Camp oven cooking on coals is the iconic Aussie outdoor experience. Cooking on gas is the modern reliable alternative. Both have their place + understanding when to use which transforms your camp kitchen game.

Here's the practical guide to the camp kitchen — gas vs coals, the temperature trick using barbecue briquettes, and the simple coal-bed setup that lets you cook in comfort without singed eyebrows.

Photo by LUM3N on Unsplash

Your camp oven works on a gas flame, not just over coals. Critical when:

• Rain too heavy to get a fire going
• Total Fire Ban day (no campfires permitted)
• Quick meals where you don't want the 1-hour fire-build delay
• Sites that don't permit campfires (many NPs)

Pros:

• Distributes heat evenly — great for casseroles + simmering
• Easier on the back — set on a table, not the ground
• Quick to start — no coal-bed wait
• Same cleaning rules apply afterwards

Cons:

• No top heat — coals on the camp oven lid create even heat from above; gas can't replicate that
• Less flavour — no smoke contribution
• Less iconic — feels like cooking at home

Cooking on coals is partly trial-and-error, partly technique. The basics:

1. Build the fire FIRST when you arrive at camp. A good coal bed needs at least an hour of fire to burn down. Build it small but well-fed — you don't need a huge fire to cook with.

2. Pre-heat your camp oven (unless a recipe says otherwise). Sit it near the fire for 5-10 minutes, occasionally giving it a turn. Use welder's gloves or a camp oven lifter from this point on. A jack handle works as an improvised lifter.

3. Cook AWAY from the main fire. The biggest beginner mistake. The setup that saves singed eyebrows + maintains control:

• Dig a shallow hole 6 inches wider than the camp oven base + 6 inches deep
• Drop a small shovelful of hot coals + spread them around
• Place camp oven on top + shovel a few coals around the edges
• Add food, lid on, shovel coals on top of lid
• Pull up a chair. Monitor in comfort

This away-from-fire setup gives you complete temperature control + you can adjust as needed without fighting flames.

Photo: Barbara Horn / Unsplash

Coal temperature is the trickiest variable. Real wood coals vary wildly. Barbecue briquettes give consistent, predictable heat — perfect for learning.

Always carry a bag of briquettes — bonus that they work when wood is unavailable or wet.

The "Two For One + Three For All" rule for medium temperature (180°C / standard oven heat):

• Total briquettes = 2x the camp oven diameter (in inches). 10-inch oven = 20 briquettes
• Underneath = diameter MINUS 3. 10-inch = 7 briquettes
• On top of lid = diameter PLUS 3. 10-inch = 13 briquettes

Adjust for temperature:

• Lower temp: remove ⅓ from top + bottom
• Higher temp: add ⅓ to top + bottom

Replace briquettes every 30-40 minutes for cooks longer than that.

Most camp oven recipes are medium temperature. Briquettes are the easiest way to learn until you can judge wood coals visually.

• Try briquettes at home a few times — backyard, weekend afternoon, Dutch oven on the BBQ
• Cook simple things first — a damper, a casserole, a basic stew
• Keep a notebook — what worked, what didn't, briquette counts, cook times
• Build confidence before tackling the more ambitious dishes (roasts, breads, desserts) at camp

Photo: Kailea Buchanan / Unsplash

• Hardwoods produce best coals — red gum, ironbark, jarrah. Burn long + hot
• Avoid pine + softwoods for cooking — burn fast + sparse coals
• Visual judgment: coals should be glowing red with grey ash on top. White ash = too cool, dropping flames = too hot
• Hand test (over the heat, not in the coals) — count seconds until you have to pull away. 2-3 sec = high heat; 4-5 sec = medium; 6-8 sec = low
• Add fresh coals periodically from the main fire — don't let the cooking coals burn out completely
• Layer thinly underneath, more on top — same ratios as briquettes

Once you're confident with temperature, the world of camp oven cooking opens up:

• Slow-cooked meats (cassoulet, beef bourguignon, lamb shanks)
• Roasts (chicken, pork, beef — see our camp oven roast chicken)
• Curries (see our camp oven beef curry)
• Damper + bread (see our pizza base)
• Cobblers + sweet desserts (see our Geneva pudding)
• Pizza (see our pizza recipe)

Camp oven cooking is one of the great Aussie outdoor traditions. Start with briquettes for predictability, learn the away-from-fire setup, build confidence with simple cooks, then graduate to wood coals + ambitious recipes. The aroma of slow-cooking food drifting through camp is one of the genuine pleasures of bush life.

Both gas + coals have their place. Coals when you've got the fire + the time + the wood; gas when you don't. Either way, the camp oven is the most versatile cooking tool you can carry.