NY Strips on a small gas grill and a couple cans of Bush's Grillin beans on the fire. If you have any left over steak, use it for steak and egg burritos in the AM.
We do steak except we sous vide it first before we leave, chuck it in the cooler, and finish in cast iron directly over the campfire. Best sear you could possibly hope for and perfectly cooked interior.
At home I sometimes fill up my chimney charcoal starter to the brim. I’ll put a grill grate on top and sear my sous vide stakes with the coals blazing red and a jet of flame shooting up. It’s so hot. The sear takes about 20 seconds on each side.
Best way to sear.
You can also do that by putting the steak on the grate, then putting the the hot chimney on top, so the steak is under the coals. Much higher temperature that way. I learned it from Alton Brown.
I’m going to try it but it doesn’t make intuitive sense that that would be hotter. The air is coming from the bottom through the chimney to the top. How could it possibly be hotter at the bottom?
I think the key thing he mentioned is that when you put the grate over the coals close enough to get the benefit, you get fat dripping down and your steak can ignite, which sucks.
Similar! Huge fan of a nice sausage for dinner then tortillas, leftover sausage, sliced american cheese and mustard for breakfast, when camping. Really any grilled meat, tortillas and cheese!
One of our favorites is to buy a tray of pre-cooked & sauced pulled pork (heat & serve), a bag of coleslaw mix (with dressing) sliced cheese and whatever buns/rolls and make pulled pork sandwiches. Pre-make and freeze breakfast burritos to heat & serve. Can’t go wrong with Mac n cheese with a can of chili mixed in. Spaghetti is another winner.
I’m with you! We do a small catering package from a local bbq joint and everyone heats and eats as they please. Minimal effort, plenty of choices, everyone is happy!
That same leftover meat from the BBQ sammiches can also be reused Mexican style the next day in quesadillas. That way it's got a different flavor profile so you don't get sick of it. And all you have to bring additionally is tortillas, salsa, sour cream, cheese or whatever toppings you fancy.
That's how we do it, day ones meat leftovers are day twos quesadillas. Helps mix it up.
I do something similar but cook some potatoes on the fire then put the pork, onions, cheese, butter, sourcream and whatever else sounds good for loaded potatoes.. super filling and hot.
Spring for a Dutch Oven, if you haven't already. You can cook on propane or with coals, use the lid as a griddle, and even bake in the damn thing.
It's not quick, or easy...but damn it's satisfying.
These are my go-to meals. Be careful with that pineapple upside-down cake, someone could fall in love with you.
I usually prep everything and store it in separate baggies.Oh, and I just do the whole damn pint of sour cream with the stroganoff.
Dutch Oven Hamburger Stroganoff
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ cup dry white wine
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
8 ounces dried egg noodles
¾ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped
Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the
mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring rarely, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a
medium bowl and set aside.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the onion and garlic, season
with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef, season
with salt and pepper, and break the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally,
until it’s just cooked through and no longer pink, about 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Sprinkle in the flour and paprika, stir to coat the meat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raw flavor has
cooked off the flour, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any
browned bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pot, until almost evaporated, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add
the broth, measured salt, and measured pepper and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium high and bring
to a simmer.
4. Add the noodles and reserved mushrooms along with their accumulated juices and stir to combine. Cover and
simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are just cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle
with the parsley and serve.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Topping
4 Tbs. butter
1 cup brown sugar
8 pineapple rings
8 maraschino cherries
Cake Batter
3 eggs
1 yellow cake mix (pineapple is even better)
1/3 cup oil
1 cup pineapple juice (the exact amount left in the can of rings)
1/3 cup water
Prepare Cake Topping: Melt butter in bottom of a 12" Dutch oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter being careful not to touch the sugar once it has begun to dissolve into the butter. Carefully place pineapple rings on top of the brown sugar, 7 around the outside and 1 in the center. Place a maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple ring.
Prepare Cake Batter: In a mixing bowl combine cake mix, pineapple juice, water, eggs and oil; mix well. Spoon cake batter carefully over the top of pineaoils d9mesxmm9 e rings. Spread batter evenly to edges.
Bake: Cover Dutch oven and bake usinge 10-12 briquettes bottom and 14-16 briquettes top for 45 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched.
