7 Best Fire Pit Cooking Accessories For Camp Meals That Go Beyond S’mores
Elevate your campfire cooking with 7 essential accessories. This guide covers the best tools, from grates to Dutch ovens, for making full meals outdoors.
The campfire crackles, the stars are out, and everyone’s had their fill of s’mores. You look at the glowing embers and think, "There has to be more to campfire cooking than this." You’re right. With a few key pieces of gear, that fire pit can transform from a marshmallow toaster into a versatile outdoor kitchen. This guide will walk you through seven essential accessories that open up a world of delicious possibilities, from perfectly seared steaks to fresh-baked campfire bread.
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Mastering Heat Control for Better Campfire Cooking
The single biggest mistake in campfire cooking is trying to cook over roaring flames. That’s how you get food that’s burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. The secret isn’t fancy gear; it’s understanding that you cook over the heat, not in the fire. Your real cooking surface is a bed of hot, glowing coals.
To get there, you need patience. Let your fire burn for a good 45 to 60 minutes, allowing a solid base of embers to form. For more control, build a "keyhole" fire pit. This involves creating a main ring of rocks for your fire, with a smaller, connected ring off to the side. As the fire produces coals, you can rake them into the smaller keyhole section, creating a dedicated cooking area with adjustable, even heat.
Every tool we’re about to discuss relies on this principle. Whether you’re using a grill grate, a Dutch oven, or a tripod, your ability to manage your coals is what separates a frustrating meal from a fantastic one. Master the heat, and you’ve mastered campfire cooking.
Barebones Cowboy Grill for Versatile Open-Fire Grilling
Imagine pulling into camp after a long day on the trail, wanting nothing more than a perfectly grilled burger. A flimsy, unbalanced campground fire ring grate won’t cut it. This is where a cowboy-style grill proves its worth. It’s a simple, rugged piece of steel: a grate with sturdy legs that you place directly over your bed of coals.
Its beauty lies in its simplicity and versatility. The large, stable surface is ideal for grilling steaks, chicken, or vegetables without fear of them falling into the fire. But it’s also a rock-solid platform. You can place a cast iron skillet, a coffee pot, or a saucepan on it, turning it into a reliable camp stove. It’s the workhorse of a basecamp kitchen.
Let’s be clear: this is a car camping luxury. The Barebones grill is heavy and built to last a lifetime, which means it’s not going anywhere near a backpack. For vehicle-supported trips, however, its stability and multi-functionality make it an indispensable centerpiece for serious campfire cooking.
Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven for Hearty One-Pot Meals
On a chilly, damp evening, nothing satisfies like a bubbling pot of chili or a hearty beef stew. For these one-pot wonders, the cast iron Dutch oven is king. Its thick, heavy walls absorb and radiate heat evenly, preventing the hot spots that plague thinner pots. This means you can simmer for hours without scorching your meal.
What truly sets a camp Dutch oven apart is the flanged lid. This raised rim is designed to hold a scoop of hot coals, turning the entire pot into a true oven. With coals below and coals above, you can bake anything from cornbread and biscuits to a delicious fruit cobbler right at your campsite. It completely changes what’s possible for a camp dessert.
This is arguably the heaviest piece of gear on the list. A Dutch oven is an investment in comfort and culinary ambition, and it’s strictly for trips where your car is doing the heavy lifting. There’s a learning curve to managing the heat—learning how many coals to place on top versus underneath—but the reward is meals that will make you forget you’re not in a home kitchen.
Rome Industries Pie Iron for Easy Toasted Sandwiches
Sometimes you just want a quick, hot, and satisfying meal without a lot of fuss. For a fun camp lunch or a simple dinner, the pie iron is a classic for a reason. These long-handled, clam-shell cookers are perfect for making delicious toasted sandwiches, cheese-filled pizza pockets, or fruit-filled dessert pies.
The process couldn’t be simpler. You butter two pieces of bread, place them in the iron with your favorite fillings, and clamp it shut. A few minutes nestled in a bed of hot coals, with a flip halfway through, and you have a perfectly golden-brown, sealed pocket of deliciousness. They are fantastic for getting kids involved and excited about cooking over the fire.
