THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CAMPING: PART 3 (Warning: Long post, but filled with delicious camping recipes)
I’m pretty excited to share the last guide to camping; the recipes! Remember when you are camping to keep it simple. So, before we get into some recipes, below are a few tips to make cooking food easier for you.
Tip 1: pre-marinade meats at home and stick them in a ziplock bag until ready to cook up.
Tip 2: Foil packet meals work great for cooking both your meat/fish and your veggies at the same time.
Tip 3: Make food at home that are easy to reheat or eat cold. My PROSCIUTTO EGG CUPS are a great thing to bring to your campsite premade! Dice up potatoes and veggies before hand as well.
Alright! Who is ready for some of my favorite recipes to make while camping?!! I know you are!
FOIL PACKET RECIPES:
Foil packs are a great way to cook food on a campfire without dirtying up dishes (eat straight from the foil), and one of my favorite ways to cook up food. Below are a few pointers to turn you into a foil pack pro!
- Make sure you get heavy duty foil. Don’t skimp.
- To prevent sticking, spray with oil. If using cheese in your dish, line the aluminum with parchment paper.
- Onions, sauces, or a little water help produce steam in your foil pack and keep everything from burning.
- Spread coals out and place foil pack in the middle. Arrange hot coals around the packs.
- Check packs often and make sure you move them around to avoid burn spots and so everything cooks evenly.
- 2 ways to wrap: the tent– dinner combos that need lots of steam, but less browning. flat pack– for cooking meats and fish that need less steam and more browning.
- To make a tent pack place food in the middle. Bring long sides of foil together and roll the top down forming a tent (a couple inches from the food) Roll up the sides leaving some room as well. To make a flat pack place food in middle, bring foil together and roll/fold down until it touches food. Next fold sides in until it also touches food.
RECIPES:
1. Hobo Dinner: Sliced onions, beef patty, sliced potatoes and carrots, seasonings of choice.
Place onions down, then beef patty, followed by sliced potatoes and carrots. Season and turn foil into the “tent” Cook 25 minutes rotating several times during cooking.
2. Cabbage Wedges: bacon slices, quartered cabbage, salt and pepper.
Quarter, salt, and pepper the cabbage. Roll bacon around cabbage and make into a tent pack. Cook 25 minutes flipping pack over a couple of times. The last 5 minutes or so place some hot coals on top of the foil to brown the bacon.
3. Pork Chops with Dijon Herb Sauce: Turn my pork chop recipe into a campfire recipe. Place pork into the foil and spread the dijon herb sauce over top. Add your veggies and make a tent pack. Cook 20 minutes or until pork reaches 145 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes.
4. Summer Veggies: favorite veggies, oil, seasonings of choice.
Place sliced veggies into foil pack and toss with oil and seasonings. Make into a tent and cook 5-10 minutes (depending on veggie) or until tender.
Place all ingredients into a pack except for cashews. Cook 20-25 minutes, rotating a few times until veggies are tender and chicken is done. Top with cashews.
Cast Iron:
Most camp sites come with a grilling grate attached to where you have campfires. Those grates are perfect for your cast iron pans. If they do not have grates over the fire you can cook on your own propane stove or directly on the coals!
The great thing about cast iron is that it gives you the ability to cook up pretty much what you would at home in your kitchen.
RECIPES:
Use your cast iron dutch oven to cook up this delicious chili. Cook as you would normally. If placing directly on coals, place hot coals around sides of pot.
Use a large cast iron skillet on a grate. Cook as directed stirring a bit more frequently to make sure food doesn’t burn.
3. Artichoke Pesto Leek Frittata
Frittata’s are a great option for breakfast meals. Make sure you spray your cast iron skillet very well (even the sides)
GRILLING:
Grilling over a campfire is pretty straight forward and it really is a lot easier than it seems. Just as you would a regular grill at home have one side used for direct heat and the other side of the pit for indirect heat. You do this by placing most coals on one side and less coals on the other side.
RECIPES:
1. Ribs: Place coals down evenly throughout the pit. Turn ribs every 5-7 minutes to prevent from burning since they will be over direct heat. Cook for 35ish minutes favoring bone side down depending on how thick your ribs are. During the last 5 minutes, brush your favorite bbq sauce over the top.
2. Sausages/Hot Dogs: Place sausages on a heavy duty skewer and place directly over flame. Rotate every 2-5 minutes until charred.
3. Fish: If you can, poke a metal skewer through the fish. Drizzle with oil and season then place fish skin side down over indirect heat on the grate. Flip and cook for about 5 minutes. Fish cooks surprisingly fast over a campfire, so just watch it.
4. Chicken/Red meat: Place marinated meat over direct heat for 5 minutes each side. Bring over to indirect heat and flip every 7 minutes or until meat is cooked to your liking. Small steaks like flank cook very fast over coal, so just watch it as do chicken drumsticks.
The most important thing is HAVE FUN. If you are camping with kids let them help cook too. You can make your camping trips very clean as long as you prepare by making a meal plan before you go.
Other easy recipes to make are: Breakfast burritos (make in a chard wrap or in tortillas). Pancakes. Baked Potatoes (just wrap the potato in foil, poke a couple holes in the foil and potato and place directly onto the coals)
What are your favorite things to make when camping? There are some pretty delicious foil pack dessert recipes on Pinterest 🙂 but I’m more of a s’more kind of gal!!
We put a leaf of cabbage on top of the foil and stack fillings on top which helps retain moisture and keeps things from scorching.
I love that! Great Idea!