Cook with fire. Carry the craft.
Essays on the fundamentals: how to lay a fire you can control, what to burn, and how to cook outdoors without harming yourself or the land.
No. 1
Pile all the hot coals on one side of the grill or fire pit and leave the other side empty. The hot side is for searing and quick-cooking food; the cool side is for finishing thick cuts gently, holding food, and escaping flare-ups.
No. 2
Cook over clean, seasoned hardwood such as oak, hickory, maple, ash, or fruit woods. Seasoned wood is dry, lighter, and cracked at the ends. Never cook over treated, painted, or glued wood, and avoid resinous softwoods for direct cooking because they burn sooty and bitter.
No. 3
Check current fire restrictions first, use an existing fire ring away from tents and overhanging branches, keep the fire small, keep water and a shovel within reach, and put it out by drowning, stirring, and drowning again until it is cold to the touch.