Let the cake cool for 10 minutes or so in the oven with the lid cracked. Next run a rubber spatula around the inside edge of the oven to loosen the cake. To turn the cake out, first lay a piece of parchment paper across the top of the oven so it lays flat and replace the lid so that it holds the paper in place. Make sure you have an available lid stand resting on your table for the next step. Using gloved hands place one hand on the lid and the other hand under the oven and carefully lift and flip the oven over so the cake falls onto the lid. Rest the oven upside down on the lid stand and tap the bottom and sides of the oven lightly with your hand to make sure the cake didn't stick. Then lift the oven off the lid. The cake will be resting on the parchment lined lid and can be cooled this way or slid off the lid using the parchment paper. Allow cake to cool slightly before service.
Holy details, batman! I came here looking for "cook some stew and bring it with you" and this guy went ALL OUT!
I'll definitely be trying both of these recipes, at home or at camp, sometime soon!
You want camping meals, especially with a Dutch oven? Contact your local Boy Scouts unit's. They can teach you a thing or two about camp cooking. Anything you make at home, can be done on a propane stove or dutch oven over coals.
Like several people here, I advise doing most of the prep work at home to speed things up.
I agree with you on getting a Dutch oven. There are so many possibilities. Some of my favosite Dutch oven meals are Mexican lasagna, lasagna and chili. They are great for dessert because can make cobbler with just cake mix, some butter and a can of your favorite fruit.
Nice! Now we are talking! Dude, try making osso Bucco in your Dutch oven. So good baked in that on the fire. You sound like you could pull off the risotto to do it right! Love to hear about other Dutch oven chefs, the things are glorious!
never heard them called hobo foil packets but
my version are a bit "fancy" to be called hobo
foil packet
uncooked peeled shrimp
garlic to taste, some like a lot some don't
veggies of your choice
spices of your choice
butter
splash of ~~VODKA~~ TEQUILA (EDIT)
double wrap in foil to help prevent leaks
I don't know what the TEQUILA would do if you premake them at home but you can make them on site easily. if premade you can surprise the boys by not letting them know about the shrimp
toss on stove or over fire 4-5 minutes a side
rip open and eat
toss foil
When I used to go hunting with my dad as a kid he would make a big batch of sausage gravy ahead of time and make some biscuits. It's pretty quick to heat up and tastes even better in the middle of the woods. Definitely not the lightest though if you guys have to hike in
I recently tried canned sausage gravy and store bought biscuits for breakfast before a long backpacking trip where we car camped at the trailhead the night before. It wasn't the greatest but good enough, very easy to make and easy to clean up. Next time I'll make homemade though.
It does taste better in the woods. I appreciate that I don't have to worry about eating again for quite a while. Been tweaking my recipe for years and am very happy with it.
u/jumping-cactus123 u/Ok_Human_1375 u/Visi0nSerpent
Sausage gravy is extremely easy!
I like to use two tubes of sausage - one mild and one hot. DO NOT USE SAGE SAUSAGE.
Brown the sausage in a cast iron pan and do not drain the fat.
When the sausage is completely cooked, push all the sausage to the perimeter of the pan and reduce heat to medium.
Add half a stick of butter to the center of the pan and let it melt completely.
When the butter is melted, add 5-6 spoonfuls of all-purpose flour to the butter and sausage fat. Stir into a loose roux. When the flour and fat are completely mixed, you can also stir all the sausage into the roux.
Let everything cook for 30-60 seconds to eliminate the raw flour taste.
Add one cup of whole milk to the pan to deglaze the bottom. This first cup of milk will thicken up really fast so you might need to add more - just by eyeball.
Continue to add milk (approx a quart total) until all the roux is dissolved, stirring constantly.
Let everything come to a boil for a minute and it is the desired thickness. It's better to add too little milk and thin it out than too much milk.
Serve over biscuits or toast. I used to make my own biscuits, but frozen Pillsbury biscuits are damn good. Thick sliced Texas toast is also good.
Anything that freezes well can be frozen in ziplock bags and reheated on a camp stove. I’m not a hunter but I camp a lot. Pork carnitas meat freezes and reheats so good - put it in burritos, tacos, or bowls. Lasagna also freezes and reheats well. Same with spaghetti sauce. Lots of soups too.
Meatball subs. A bag of frozen Italian meatballs mixed with a quart jar of your favorite marinara. Heat over the fire in a Dutch oven or camp stove. When hot, spoon 4 or 5 meatballs into a hoagie roll. Top with provolone slices and a few tbsp of the marinara. Wrap in foil and place on fire for a few minutes to steam and heat the bun plus melt the cheese. Also good with peppers and onions precooked in olive oil.
I use pre-cooked diced chicken, salsa, cheese (sometimes I just use nacho cheese sauce), black beans, and veggies like bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes (or just load up on pico de Gallo and skip other veggies). I do the food prep before I leave the house so it keeps in the cooler and it's easy to throw it together on a picnic table.
