Perfect Pan-Fried Campfire Steak


It is always a good idea to keep a few steaks in your camping fridge. If you have that luxury why not prepare your perfect pan-fried campfire steak while you are camping. Before your trip make sure to choose the right steak for you.
We had this opportunity at Elim Beach while returning from our Cape York trip. To be more precise, the last three days we spend and Laura Dance Festival, but that’s a different story.
Make sure you start your fire early as preparing veggies takes some time.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Campfire
Cooking Equipment
Dutch Oven – suitable for most campfire meals
Cast Iron Frying Pan – useful for any meal preparation
Campfire Cooking Gloves – to keep your hands safe
Cook time: veggies – 30 minutes; steak – see cooking time below
Servings: 4
How to cook perfect pan-fried steak:
How it looks | How it Feels | Cooking Time | |
---|---|---|---|
Rare | the centre is red & shiny | very soft to touch | ~ 2.5 to 3 minutes per side |
Medium-Rare | the centre is red to pink | soft to touch | ~ 3.5 minutes per side |
Medium | light pink in the middle | in between soft and firm | ~ 4.5 minutes per side |
Medium-Well done | light pink with grey colour on the edges | firm | ~ 5.5 to 6 minutes per side |
Well Done | grey, no more pink colour | firm | ~ 7 minutes per side |
Pan-Fried Campfire Steak Ingredients
Veggies:
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 1/4 pumpkin
- 1 potato
- salt
- olive oil
Steak:
- 2 beef steaks
- salt & pepper
- olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
Instructions
- Start with veggies as they need more time to cook.


2. Peel onion, carrots and pumpkin. Cut them into smaller pieces and sprinkle veggies with olive oil and salt. Insert everything into the Dutch oven.


3. Once all veggies are inside cover the Dutch oven with the lid.


4. Place the Dutch oven on the hot charcoals. Use a shovel to distribute the charcoal around the Dutch oven and also put some on the lid.


5. The best steaks are between one and one-and-a-half inches thick. Meat should be room temperature and patted dry before cooking. Season the steaks generously on both sides with salt and pepper.


6. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, warm up the oil. Once the oil starts to smoke a bit, add meat and fry it for the desired amount of time as per the table above. Cast iron pans are excellent when it comes to cooking steak. It’s incredible because iron, once heated through, stays heated through. And, its dense nature means it won’t just stay hot, it will also heat evenly.
The steak should sizzle straight away. At this time don’t touch the meat, let it fry undisturbed. This should allow a crust to build up and all the juices to stay inside.
7. Next, flip the meat. During the last minute of frying, add one tablespoon of butter and start to ‘wash’ the meat with the melted butter.


8. Once the meat is ready move it from the frying pan to a cutting board and cover it with aluminium foil for around 5 minutes to let the steak rest. If you start cutting the meat without rest all juices will escape. Then slice meat against the grain.


9. Serve the campfire steak with veggies and enjoy its amazing reach taste. We also like to bake pumpkin bread and eat it with steak. This is really delicious combination!
Have you tried this recipe? What is your secret to making a perfect campfire steak? Please drop a comment below.


Get Our Secret Family Recipe
Subscribe and receive our FREE recipe for Strawberry Braided Bread that is passed down in our family from generation to generation.
Enjoy outdoor cooking with Tentworld equipment
Read more from our cooking guides
Are you new to bush cooking? – Read our ultimate bush cooking guide