Cooking over an open fire can be great! Don’t forget these few important principles when cooking on your campfire. Burning certain wood for your campfire cooking can be harmful to the food and to you. Some fumes, smoke, and fluids expelled when burning certain woods can cause harmful toxins that can produce undesirable outcomes.
Don’t Be a Softy
Most softwoods such as pine, cedar, spruce, fir, and cypress can release harmful substances when burned. Those softwoods mentioned are not the only ones but give you an idea of the softwood families to steer clear of when cooking over a fire. A quick search online can give you a clear picture of the softwood trees to avoid in the area where you will be camping. If you have to question the species of tree, avoid that wood. Be certain to only use hardwoods so you aren’t in the wilderness with stomach issues or possibly worse. It can ruin your camping trip completely. There are a few easy guidelines to remember:
· If the tree is shaped like a Christmas Tree, don’t use it for cooking
· If it has any sort of cone, don’t use it for cooking
· If there are vines present, don’t burn it at all (more on this later)
· If the leaves look like needles, don’t use it for cooking
· If there is a sticky sap or resin present, don’t use it for cooking.
· If there a fungus or mold present, don’t use it for cooking
· If the wood is rotten, moist, or very soft, don’t use it for cooking
Some people will use cedar planks to cook salmon, but it isn’t intended to burn the plank while cooking. Those planks are also specially prepared for that purpose to reduce any harmful effects. There are several variations of the species of each of the softwoods noted. See the pictures below for some simple identification of the properties of softwood trees.
Find Those Hardwoods
Most hardwoods are great to use for cooking wood. Some even give a more distinct flavor when cooking. Pecan, cherry, maple, beech, hickory, and oak are all great to cook with, as well as many other hardwoods. Depending on the type of camping you plan on doing, finding woods in the forest can at times be challenging. Don’t settle, find those hardwoods. If you are hiking to a more remote location bringing campfire wood is normally not an option, so scouring the forest floor for suitable firewood is the best option available. IF you need to pack out to a remote location a camping wagon can be a great option. A few characteristics of hardwoods are as follows:
· Most hardwoods have a broadleaf pattern, not needle-like
· Most will produce a fruit or nut
· Most hardwoods are deciduous or lose their leaves in the winter
· The wood is heavier and denser than common softwoods
· Normally firmer and harder bark
There are several variations of each of the species noted, so there will be slight differences in the bark and the leaves. See the leaves and bark pictures to help identify your hardwoods.
Treasure Hunts
In my area, pine trees are overly abundant, so when I’m camping in this area, it’s like a treasure hunt to find decent hardwoods suitable for cooking. Searching the forest floors for hardwoods can be challenging depending on “your neck of the woods”. I can’t reiterate enough, don’t settle for softwoods when cooking, keep searching, odds are that there are suitable hardwoods on the ground waiting for your campfire. Check out this resource to determine the most common hardwoods in your area. Native Plants Finder
Another resource for identifying trees is iNaturalist. This site is large but some browsing may be required to find the desired information. Many common smartphone apps are available to find the exact tree species determined by several criteria such as region, leaf shape, and structure, bark etc. Do your homework as it relates to firewood for cooking and you will have a much more pleasant experience.
Swipe Right with Your Tinder
Often people will use resin dense, sap rich pine to start a fire sometimes called “fatwood” or “rich lighter pine”. This rich lighter pine has more of the ingredients that will cause the issues that can ruin food and maybe worse. This wood is great to use to start your fire, but there are a few things to remember. When using fatwood or rich-lighter pine, be certain that all of that specific wood is burned thoroughly and completely, leaving nothing but ashes. Once all the wood saps and resins are burned thoroughly, there is less of an issue with contaminating your food or yourself. It only takes a few small pieces of this type of wood to start a fire. This is a great time to use the expression, “a little goes a long way”. The less you use, the faster your fire will be ready for food, so only use what is necessary. See the pictures of the rich-lighter or fatwood below:
Tinder can be used also to start fires. Dry leaves, straw, very small twigs, and small sticks can be used to start fires. Many people will use both kindling and tinder in combination to start a fire. After a few tries, you will find what works best for your materials. You will need to ensure the material is dead and is dry. Wet live plant material is more difficult to burn and burns much slower.
Good and Dead
The best woods for your campfire are not going to be freshly fallen or alive. Most woods that look like they have been on the ground for a while are normally your best option. Dryer wood will normally burn better and faster. Wetter woods that have only been on the ground for a short while will be harder to burn and burn slower. Stay away from vine-covered limbs and wood on the ground. Poison ivy and poison oak can cause bigger issues if burned and the smoke inhaled. If you absolutely must use wood that is covered in vines, it’s best to clear the vines without allowing them to touch your skin or clothes. Sometimes the oils from the leaves just left on a surface and later transferred to your skin can cause severe skin irritations. A quick image search online can show you the green plants that can cause you problems. See this information related to Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac. If you have never dealt with the issues they cause, lucky you. If you have dealt with the skin reaction, you understand the need to avoid these plants. When I was young, I burned firewood that was covered in Poison Sumac before I went to sleep one night while camping. The next morning, my eyes were swollen shut, and my throat was so swollen I had difficulty breathing. Although I haven’t had the skin reaction, my lungs and eyes were seriously impacted by these plants. Since that experience, I have taken a large interest in avoiding these plants.