Manon Lapierre

Not a recipe. The sound a cold can makes at the exact moment the preparation is finished and the evening turns from work into sitting by the fire.

Fire grilled fish five ways, plus the cast iron trout with bacon and caramelized onions I have eaten for breakfast since childhood.

From-scratch pancake batter cooked in a cast iron pan over the fire, plus the rules that keep pancakes from sticking — and rather more pancake history than you asked for.

Whole vegetables buried straight in the embers, skin on. Which ones work, how long they take, and how to char peppers properly along the way.

Grilled country bread rubbed with garlic and crushed tomato, finished with good olive oil and fleur de sel. Four ingredients, five minutes, made over a wood fire.

A thick bone-in ribeye, coarse salt and a two-hour bed of embers. Which cut to buy, how to build the fire, and the internal temperature never to go past.

You followed every step in Building a Fire, the flames did their thing, and now everyone around your site has a full belly and heavy eyelids. The logs have burned down to a soft orange glow, the conversation has gotten quiet, and you are ready to crawl into your sleeping bag. Here is the part …

Crispy corned beef, potato grated straight into the pan and a fried egg on top. A fifteen-minute cast iron breakfast that works with a tin of beef.

Here’s the truth: how to build a fire is the one skill that decides whether your night by the coals goes well, or ends with you fanning damp smoke into your own eyes for twenty minutes. It isn’t complicated, but it isn’t intuitive either — most people stack too much wood too soon and smother …

Quite simply put, you will not see me cook with any other type of cookware than cast iron. When it comes to cooking over fire — campfire, backyard BBQ, fireplace, wood oven, doesn’t matter — it’s my go-to, and after years of hauling these pans around I have zero interest in switching. 🔥 Why Cast …