Pie irons are a bit of a one-trick pony, and their long handles can make them awkward to pack. But for casual car camping, their low cost and high fun-factor are hard to beat. They represent the simple joy of campfire cooking—no complex techniques required, just pure, easy satisfaction.
Stansport Tripod for Controlled Heat Cooking
Cook easily over an open fire with the Stansport Tripod Cooker. Its adjustable 18-inch grill and sturdy, lightweight design make it ideal for camping, backpacking, or hunting.
You’ve got a big pot of soup that needs to simmer gently, not boil over. Placing it on a grill grate directly over coals can be too intense and hard to regulate. The solution is to cook above the fire, and for that, a tripod is the ultimate tool for heat modulation.
A campfire tripod allows you to hang a Dutch oven or pot from a chain directly over the coals. The key is the adjustable chain. By raising or lowering the pot, you can dial in the perfect cooking temperature with a level of precision that’s otherwise impossible over a live fire. This is ideal for slow-cooking, simmering sauces, or keeping a pot of water hot for drinks without it boiling away.
While a tripod can be broken down, it’s still a bulky item best suited for group car camping or canoe trips where space isn’t at a premium. It’s not for grilling, but for anything you’d cook in a pot, its heat control is second to none. If you’re serious about slow-cooked meals, a tripod is a game-changer.
Lodge Reversible Griddle for Big Camp Breakfasts
Enjoy versatile cooking with the Lodge Cast Iron Reversible Grill/Griddle. This durable 9.5-inch x 16.75-inch pan provides excellent heat retention for searing, grilling, and more on the stove, grill, or campfire.
There’s nothing quite like waking up in the woods to the smell of bacon and coffee. A small backpacking skillet is fine for one or two people, but for feeding a crew, you need more surface area. A cast iron reversible griddle, laid across two logs or a stable grill grate, is the answer to big camp breakfast dreams.
One side is smooth and flat, perfect for a batch of pancakes, eggs, or hashbrowns. The other side is ridged, creating beautiful sear marks on steaks, burgers, or chicken breasts for dinner. This dual-purpose design makes it an incredibly efficient piece of cookware for a stationary camp.
Like all cast iron, a griddle is heavy and requires a bit of care. The most important factor for success is creating a wide, level bed of coals to ensure the entire surface heats evenly. It takes more prep than firing up a propane stove, but the results—and the capacity to cook for a whole group at once—are well worth it.
GSI Outdoors Percolator for Classic Camp Coffee
For many, the ritual of making coffee is the true start to a camping day. While instant packets are light and easy, they can’t match the robust flavor and soul-warming aroma of a classic percolator bubbling over the fire. It’s a timeless piece of gear that connects us to generations of campers before us.
A percolator is a durable, self-contained system that’s built for the ruggedness of outdoor life. It’s simple to use: add water and coffee grounds, then place it on a grate over the coals. As the water heats, it cycles up through the grounds, brewing a strong, rich pot of coffee that’s perfect for a chilly morning.
The main tradeoff is weight and bulk compared to modern ultralight options. There’s also a small learning curve—leave it on the heat too long and you’ll get a bitter, over-extracted brew. But for relaxed car camping trips, the reward of a big, hot pot of "cowboy coffee" is an essential part of the experience.
Great Northern Pit Popper for Classic Fireside Snacks
The main course is over, the dishes are clean, and everyone is gathered around the fire telling stories. This is the perfect moment for a shared snack, and nothing fits the bill better than fresh, hot popcorn. A dedicated pit popper makes it easy and fun.
This tool is essentially a lightweight, lidded basket on a long handle. You add a little oil and some kernels, hold it over the coals, and give it a gentle shake. In a few minutes, you’ll hear that familiar popping sound, and soon you’ll have a basket full of a perfect fireside treat, ready to be passed around and shared.
Like the pie iron, this is not an essential piece of survival equipment. It’s a tool of enjoyment. It’s relatively inexpensive and doesn’t take up much room in a car camping kit, but it adds a huge amount of fun and nostalgia to an evening. It’s a simple luxury that creates lasting memories, especially for families.
These tools aren’t about complicating your trip; they’re about expanding your options and enriching your experience. You don’t need all of them. Start with one that matches the meals you dream of making, whether it’s a hearty stew in a Dutch oven or a simple toasted sandwich in a pie iron. The best gear is the gear that gets you outside, sharing good food and great times around the fire.
