How to make the perfect fire for outdoor cooking – Justin Bonello’s tips

Posted on 7 September 2010

In the great outdoors, most of your cooking’s going to be on a fire (or it should be). Here are a couple of pointers:

Never cook anything on briquettes or compressed charcoal. They may be fine for an English barbie or what Americans call a barbecue, but that’s about it. Fake wood just doesn’t seem to add the same fl avour as the real deal. So wherever you can, always use the real thing. Just be careful not to use any wood from trees with poisonous sap like Tamboti trees (Spirostachys africana) – unless you want to poison your friends. I try to use rooikrantz, which makes a superb fire, or wood from fruit trees like apple wood or orange wood, as the smoke subtly flavours the food you’re cooking.

Timing and temperature
There are no rules for measuring the temperature of a fire; it comes with practice. For example, when I’m making a spit, I know the temperature is right when I can hold my hand 35 to 40 centimetres above the fire for about five seconds. But everyone’s pain threshold is different, so it’s not an exact science. In time, you’ll become a master of the fi re and develop a thermometer in your hand – just try not to get blistered palms in the process. Timing is tricky, but I think you’ll get the gist in my recipes.

Last pointer: Remember to take environmental factors, such as wind, into account. If the wind is blowing between your coals and the meat, you lose huge amounts of heat. Adjust according to the variables; practice makes perfect.

Tip: With slow-cooking meals – such as a spit, roast or potjie – have two fires going: one to cook on and another as a source of coals so you can adjust your cooking fire’s temperature.

For more recipes and outdoor cooking ideas, read Justin Bonello’s Cooked in Africa: A cooking journey through Southern Africa.

Buy the book now

Cooked in Africa: A Cooking Journey Through Southern Africa





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