Updated : 18 August, 2026
There is something about camp oven cooking over flames that a kitchen will never match. Try it on your next camping trip!The smell, the slow pace, everyone gathered around waiting for the lid to come off the camp oven. Whether you are out bush or just out the back on a winter weekend, your fire pit is one of the best cooking tools you own.
This is our growing collection of camp oven recipes, built for Australian backyards and campsites. Dampers, warming meals, roasts, one pot meals, pizza, and desserts, all cooked over embers. Bookmark this page, because we add to it regularly.
Getting set up
You do not need much to cook well over flames, but a few bits of gear make life easier:
- A cast iron camp oven. The workhorse. Cast iron holds heat evenly and cooks low and slow beautifully. A 12 inch oven suits most families, and a cast iron dutch oven only gets better with proper care, so seasoning is crucial for performance. Sometimes called a dutch oven.
- A cooking tripod. Lets you hang the camp oven or a pot over the flames and adjust the height. Great for stews and boiling the billy.
- A grill plate. For snags, steaks, burgers, and anything you want straight over the coals.
- Heavy gloves and a lid lifter. Cast iron and embers get seriously hot. Protect your hands.
- A long handled shovel or tongs. For moving embers around, which is most of the skill in fire cooking.
- A metal trivet or foil. Lifts food off the base to prevent burning and stops delicate food from touching the hot surface.
Our guide to the top handy fire pit accessories) covers the full kit if you want to build it out.
Clean your camp oven without soap, then wipe on a light coat of oil after cleaning to protect the finish. You can also use a paper towel to gauge the temp inside the oven.
Temperature control basics
The single biggest thing to learn is this: you cook on coals, not flames.
Let your fire burn down until you have a good bed of glowing embers. Flames are unpredictable and will scorch the outside of your food while leaving the inside raw. Embers give you steady, controllable heat. Rotate the base and lid every 10 to 15 minutes to help keep that temperature even.
For camp oven cooking, the trick is heat top and bottom. Put a layer of red embers underneath the oven, then shovel some onto the lid as well. More embers on top for baking, more underneath for stews and roasts. Once you get a feel for it, you can hold a camp oven at a steady temperature for hours.
We will be publishing a full guide to ember and heat control soon. For now, the golden rule holds: be patient, wait for the embers and you are most of the way there.
The recipes
Dampers and breads
Nothing beats fresh damper straight from the coals, slathered in butter and golden syrup. It is the classic Aussie campfire bake, simple enough for the kids to get involved, and endlessly adaptable for sweet or savoury.
Recipes coming soon. In the meantime, our fire pit cooking guide) has a cracking damper recipe to get you started.
Roasts
A camp oven roast is a thing of beauty. Crispy skin lamb with rosemary and garlic, or a slow beef roast that falls apart on the fork. Steady heat and a bit of patience is all it takes, and the result will have everyone hovering around the flames.
Camp oven roast lamb recipe coming soon.
One pot meals and stews in a cast iron camp oven
The camp oven (or dutch oven)was made for this. Hearty stews (with crusty bread), curries, and one pot dinners that feed a crowd with minimal fuss and barely any washing up. Brown your meat, throw everything in, set it over the coals, and let it do its thing until it’s fall apart tender.
The camp oven was made for one pot comfort food, the kind of slow cook dinner that feeds the whole family with barely any washing up. Brown off your chicken thighs or pork, or a few rounds of andouille sausage, then add your veggies and aromatics: garlic, a handful of herbs, sliced bell pepper, and chunky potatoes. A splash of red wine lifts a rich stew, while a tin or two of canned beans bulks it out and keeps everyone full. Give it all a good mix, set the camp oven over a steady bed of coals, and let it do its thing low and slow while you sit back by the flames.
Finish with a scatter of cheese melted under the lid, and if you are feeling keen, a quick damper dough baked alongside to mop up every last bit. The result is a delicious, hearty meal that tastes like it took far more effort than it did.
