Bonfire Burger: Cooking Burgers Over a Campfire

Cooking a juicy hamburger over an open flame makes one of the best burgers in the fall. If you’ve never tried a campfire burger, also called a bonfire burger, you’re missing out. They’re easy to make and full of flavor. And, don’t forget to make s’mores for dessert!  

We love the fall when the nights are crisp and it’s the perfect time to have a campfire. You can cook much more than marshmallows and hotdogs over a campfire. That’s where these campfire burgers come in.

Grilling burgers over an open fire does require some special equipment, but it’s worth it.

Why make a burger over an open flame?

Before diving into the practical steps, let’s talk about why you should try grilling a burger over an open flame, instead of a traditional stovetop or grill. 

1. Unique flavor: The open flame of a campfire gives the bonfire burger a distinct smoky aroma and charred crust that’s hard to replicate. 
2. Better Experience: Cooking and eating a burger under the stars with a crackling bonfire turns a good meal into an unforgettable one. 

Equipment for cooking campfire burgers

In order to cook over an open campfire, you’re going to need some type of grate and/or basket to support the meat. Typically, we use both a grate and a basket because it gives us lots of flexibility. However, many people make burgers with just a grill basket. (Please note these items can be purchased on Amazon fairly inexpensively. Although we really like the basket and grate we use, we aren’t brand specific, so these links are just to get you started.)

• Portable grill basket: The grill basket gives you a large grilling surface to hold the burger on. Be sure to get one with a long handle and a lock so that you can flip the basket and cook both sides of the beef. We have this one.
• Campfire grill grate: This is optional, but we really like ours because it allows us to set the grill basket on something while the beef is cooking. We prefer a swivel grill grate like this.
• Grilling gloves: Cooking over a fire can get hot quickly, especially when you’re flipping a grill basket. You don’t want to grill your hands too! We highly recommend gloves like this.
• Meat Thermometer: The only way to know if beef is fully cooked on the inside is to check it with a meat thermometer. We’ve tried dozens of thermometers, and our favorite is the Thermapen.

Video: Making campfire burgers

Best type of fire for campfire hamburgers

Typically, when people think of burgers they think of grilling them, but cooking over open flames is different. 

When cooking over a campfire, be sure to use hardwoods, such as oak, hard maple or ash.  Soft woods aren’t ideal because they carry resin in the smoke, which will taint the taste of the beef. Be sure there is only wood in the fire, no plastics or trash. 

When it’s time to actually cook the burgers, you’ll need to experiment a little to find your personal preference on cooking the beef.  Some people like to wait until the fire is burned down to coals before they start to cook. We like to cook burgers when there are still some visible flames.  

Best beef for campfire burger

After the fire is going, you can shape your hamburger patties. Don’t overwork the beef — if you do, you’ll have tough burgers. When ready, gently fold the hamburger seasoning into the beef and make the patties. It should only take 30-45 seconds. 

Although it may tempting to use pre-made patties for a campfire, we highly recommend you don’t.  If you want the best burgers, choose ground chuck with a slightly higher fat content, such as 80% lean, and form your own patties.

To make a beef patty that won’t puff up when cooked, use your thumb to create a wide shallow indention in the center of the hamburger patties. Make patties about 1 inch thick at the edges and about 1 inch larger in circumference than the bun you plan to use. 

Best campfire burger seasoning

When we’re cooking at a campfire, we like to keep the seasoning as simple as possible. We only use salt and pepper. However, if you want to be fancy, you can use any seasoning you want.

When we’re using more than salt and pepper, we think this is one of the best hamburger seasonings.

Cooking the campfire burger

When your fire and burgers are ready, place the hamburger patties in the beef basket and place it over a fire.

Depending on the fire, they will need to cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Be sure to use a meat thermometer to determine when the burgers are done, and remove the burgers from the fire when you reach your desired temperature.

• Rare: 120°-125°
• Medium Rare: 130°-135°
• Medium: 140°-145°
• Medium Well: 150°-155°
• Well Done: 160°-165°

Bonfire burger toppings

The sky is the limit on burger toppings. Typically, we like to keep things simple since that’s what bonfires are all about. Our go-to toppings are a traditional bun, and top burgers with lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles, American cheeses, and either mustard or ketchup. If you’re feeling fancy, you can pull out whatever toppings you like on your burger such as, bacon, avocado, spinach, aged cheddar, blue cheese, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and/or BBQ Sauce. 

Products we use making campfire burgers

• Meat Thermometer
• Portable Grill Basket
• Grilling Grate
• Grill Gloves

One more thing

Do you want to learn more about beef? Join our weekly e-newsletter where we share farm happenings, recipes and beef availability. Sign-up and get a cheat sheet with 9-must-ask questions before buying beef directly from a farmer. Or, we have an entire ebook about beef that goes through purchasing and preparing beef from a cattle farmers perspective.

• What everybody ought to know about beef cuts
• Buying a Cow. How Much Beef Is It?
• Is It Done Yet? The Best Meat Thermometer
• How We Raise Our Grass Fed Beef

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