How to Make a Simple Hobo Stove

It's name may not be politically correct, but "thrifty" scouts will appreciate the hobo stove for its economy.  It is made entirely from cast-off materials with simple tools and requires very little fuel to cook simple meals.  It's a time-honored cooking technique used by the homeless, hobos, backpackers and in survival situations.

Hobo stoves can be quite elaborate.  My simple hobo stove can be made by young scouts as a project a scout meeting. 

Materials & Tools

The tools and materials needed are simple:

• A puncture-type can opener (see photo)
• A hammer
• A spike or large nail
• An aluminum 3# coffee can or #10 aluminum can.
• A small scrap of wire mesh or chicken wire
• A vise and a 15-18" 2x4 are helpful as well

 

 Step 1: Create vents at the top and bottom of the hobo stove.

Using the can opener, create several openings around both the closed end and the open end of the can.  These will provide both the necessary oxygen supply at the bottom and a "chimney" at the top to allow smoke to escape.  More openings are better, so take your time.

Making vent holes in the base of the hobo stove.

Step 2: Create vents along the side walls of the hobo stove.

Put your length of 2x4 in the vise with most of the extra length sticking out on one side.  This will be used as a support for your can.  Then using the hammer and nail, create extra vent holes in whatever design you like along the sides of the can.  These provide some additional airflow as well as an opportunity to decorate your stove. 

Using a hammer and nail, punch additional vent holes in the sidewalls
of your hobo stove.

Step 3: Use your wire mesh to create a "grille" for the hobo stove.

Since your cookware will most likely entirely cover the mouth of the can, the grille may not seem as though it is a necessity.  On the other hand, it does provide some separation between the can and cookware and an additional route for smoke to escape.

For a grille, fold your wire mesh, chicken wire, or even an old wire coat hanger into a square-ish shape a little larger than the top of the can.  This simply rests on the top of the can under the cookware.

This photo shows finished stove, grille, and cookware.

Step 4: Fueling the hobo stove.

The fuel for the hobo stove would make scant kindling for your typical cook-fire.  Small twigs, small pieces and/or very small pieces of scrap lumber are all that is needed.  This small pile was more than enough to cook a simple meal, and I ended up burning off the rest just to clean up the mess.

Fuel for the hobo stove consists of small scraps and twigs.

Step 5: Final preparation.

If you've never cooked over an open fire before, fair warning! Your cookware gets very black and the soot can be very hard to remove.  Applying a little dish detergent to the outside of your cooking pan beforehand and spreading it over the entire surface with your fingers will make a huge difference at  clean-up time.

Applying dish detergent to the outside of cookware helps keep soot from
permanently ruining cookware. 

 

Time to cook on your hobo stove!

Kindle a small fire in the can. (I used a single sheet of newspaper as tinder and lit it through one of the vent holes.) 

Once the fire is burning well, it's time to cook!

You can cook almost any simple meal on your hobo stove.  In this example, I'm frying hot dogs and onions in a little margarine.  I've also done baked beans and hot dogs on the hobo stove as well as making boxed rice dishes (such as Rice-a-Roni or Zataran's).  You may need to add fuel from time to time.  Be careful to handle your grille with a mitt or stick.  It can get quite hot!

Hot dogs and onions cooking on a hobo stove.

This is one of those easy and fun projects, like the cardboard box oven, which fascinates scouts for its simplicity and highlights how cooking can be accomplished without fancy, expensive, heavy cooking equipment.