Campfire Pizza - Our Cabin On Wheels

One of the joys of camping is having a campfire after the sun sets. And one of the joys of a campfire is cooking over the open flames. We love cooking. And eating. And pizza.

So we decided to try making campfire pizza. We got some tips from a few books Vic picked up (The Camp Dutch Oven Cookbook, by Robin Donovan and books and The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook, and rest was trial and experimentation. I won’t say “error” because when you’re putting all of the ingredients of pizza together, it will nearly always be tasty.

I’m focusing on the technique here. Everybody has their favorite sauces and toppings, and you can pick up pre-made pizza dough at a lot of grocery stores.

Equipment

Cast iron Dutch oven or skillet (not enameled)
Cast iron Dutch oven lid — the kind with a rim along the edges. This will help get a good bake on the top
Dutch oven lid lifter/holder (like this one)
Cooking grate
Long handled tongs
Spatula
Charcoal or Firewood

Ingredients

Dough
Sauce
Cheese
Your choice of toppings

Directions

At least an hour before baking time, start your fire in the fire ring. Build it so that the coals will be concentrated under the cooking grate, and position the grate about six inches over the fire. If your campsite doesn’t have a grate, purchase one that’s sturdy enough to support the weight of a heavy Dutch oven.

We use a combination of firewood and charcoal briquets. When the fire is going good and glowing red, set your Dutch oven or skillet with the lid on top on the grate. Add 6-8 charcoal briquets to the lid. Heat it up for 15 or 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your ingredients. Shape the dough to fit the dimensions of your Dutch oven or skillet. Slice or chop your vegetables and meats. Shred the cheese (or open the bag of shredded cheese). Bring everything out to the fire on large cutting board.

When the Dutch oven or skillet is hot, remove the lid (carefully) and set it on the lid lifter. Brush some olive oil in the pan, then (carefully) place the dough in the pan. Follow with sauce, cheese and toppings. Replace the lid and use the tongs to place 8-10 hot charcoal briquets on top of the lid. You may need to add more as you bake to keep the heat high on top.

Bake for five to eight minutes. Or more. It depends on your fire and how crispy you like your pizza. Continue baking until the crust is brown and the cheese is bubbly.

Remove the pizza from the pan, with a spatula or tongs, and repeat steps for a second pizza (we always have a second pizza). Slice and enjoy first pizza while second is baking.

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