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10 Lessons learned - #2 Fire is your friend (Read 7715 times)
mastertangler
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Lessons learned - #2 Fire is your friend
Sep 18th, 2013 at 11:51am
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Lesson #2 Fire is your friend

I admit that I have never thought to much of cooking over a fire. The time or two that I did I melted the rubber coating on the handle to my frypan which aggravated me. Besides, a stove is quick and easy.

But, the rapidness of throwing fish in foil, adding some squeeze parkay and some spices and flopping it on a grill were nothing short of astonishing. Bada-bing! Instant dinner with no fuss or mess.

*Gloves are a must
*paper towels used to clean leftover grease residue from a frypan can then be used to clean the soot from the bottom of your pan
*A thin square frypan is ideal for frying fish over a fire
*fire can be used quite effectively to burn any leftover grease.......and hey might as well get rid of any garbage. Just make sure the fire is hot.
*Use cheap thin foil as opposed to heavy duty foil as it is easier to burn.
*how about some hot water for washing up?
*you will need a grill IMO to make the best overall use of the flames.

I know this is old hat for most of you......but I come from a backpacking background and have almost always cooked off a stove. So other than burning garbage and maybe a night fire during shoulder seasons I have never done much cooking over a fire.
« Last Edit: Sep 20th, 2013 at 5:13pm by db »  
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Jim J Solo
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Re: Lessons learned
Reply #1 - Sep 18th, 2013 at 2:38pm
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Look into some fire-pit pipes as an option instead of a grill. Slightly heavier but easier to carry and cover. Use an old tent pole bag to pack them in to keep the soot off your other equipment. Strap them to a thwart in the boat.

You lay them across the rocks so you can set your pots on them. Usually in a slight V shape to have a narrow side for smaller pots. To me they seem to be easier to setup in a fire-pit.

They seem to be the tradition in the Themagami region, where in the Q it's mostly been oven racks.
  
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mastertangler
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Re: Lessons learned
Reply #2 - Sep 18th, 2013 at 7:16pm
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Hey Jim J Solo.......

I picked up a Purcell Trench grill a few years back because of this forum (of course I did). I have yet to put it to use.........now I can't wait.

Concerning the rods Jim Solo talks about.......could you elaborate? What are "fire pit pipes".

Additionally I ordered some titanium rods from Purcell trench as they seemed like they could be useful to help adapt the grill to a variety of situations.

Purcell Trench has been talked about before......I think db may use one. Anyway, they seem pretty slick and now I will be able to employ one.

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Solus
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Re: Lessons learned
Reply #3 - Sep 18th, 2013 at 8:31pm
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Just got back from a trip with my brother. On the first day, paddling the length of Isabella I considered stopping at the portage for coffee and as soon as it passed through my mind I realized that I had packed fuel but not a stove (my brother had arrived as I was gathering the cooking gear).

We were out for five days, four of which  had rain, two long steady soakers. We cooked over small stick and twig fires, mostly gathered from around the fire pits- scarcely noticed the missing stove, if anything cooking was quicker. The days of long rain required bigger fires to keep up with the need to dry fuel as we cooked.

The Purcell Trench grill is a great piece of gear MT.
  
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solotripper
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Re: Lessons learned
Reply #4 - Sep 18th, 2013 at 9:43pm
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I have old backpacking grill that looks just like that Purcell, except it telescopes in length.
It's packed way but if I remember correctly its about 16" stowed and about 24" extended.
It's high grade stainless and is great for the fish in foil over a fire.
I lost the tag off of the storage sack so I have no clue who made/makes it.
A "grate" idea, pun intended. Grin
  
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solotripper
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Re: Lessons learned
Reply #5 - Sep 18th, 2013 at 9:58pm
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Quote:
Concerning the rods Jim Solo talks about.......could you elaborate? What are "fire pit pipes".


My Dad and Granddad called them "Hobo Irons", but there basically just makeshift pot/pan holders made from old black iron pipe or even angle iron.

You take two of them whatever length you have for fire ring size and lay them across the fire pit.
You lay them side by side at one end and spread them out in an ever widening V to accommodate different sizes of pots/pans.
Old timers/Native people would just leave a set at long established campsites rather than haul them around.
You could buy some hi-tensile stainless tubing, say the length of a canoes thwarts and use an old tent pole bag and some Bungee Bobs' to attach.

If you wanted to get all McGyver, you could get two different sizes of tubing and make telescoping ones like my fire pit grate.
Maybe a short length of chain/thin cable on one end to keep them as a unit.
Old school grate for the ultimate old school cooking method. Wink
  
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Jim J Solo
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Re: Lessons learned
Reply #6 - Sep 19th, 2013 at 5:02pm
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S_T covered the fire-pit pipes/Hobo Irons. I used them as an option from the oven racks. Which were big and awkward to carry and keep soot off everything else. I followed the example of the guys I started with, who cooked over big fire pits with big fires. Not the best way.

Your Purcell grate should do nice.
  
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db
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Re: Lessons learned - #2 Fire is your friend
Reply #7 - Sep 20th, 2013 at 5:31pm
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Cooking over a fire is an essential part of camping for me plus it's just easier for actual cooking. (My Purcell is great but I wish I had the one with the slats closer together every time I have steak. No biggy. The one I have is probably lighter)

The stove is for really nasty weather (and maybe pancakes after the bacon is gone) but I often use if for freeze dried meals because I'll simmer 'em for a few minutes in a civilized camping bowl (pot). Burning off some gas also lightens the load.

What do folks do with bacon grease, greasy leftover breading and such when only using a stove? When baking fish in foil I just burn off the grease and fold it up. Foil will burn but it leaves a lot of half burnt bits I'll normally pack out so folding the whole chunk is easier for me.
  
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jaximus
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Re: Lessons learned - #2 Fire is your friend
Reply #8 - Sep 21st, 2013 at 7:10am
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we bring a grill for over the fire, its 12" x 24" and i strap it up under the seat for portages. half the grate has a pretty tight mesh on the grill and the other half is more widely spaced. it has wire legs that fold down (i dont really use them and should probably just remove them).

contrary to MT, i like the heavy duty foil. it tears less, and therefore i feel i use less. i get the extra big roll (i think its 18" wide) and it makes foil cooking lake trout a breeze. early week foil gets thrown in the fire and burns by the end and mid/end week foil gets packed out.

we also bring a small propane 1 burner stove for fish frys (easier to control temp and not burn oil) and if there is a fire ban/high winds.
  
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Jim J Solo
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Re: Lessons learned - #2 Fire is your friend
Reply #9 - Oct 3rd, 2013 at 5:02pm
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Question,
I did the foil cooked fish in the fire this year.

The question is,
Does anyone leave the skin on without scaling?

We had a friend along from Houston that said that's how they do salt water fish and the skin just comes off after it's cooked. No scales in the meat either. We had some smallies. I've done it with lakers, but never walleye, pike, or smallies.
  
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