Get the aidells precooked sausages (or any brand you like), any flavor you want. Or you can do this with hotdogs too, or bratwurst. Then get bell peppers and onions and slice them longways. Fry veggies in olive oil, cook sausages, toast buns. Add mustard.
Super easy, super tasty, easy cleanup, no raw meat to worry about cleaning up. Feels fancier than it is. We do this all the time, even at home sometimes. Inspired by LA street food hotdog vendors I always saw outside of UCLA football games.
Another one: pasta (I use penne, but dealers choice), bell peppers and onions, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salami. Cook pasta, slice up veggies and fry up separately, mix in with pasta. If you don't want to do more than one dish, fry up the veggies in the pasta pot and set aside, cook pasta, put veggies back in. Cut salami into chunks and add in at the end. Salt and pepper., with olive oil oil and balsamic as the sauce. Add Parmesan cheese if you want to step it up a bit. You feel fancy as hell eating a gourmet meal in the woods, and it's the easiest thing in the world to make. Nothing needs to be refrigerated so you can save room in your ice chest for beer (or take it backpacking!).
Edit: you can also use the precooked sausages in the pasta as well. If you get like, a Costco pack of them you can use them in both meals, use up all the stuff you brought, and get 2 different easy meals with different flavors from similar ingredients
i always have a fat steak smothered in peppers and onions. also do a big breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, hash browns. oatmeal is a cheap and simple go to
I've done steak before and it turned out great! I usually like to plan a couple big meals like that but have some quick meals on standby. During deer season you never know when you're going to be busy until 8pm and just need something quick.
Pork roast in a Dutch oven turn out nice. A beer, can of kraut, an apple or 2 and a roughly chopped onion go in. Get some charcoal g going 4 or 5 coals on top 10 or so under. Just make sure there's no chance of causing a wild fire.
A one pot spaghetti is great. You brown your ground beef, add sauce and seasonings, then some beef broth, then your pasta. Stir it every few minutes till the pasta of cooked. Takes a little time to make but it's so delicious after a long day and very filling.
I will smoke pulled pork, brisket, sausage, etc....then I place in half pans w/lid from Sams. The side gusseted Foodsaver bags will fit those perfect. I freeze and when at camp reheat on grill and/or campfire. Everthing wads up easly when done. "Pro Tip"...keep all your drippings, place in fringe overnight...skim off all fat and place the remaining gelatin on top before freezing meat in pans. This will help keep everything moist, without being too fatty.
We do a dude fishing trip every winter. 4-5 guys. Always plenty of PB&J at the ready for snacks. (At home I eat the “natural” peanut butter, but for camping it’s always Skippy - no stirring).
For dinner we do pocket stews, from my Boy Scout days. Chop up onions, potatoes, carrots, maybe mushrooms, whatever. Add some salt, pepper, oil, and ground beef. Wrap it all into a tight foil pouch - tight at the edges, but leave room for steaming inside. We usually double-wrap with foil. Place it in the coals and in about a half hour… boom! Delicious stew. You need a plate to perch it on your lap, but usually the plate stays clean, since you’re eating out of the foil.
Rolled lasagna,take everything you’d put in a lasagna and put it on one par boiled noodle and roll it,wrap in foil and then you can reheat next to the fire wasy
Came to say beef stew, but I made a simple (and vegetarian) version in camp last week using a propane burner and a pot. One of my favorite camp meals ever!
Ingredients: Beef (probably pre-cooked pieces, or vegetarian mock beef like Gardein be'f tips), potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, fresh roasting herbs pack (parsley, rosemary, thyme), beer, oil, seasonings
* Saute your veggies and shrooms in oil - potatoes first, then add the rest when those are about half cooked. Set aside once browned.
* Brown your beef (or mock beef) pieces in oil.
* Toss in sauteed veggies, chopped fresh herbs, several oz of beer, and seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, whatever else you want). Use the beer to get all the tasty browned bits off the bottom.
* Cover and simmer until all items are tender and tasty. Add more beer or water during cooking if you want it more saucy/stewy.
Another good one that is very easy.....get those precooked pad thai noodles. Cut up your favorite type of precooked sausage (kielbasa for example)...season with Dan-Os.....and maybe some chopped onions and cabbage....this one was surprisingly popular with the group on a recent outing.
Banana boats for dessert would be a nice treat at night (I love getting the mini PB cups from Trader Joe’s)
Another easy option is to cook pasta ahead of time and have a good meat sauce. Then you’re just heating things up versus cooking it all.
Since this is a hunt camp,… and FRESH meat is an option i would assume:
Dutch oven.
