Rant: The one time I tried to cook chili in a cast iron dutch oven on a campfire and nearly burned down the whole forest

Last spring I was out at a site near Mount Rainier. I thought I was a hotshot with my fancy lodge dutch oven. Got the fire going good, put the pot on, added beans and meat. Then I walked away for maybe 5 minutes to grab some wood. Came back and flames were lapping up the sides of the pot. The handle was red hot. I tried to move it with a stick and the whole thing tipped over. Chili everywhere, fire exploded bigger. Took me 20 minutes and a whole water bottle to get it under control. That was the end of that trip. Anyone else have a camp cooking disaster that turned a weekend into a survival lesson?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor_patel5d ago

The trick I learned is to always pile some coals off to the side to cook on rather than putting the pot directly in the flames, @emma_wells83. Once I did that for my chili, the heat stayed steady and nothing caught fire.

emma_wells836d ago

Oh man, your bit about the handle being "red hot" really got me. I did something similar but with a cheap aluminum pot on a little camp stove in a state park. I thought I was being clever cooking up some beans and rice. Left it for a minute to put up the tent and came back to the pot glowing like a light bulb. The bottom literally melted through and dumped everything into the fire. The flames shot up and caught a low hanging branch on fire. I spent the next hour trying to put out a smoldering tree with my water jug and a wet towel. Park ranger showed up and just gave me this long stare like I was a complete idiot. Worst part was the smell of burnt beans hung around my tent for the rest of the trip.

miles_robinson205d ago

My first overnight trip with my then-girlfriend's family I set the whole campsite's firewood pile on fire because I was trying to toast marshmallows with a stick that was way too short. The flames went straight up my arm and I dropped the stick right into the pile. We spent the next hour watching all the wood burn while everyone gave me the silent treatment. I second what @taylor_patel said about using coals off to the side, that's the only way I've ever cooked chili successfully since that disaster. Now I keep a fire extinguisher in my car at all times (learned that one the hard way). At least you can say your campfire story has a happy ending, mine ended with a ruined jacket and a very awkward car ride home with my girlfriend's parents.