfect season to embrace the warmth of a fire and cook up hearty meals that complement the colder weather. 

Good luck on your winter open fire cooking journey, from all of us at Warrior Garden! If you have a go, please snap a pic and share with us on Instagram.