One of the basics you have to learn when you are starting with over the fire cooking is to start a campfire.
It does not matter if you are cooking on the campground or your firepit in your backyard,
Although many people struggle with this it is not that hard to do when you follow the right steps.
You can not start a campfire with wood that is too large.
You will have more success when you start with smaller pieces also called kindling or tinder.
Starting with thin pieces of wood and slowly adding thicker pieces is the best way to build a successful campfire.
Campfire Starting Video
A video on how to successfully start a campfire is probably an easy way to show the steps.
If you are not sure if you build your campfire the right way you can read my how to build a campfire article first.
My Way Of Starting A Campfire
1: Start with some crumbled-up newspaper at the bottom of my firepit
2: Add some small pieces of wood the size of a pencil.
3: Add some thicker pieces the size of a broomstick.
4: Add thicker pieces.
5: Start to Fire up the newspaper
These are the steps I take every time when I start a campfire in my firepit. This also works on the campground or while you are hiking.
More Things To Take Into Consideration
I might be lucky that I always have dried wood available but you might not have that all the time.
Try to store your wood where it can’t get very wet and the wind should dry it for you.
There are many under us that love to go camping and cook on the grill or even cook on a campfire with cast iron or other camping gear.
This method can be used for that also if you can find some dry wood.
How To Start A Campfire – My Exeperience
In my opinion, starting a campfire takes time, and sometimes people are in a hurry to do this and that does not work.
Many nights in the summertime we build a fire in the firepit in the backyard and just sit and relax there.
Starting with the right amount of kindling and building up the fire slowly is the most important thing to keep in mind.
If you are building campfires on a regular basis the best thing to do is have your wood stored in a way that it can dry over a period of time.
You’ll be surprised how long it takes for split wood to dry evenly.
I try to order a rick or firewood a year ahead and let is sit under a small roof next to my shed to dry as long as possible.
Some of the blocks I split into smaller pieces to let them dry faster and to be able to split them into kindling wood.
Eddie van Aken
Eddie van Aken has years of experience in running his full-service restaurant and with this came working with using and dealing with all types of kitchen equipment. With his experience, he can find all the pros and cons of grills and add them to the grill reviews he is doing. You can read more on the about page for Eddie van Aken