Wilderness Hearth Cooking & Outdoor Firecraft

Fire lays, coal maths and cast iron — cooking properly in the backcountry rather than boiling something in a bag.

Booking now
Each session4 hr a session
How oftenOnce a week
Cohort8–10 per cohort
SeasonNovember – April · desert sand in July is not a product

What you leave with

A four-course hearth dinner cooked by the cohort, under the stars

Gourmet cooking over open fires and hot coals in remote country. Fire building in bad weather, dutch oven bread, cast iron searing and pit roasting.

Coal management is the actual skill and almost nobody has it. Before long you are counting coals top and bottom to hold a dutch oven at 425°F in the dirt.

What makes this one worth it

  • Fire Lays, Tinders & Coal Bed Management
  • Cast Iron Seasoning, Heat Zones & Skillet Searing
  • Camp Dutch Oven Baking & Coal Math
  • Clay Baking, Spit Roasting & Backcountry Feast

What is included

  • All 4 sessions of the 4-week cohort — 16 hours of instruction
  • A place held for you for the whole run, in a cohort of 8–10
  • Every piece of equipment listed below, provided on the day
  • Your instructor, and their attention in a group this size

What to bring

  • Water, and something to eat if you want it
  • Nothing else — the kit is provided

How it runs

Once a week · 4 hr a session

Frequency
1x / week — 4 hours a session
Session length
4 hr
Each month
4 sessions, about 16 hours
Cohort size
8 – 10 participants
Where
Designated wilderness fire pit / canyon basecamp
Level
Beginner to Intermediate
Commitment
Monthly — stay as long as it is worth it

What you cover, in rotation

The group works through these in order and then begins again on fresh ground. Join at whatever stage it is on — nothing here assumes you were there for the last one, and nothing runs out — or drop in for a single session if that is all you can manage.

  1. Stage 1Fire Lays, Tinders & Coal Bed Management
    • Firewood selection — oak and mesquite against softwoods — and heat output.
    • Tinder harvesting, feather sticks, and ferrocerium rod fire starting.
    • Tepee and log cabin lays that produce an even cooking coal bed.
  2. Stage 2Cast Iron Seasoning, Heat Zones & Skillet Searing
    • Thermal zoning: direct flame against radiant coal zones.
    • Searing grass-fed steaks, charred vegetables and blistered flatbreads.
    • Field cleaning and seasoning cast iron without soap.
  3. Stage 3Camp Dutch Oven Baking & Coal Math
    • Coal distribution formulas for baking at 350°F and 425°F in cast iron.
    • Camp sourdough loaves, berry cobblers and savoury pot pies in the dirt.
    • Managing wind and ambient temperature drops.
  4. Stage 4Clay Baking, Spit Roasting & Backcountry Feast
    • Wrapping proteins in clay and wild leaves for underground pit roasting.
    • Impromptu tripod building with greenwood poles.
    • A communal four-course hearth dinner under the stars.

4 sessions in the cycle, then it begins again on new ground.

Who leads it, and what is provided

Led by Wilderness guide and open-fire chef.

Fire safety, coal management, and culinary instruction.

On the table when you arrive

  • Cast iron dutch ovens and tripods
  • Fire irons
  • Heat-resistant leather gloves
  • Cutting boards
  • Organic ingredients

Before you book

Know before you go

  • Sessions run at a designated fire ring and are cancelled outright on a red flag warning

Cancellations and refunds follow our cancellation policy, which is the same for every activity on this site.

When it runs

August 2026

M
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Runs Not running

Sunday 9 August

  • 10amup to 10 guests

Usually runs Sundays.

This is the operator’s schedule, not live seat availability. We check the date with them and come back to you — nothing is booked or paid for here.

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