Fireside Breakfast on the Buschbeck Cast Iron Hotplate

There's a particular kind of happiness that comes from standing outside in your dressing gown, coffee in hand, while bacon sizzles away on the Buschbeck. This fireside breakfast started as a lazy weekend experiment and now it's non-negotiable in our house. One hotplate, one fire, everything cooked at once.

What makes this work so well on the Buschbeck is the sheer size of the cast iron hotplate. You're not juggling pans on a stovetop, you're spreading everything out across one hot surface and letting the fire do the multitasking for you. Snags here, eggs there, toast on the grill alongside.

It's rustic, it's a bit smoky around the edges, and it's exactly the kind of unfussy cooking I love sharing in The Wood Fire Kitchen.

Serves 4 · Fire: medium coals · Cook: 20 min

Ingredients

• 8 rashers bacon
• 4 pork or beef snags
• 8 eggs
• 2 tomatoes, halved
• 200 g (7 oz) mushrooms, sliced
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1 tbsp butter
• Thick sourdough toast, to serve

Method

1. Light the fire and let it burn to steady medium coals. Set the cast iron hotplate over the top to heat for 10 min.
2. Cook the snags first, turning, for 10–12 min. Add the bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms after 5 min.
3. Push everything to the cooler edge. Add the butter, wilt the spinach, then crack in the eggs and cook to your liking.
4. Toast the bread on the grill and pile everything onto plates.

Fire note: The hotplate has hot and cool zones, so use them. Cook over the centre and park things at the edges to keep warm.

Buschbeck kit: Cast Iron Hotplate

How to cook a fireside breakfast on the Buschbeck

Start by lighting your fire well before you're hungry. You want it burned right down to steady medium coals, not roaring flames, before the cast iron hotplate goes anywhere near the heat. Give the hotplate a good 10 minutes to come up to temperature once it's sitting over the coals.

The trick with a Buschbeck hotplate breakfast is using the heat zones properly. The centre runs hottest, so that's where the snags go first, followed by the bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms once things are moving. The edges stay cooler, which is exactly where you want to push cooked items to keep them warm while the rest catches up.

Once everything is nearly done, clear a little space in the centre, melt your butter, wilt the spinach and crack in the eggs. Cook them to however you like your yolks; the residual heat in cast iron means they'll keep cooking even after you think they're ready, so don't walk away.

While the eggs are going, use the grill section of your Buschbeck to toast the sourdough. If you haven't settled on your preferred grill accessory yet, it's worth reading up on what each one does best.

• Let the fire burn down properly before cooking, rushed coals mean an unevenly hot plate
• Use the centre for raw ingredients, the edges for holding and warming
• Cook eggs last, and pull them slightly before done

What to serve with fireside breakfast on the Buschbeck

Thick sourdough toast is really all you need alongside this, but if you want to round things out properly, a side of fire-blistered tomatoes with burrata adds a lovely freshness against the richness of the bacon and snags. Strong coffee is, as always, non-negotiable.

FAQs

Can I cook a full breakfast on a Buschbeck hotplate at once?

Yes, that's the whole point of this fireside breakfast. The hotplate is large enough to cook bacon, snags, eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms all together, using the hot centre and cooler edges to manage timing.

What fire heat do I need for a Buschbeck breakfast?

Medium coals are ideal, not roaring flames. Let your fire burn down first, then rest the cast iron hotplate over the top for about 10 minutes before you start cooking.

How do I stop eggs sticking on a cast iron hotplate?

Make sure the hotplate is properly heated first, use a little butter, and crack your eggs into the cooler edge zone rather than the hottest centre so they cook gently without catching.

Can I toast bread on a Buschbeck at the same time?

Yes, use the grill section alongside your hotplate. It's a great way to toast sourdough while your eggs are finishing without needing extra equipment.

Get all 89 recipes in The Wood Fire Kitchen

Fireside Breakfast on the Hotplate is one of 89 recipes in my cookbook, The Wood Fire Kitchen: Recipes for your Buschbeck outdoor fireplace. It covers everything from lighting and reading the fire to pizza, grilling, the rotisserie, camp-oven dinners and desserts baked in the embers, with a Buschbeck kit note on every recipe so you know exactly which accessory to reach for.

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