Grilling with an open fire.

[striker]

I know you get the best flavor and to not burn the meet you need to grill it on charcoal, but we were pretty hungry once and I decided to prepare it on a small fire, the meat was prepared much faster and it wasn't burned either, I have been grilling that way for some time now when camping and it always tastes delicious.

[Scout]

Sounds like you have figured it out! Anything can burn on any heat source so you just have to pay attention don't ya'! I have had success using a campfire several times when my cookstove didn't work properly or ran out of fuel or I just did not want to take a bunch of gear. I carry a small grate in my small kitchen camp box just for the fire. Heat is heat & if ya' wanna' eat you figure it out! Enjoy. I have been cooking in dutch ovens for some time now using charcoal or an open fire or coals burned down hot from a fire. I love to layer things up & let it cook in a DO. Yummy...Open fires are fine to me ya just gotta pay attention which you should be doing any way!

[woodsman]

Like scout said in the end the food is prepared due to heat, it doesn't really matter what the heat source is, heck I once fried on stake on a stone which was put next to the fire and the result was delicious.

[Lorax]

I'll let it burn down to a nice set of coals first to minimize any nasty flavors. I think that's a huge part of getting a decent meal from a fire when cooking directly over it.

[Betty]

A wood fire can give food a delicious flavor. Many people buy wood chips to use with their grills at home for the woodsy flavor, so it only stands to reason that a wood fire would do the same.

[twodogs]

I have cooked over a open fire alot, one year I had Camped over 30 weekends. The best wood I ever used was seasoned hickory , it made the best fire for cooking, it kept the best heat and I grilled a couple chickens on a spit , slow roasted and those chickens were the best I ever had eaten . Just Brushed on some butter as I let them slow cook . takes most of the day , but its worth it .

[Hayley]

That is super! There are lots of ways to cook, and isn't it amazing when we discover something simple almost out of desperation? That's how we learned to grill that way, too. Welcome to the club!

[dinosaur]

Since charcoal is burnt wood, striker, you're starting to get the idea. Back in the fifties when you bought a bag of charcoal, it came out of the bag as chunks of blackened wood. You could even see the grain in it and the chunks were irregular. Then they started crushing it, adding water and forming the slurry into regularly shaped briquets. But it's still wood. I've never purchased a bag of charcoal in my life. It seemed silly to buy something that was readily available for free.