Chinese-Style Campfire Beef in a Kazan
An incredibly tasty treat cooked outdoors! A hearty, bright dish with Chinese-style notes, made quickly thanks to finely chopped ingredients. The campfire aroma gives the meat a special twist.
Updated : 12 March, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
1.5 kilograms
Beef
1
Bell pepper
1
Hot chili pepper
4
Onion
to taste
Garlic
150 milliliters
Soy sauce
1 teaspoon
Salt
1 teaspoon
Sugar
2 teaspoon
Starch
to taste
Greens
150 milliliters
Vegetable oil
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you cook beef over a campfire in a kazan? Which cut is best? Use fresh boneless beef. Tenderloin without sinew or ribeye works well. Trim any sinew and silver skin if present. Slice the beef with a thin sharp knife into small pieces of modest thickness.
Step 2
To make slicing easier, put the meat in the freezer for a short time so it firms up slightly, then cut it into evenly sized small pieces.
Step 3
Prepare the other ingredients as well. I used onion, bell pepper, and garlic. If you like, you can add a hot chili pepper (we were cooking for kids, so we skipped it this time).
Step 4
Peel the onion and garlic. Rinse them and the pepper in clean water. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and stems. I also used a few very small onions for a prettier presentation.
Step 5
Light the fire and set the kazan over it to heat up.
Step 6
Meanwhile, chop the vegetables: cut the pepper into thin strips and the onion into half-rings.
Step 7
Prepare the sauce: mix soy sauce, starch, salt, and sugar.
Step 8
Pour vegetable oil into the kazan and heat it until very hot. Splash the oil up the sides of the kazan so the meat won’t stick later. Keep the fire under the kazan at maximum.
Step 9
Add the meat to the kazan and cook, stirring constantly, until each piece develops golden sides (10-15 minutes).
Step 10
Then lower the fire to just below medium and fry the meat until fully cooked, stirring occasionally. Since the pieces are small, they cook quickly (it took me about 15 minutes).
Step 11
Add wood to the fire to make it strong again. Add the pepper, onion, and garlic to the kazan.
Step 12
Stir-fry everything together for about 5-10 minutes, stirring.
Step 13
Pour the sauce into the kazan, stirring vigorously so it coats all pieces evenly.
Step 14
Cook until the sauce thickens - this won’t take long. The beef is ready to serve.
Step 15
When serving, offer finely chopped green onion or other herbs for everyone to sprinkle on top.
Author note
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