Bon-fire Cooking System - The Mobile Bonfire!

My New Toy!!

In June I finally got around to spending some money I had been given for my birthday the previous November by my very generous in-laws and my sister-in-law who lives in Jakarta and has no time for shopping but always sends much more money than she should to make up for it!

I nearly spent the money in February on a wood fired camping stove but, for a variety of reasons, decided against it at the last minute. Since then I have pondered other options.

I should say, at this point, that my desire to acquire camping stoves, BBQ's and other food-related paraphernalia is something of a standing joke in our house. My husband doesn't appreciate why we need so many cooking options but then I don't fully understand why he needs so many golf clubs!

We have been finding an increasing number of campsites that allow either campfires or firepits in recent years and, whenever we could, we have taken advantage of this and very much enjoyed the social experience of sitting around a fire and also the 'back to basics' element of cooking over one.

So, I decided it would be nice to have a firepit of our own to play with. A quick Google search reveals that there are very many different types of firepit available to purchase online. Many are intended to be used at home but a few are portable enough to be considered by campers.

I knew I wanted a portable firepit that I could use with a grill on top as a BBQ and I also wanted to be able to use it with a tripod from which I could hang a cooking pot and a kettle. I wanted something well made so that it would last many years but it was very important that the whole lot was easy to transport.

After doing my research, reading lots of reviews and talking to one or two owners, I settled on the Danish made Bon-fire Cooking Set. There are various UK suppliers who offer different combinations of parts at various prices so, if you are interested, it is important to think carefully about what accessories you might want and then shop around for the best deal available.

I bought a raised firepit, a 175cm tripod with hanging chains and grill, a solid hanging 'frying pan' for cooking smaller items that might slip through a grill or for frying something like an egg, a 6 litre cooking pot that hangs from the tripod and, finally, a kettle that can either be hung from the tripod or placed directly onto the grill.

So, what are the advantages of the Bon-fire cooking system:-

• It is really solid and well made
• The tripod breaks down into shorter lengths to make storage easier
• The various parts mean you can build a set, over time if you prefer, that will meet your specific needs. You don't have to buy something you don't want simply because it forms part of a set.
• It is really fun and sociable to use - far more so than a gas stove! You never see campers sitting around their Campingaz stove, strumming a guitar and singing songs!
• The different accessories make it a very versatile cooking set - you can fry, grill, make curries and casseroles and even boil water. You can even buy a popcorn accessory!
• The height of the grill, cooking pot and kettle above the flames can be adjusted by lengthening or shortening the chains, giving greater control over cooking temperatures.
• The tripod can be used independently (i.e without the firepit) over a campfire if preferred.
• Most campsites (even those that do not allow campfires) are happy for you to use a raised firepit because they do not cause any damage to the grass and the fire is contained.
• Protective covers/carry bags can be bought separately for most of the pieces.

And the disadvantages:-

• It isn't cheap but it will last.
• The raised firepit is a perfect height for cooking but the legs are fiddly to fit. Some sort of integrated, folding leg would be an improvement.
• It is fairly large - definitely not for backpackers!
• The manufacturers do not make a carry bag for the 175cm tripod, only for the 140cm tripod. Had I realised this I may well have gone for the smaller one because a carry bag would be very useful. I have emailed the Danish owners to ask about this and they replied very promptly, in perfect English, that they would look into it - so I am keeping my fingers crossed!

I am delighted with my set and I am looking forward to using it more and getting better at controlling the fire and the temperature. There is no doubt that, just like cooking on a charcoal BBQ, it is a skill that takes practice to learn. That having been said I managed to cook a whole piece of sirloin of beef on my first attempt and it was delicious! The important thing is to be aware of the heat and move things around if they are cooking too fast. It is also a good idea to have a hotter part and a cooler part of the fire. This is easily achieved by having more or less charcoal or wood in one area of the firepit. That way you can give a piece of meat an initial sear over high temperature before moving it to the side where it is cooler to finish cooking more slowly.

As with all open fires, it goes without saying that you should keep children and animals away from them and always keep a bucket of water close by just in case. The very first time we used ours we were all sitting around the roaring fire, the stars were twinkling above us and we were sipping hot chocolate and thinking that life doesn't get any better than this when we became aware of a truly unpleasant smell. In the darkness, the chubby brown spaniel had crept under the firepit which was just the right height above the ground for her! She was apparently oblivious to the smell of singed fur but the rest of us were not! You have been warned...!