Garlic prawns on the coals
Seafood and fire were made for each other. Toss prawns with garlic, butter and a squeeze of lemon, throw them in a cast iron pan over the coals, and they are done in minutes. It is quick, it looks impressive, and it is perfect for a summer evening by the pit before the main event.
Campfire Nachos
Campfire nachos are the perfect crowd pleaser as the cooler nights roll in. Set your camp oven or a heavy pot over a bed of hot coals and build the dish in layers: corn chips, a good scatter of cheese, then a hearty mince or bean mix you have let simmer for a few hours with onions and tomatoes to perfection. A spoonful of rice and a handful of extra vegetables stretch it even further if you are feeding a hungry group after a day of outdoor adventures. Pop the lid on and let the coals work their magic for a few minutes until everything is melted and bubbling. Serve straight from the pot, and watch the server become the most popular person around the fire. It takes barely any effort to create, which leaves you free to enjoy the evening.
Fire pit pizza
You do not need a pizza oven. Crisp, smoky, blistered pizza is absolutely achievable straight on your fire pit, and it is easier than people think. The smoke does half the flavouring for you.
Read the full guide: Fire pit pizza, how to cook the perfect pizza over coals.](https://www.maxfirepits.com.au/blog/fire-pit-pizza/)](LINK 3).)*
Campfire desserts
Do not stop at dinner. Camp oven apple crumble, gooey lemon mug cakes, bananas stuffed with chocolate and wrapped in foil, or just marshmallows on a stick. Dessert over the flames is half the fun.
Campfire dessert recipes coming soon.
Snags and the grill plate
Sometimes you do not need to overthink it. A grill plate over the coals turns out snags, steaks, burgers and skewers with a smoky char you will never get from the kitchen. It is the easiest way to feed a hungry group, and the kids can get involved too. Get the coals right, keep the plate hot, and you are away.
Camp oven curry recipe
A camp oven curry is one of the best things you can cook over coals. Brown your meat, build your spice base, then let it simmer away low and slow while the flavours deepen. Beef, chicken or a hearty vegetable curry all work a treat, and it feeds a crowd from a single pot. Serve it up with rice and a warm damper to mop the bowl clean.
Bacon and eggs taste better outdoors, and there is no rush. Big cooked breakfasts on the grill plate, or a pot of porridge bubbling away while the billy boils for a cuppa.
Chocolate self-saucing pudding
For a proper crowd pleaser, a camp oven chocolate self-saucing pudding is hard to beat. Warm, gooey and rich, with its own sauce forming underneath as it bakes. Set it over gentle coals with a few on the lid, and by the time you have cleared the dinner plates, dessert is ready. Best served straight from the oven while it is still molten.
Fire pit breakfast ideas coming soon.
A quick word on safety and regulations
Before you cook over fire, always check for total fire bans and your local council rules. Most of Australia allows recreational and cooking fires in a contained fire pit using dry seasoned wood, but the details vary by state and council, and bans are strictly enforced over summer. Our guides on when you can use a fire pit) and whether you can have one in your backyard) walk through the rules state by state.
Frequently asked questions
What can you cook in a camp oven?
Almost anything. Roasts, stews, curries, casseroles, bread and damper, pizza, even cakes and crumbles. Cast iron holds heat evenly, which makes a camp oven one of the most versatile cooking tools you can own outdoors.
Can you use a camp oven on a fire pit?
Yes. A fire pit is ideal. Let the flames burn down to coals, set the camp oven over a bed of coals, and put more coals on the lid for even heat. Keep the oven away from open flames and cook on the coals.
How many coals do I need for a camp oven?
As a rough guide for a 12 inch camp oven at a moderate temperature, around 10 coals underneath and 13 on the lid gets you close to a steady baking heat. Adjust from there based on how your fire is running.
What is the best camp oven for beginners?
A 12 inch cast iron camp oven is the most versatile starting point. It is big enough for a family meal but still easy to handle, and it suits almost every recipe on this page.
Cooking over fire starts with a fire pit built for the job. Take a look at our portable fire pits), perfect for the backyard and the campsite, all 100 percent Australian made.
