How to Cook a Turkey Over a Campfire

It might be time to head out into nature and experience feasting in the outdoors, away from football blaring on the TV and the cleanup of a massive meal. Here's how to cook a delicious turkey over a campfire.

woman sitting next to tent and campfire

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The winter holidays may mean frenzied airports and roads choked with traffic, but despite the travel frenzy, the holidays throughout this season are food-favorites for many of us at OA. What’s better than connecting with family and friends while eating amazing food that warms the soul?

If you’ve had plenty of traditional holiday meals, it might be time to head out into nature and experience feasting in the outdoors, away from football blaring on the TV and the cleanup of a massive meal. Holiday feasting and camping truly are a spectacular combination. If you do a little preparation and cooking before you leave town, you may just experience the best meal you’ve ever had. Eating gourmet food outdoors always tastes infinitely better than in a normal setting—there’s no scientific proof… but campers far and wide can attest to this phenomenon.

mountains with fog, and wandering stream
Cooking in the great outdoors allows you to reconnect with nature, rest, relax and rejuvenate. 

Cooking Outdoors is About Flow and Flexibility

Before you gather up your camping supplies and ingredients, remember that cooking outdoors is about flow and flexibility. You won’t have the same control as you do in your kitchen, but that’s ok, because cooking outside is about being in the moment and making adjustments when necessary. The below recipe is a guide. Cooking times may need to be adjusted depending on how consistently the campfire holds heat.

campfire pit with grill and wood
Cooking over a campfire can be just as rewarding as cooking a big meal at home. 

Kitchen Essentials for Campfire Cooking

Tip: Pack all of your kitchen supplies in one large container.

Here’s How to Cook Your Turkey Over a Campfire

45 min. Prep
2 hr Cook
2 hr 45 min. Total
6 Servings

Ingredients

Turkey Ingredients

Marinade Ingredients

Gravy Ingredients:

Preparation

Prepare the Marinade:

Prepare the marinade at home, before you leave. Roughly chop the garlic and herbs. Whisk olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic and a half of lemon together. Place the turkey pieces in large reusable bags (we’re loving Xtrema’s new silicone reusable food storage bags), generously douse it in the marinade and let it sit overnight.

Cooking Turkey Over the Fire:

First things first, use your wipeable outdoor tablecloth to cover the dirty campsite picnic table for your feast. We love the LITOCLOTH. Note: Do NOT put the hot turkey pan on the tablecloth as the heat will damage it—be sure to sit the hot pan on a cutting board, or on the picnic table’s wooden bench. 

Start the campfire. It usually takes at least about 20 to 30 minutes to get the fire ready. In the meantime, place the marinated turkey into a large aluminum pan or roasting pan like Demeyere’s stainless steel roasting pan (it comes in a 12.5” or 15.5”). Pour the marinade into the pan along with the turkey. Place one inch chunks of butter and the fresh herbs from the marinade underneath the skin of each turkey part. Generously salt and pepper the turkey and sprinkle garlic powder all over it. Turkey requires a lot of seasoning to make it taste flavorful, so don’t hold back. Add ½ cup of chopped celery, ½ cup of chopped carrots, and ¼ cup of chopped onion to the bottom of the pan. Fill the pan with one inch of water. Cover with foil.

Place the pan on top of the firepit grill or balance on rocks so the pan is not sitting directly on the fire. Some flames beneath the pan are okay, but you will have to carefully keep an eye on the turkey to make sure the water doesn’t evaporate. The fire temperature should keep the water in the pan at a consistent simmer. One trick is to keep hot embers beneath the pan while the wood burns hotter on the other side of the fire circle. That way you can move hot embers beneath the pan as needed to help regulate the temperature.

Add water as needed, keeping one inch of liquid in the pan at all times. Baste the turkey with the pan juices every 30 minutes. Remove the foil lid for the last 20 or 30 minutes of cooking. Check the dark meat temperature.

At about the two hour mark, the water and juices in the pan should reduce to about ½ inch once the turkey is cooked. Use these juices for the gravy (instructions in next section).

Add more water to the pan to continue to cook the turkey until it reaches 165 degrees. If the white meat hits 165 degrees before dark meat, remove it from the pan and let it rest so it doesn’t dry out while you wait for the dark meat to hit 165 degrees. Once the dark meat is 165 degrees, remove the pan from the fire and let the turkey rest for 10 minutes.

The Gravy:

While the turkey cooks, start the gravy. Saute the celery, carrots and shallots in a saucepan in olive oil. Once the seasonings are soft, add 4 cups of water, the turkey neck and gizzards. Bring to a boil and let simmer for an hour. Add water as it evaporates. At hour two, remove the neck and gizzards. Pull the meat from the neck and put it back into the gravy. Add the turkey drippings from the pan and simmer for 30 minutes. The flavors should become bolder and taste more melded together. Add fresh parsley, thyme, butter and garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Once the flavor gets to a good place, add the wine. Whisk. Slow sprinkle in flour to thicken the gravy one teaspoon at a time. The gravy should be reduced to about 1.5 to 2 cups of gravy. The consistency is personal, so if you like it thicker, cook the liquid longer and add more flour.

Optional: If you have power at your campsite, for a final touch, blend the gravy including the meat from the neck, but be sure you have removed all of the bones. It should be thick and full of flavor.

If you prepare this recipe, please send us pics and tag @luxuryintheoutdoors and @organicauthority

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When Carol isn’t producing television shows, she’s exploring the U.S. with her family in their Shasta Airflyte Trailer. She... More about Carol Carimi Acutt

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