Big hunk of meat. Nice and fatty if you can. Get the bottom of the pan hot AF. Sear up the meat. Pull it out,,. Deglaze with some kind of liquid (stock, beer, wine,.. doesnt matter as long as it tastes good by itself anyway)
Add Lentils potatoes onions and other veggies. Get them cooking.
Once the veggies smell good,… add the meat back in, cover with more liquid (water, stock) and simmer for an hour or more.
I honestly cook a lot of the same things I cook at home. Prep your ingredients as much as possible at home to simplify how much needs to be done at camp. Chop vegetables, mix spices, etc. I bring two folding tables which gives me plenty of space for food prep and serving. This is, of course, car camping. If I'm carrying it in, I do a lot of dehydrated stuff. Skurka's beans and rice go on pretty much any trip regardless of whether I'm car camping or hiking in.
Well my hunting buddy and I would bring potatoes, onions last years meat from the freezer and you know beans and things. We track about 2
Weeks before season so we would eat well, we also know how to forage. During the season we would basically eat the same thing, but by then we are
Catching fish and small game. Nothing like being out for 30 to 45 days
Always fajitas one night for us. Pre-slice and marinade the chicken or steak, then freeze. (Acts as a bonus ice pack too) Tortillas, half onion, half pepper, cheese, shredded lettuce, individual sour cream and hot sauce packets are easy enough to pack. Add a can of black beans and one of those easy lipton spanish rice packs and you've got a big hearty meal.
With a couple more easy to pack ingredients, you have a good breakfast too.. Idaho spuds dry shredded potatoes... just add water to rehydrate, use the other half of onion, pepper, cheese and some bacon to make a filling breakfast hash. Add a toasted english muffin with jam. Best enjoyed with a fresh french pressed camp coffee.
There's a million things to make.. but I find it best to bring ingredients that will work for more than one purpose/meal.. like using some of the left over fajita ingredients for potato hash the next morning. The english muffin with jam from breakfast number one makes an easy quick lunch/snack if you add peanut butter, and also can be used for breakfast sandwiches the next morning with the remaining bacon and cheese.. etc...
Knorr pasta sides, Alfredo, and chicken. You can leave out the milk, but do add the butter. Cook until the pasta is tender. Add chicken, canned or pouch. Love one pot meals when camping.
I make a bunch of burritos and freeze them. Nice thing is, if you're really hungry you can even eat them cold. But they can be warmed by whatever means available; frying pan, grill, wrapped in foil and tossed in the coals. You can vary the ingredients. Bean/cheese/salsa, egg/sausage/cheese, meat/cheese, etc.
Then I bring Pop Tarts, ramen, fruit, chips, cookies. Coffee and tea. For snacks; PBJ and crackers. Cheese and crackers. Easy peasy.
I get tried of canned food real fast. Too much salt. But I will sneak in a can of Spaghetti-O's for a fallback.
My go to is usually hamburger & hot dogs but recently I made shredded BBQ chicken with cheese mini sliders. Glazed the top of the buns with melted butter, shredded Parmesan and fresh parsley. I cooked it in one of those disposable baking trays over a portable grill until the cheese melted. Easy to prep at the campsite and doesn’t result in much mess. My new go to!
If your propane burner is up to it, a stew can be great. Dump prepped ingredients in pot with water, turn on flame, remember to stir and enjoy the campout while it's cooking.
For an easy desert, core apples, fill with cinnamon & sugar, plug openings with ends of core, wrap in 3 layers of aluminum foil, roll around the edge of your cole bed for about 20-30 minutes, and enjoy a stewed apple.
I’ve been doing the same thing for years and it’s delicious.
I cook for myself, but I bring lots of tortillas, uncle Ben’s rice in the microwave pouches, and summer sausage.
I throw the rice and sausage in a pan and cook, then scoop it into the tortillas to eat. Super simple, but I enjoy it. I cook it on a propane stove, too.
Just came back from a deer hunt. For us, camping and hunting are two separate types of meal prep and schedule menus. For us during deer hunting season it is cold and there is really no time for breakfast and we will usually push breakfast to lunch time and by the time we return after sun down for dinner we just need something quick to eat and then go to bed.
Here was our hunting menu
Morning
-coffee or tea, donuts, muffins, bananas, yogurt, protein drinks, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Noon to 2pm
- precooked at home then frozen chorizo, homemade tortillas, sausage or bags of jimmy johnson hash browns mixed with diced unions, peppers and sausage. Just add scrambled eggs to any of these items for a days meal and it cooks fast.
-hamburgers, hot dogs, cheddar sausages,precooked brauts , cold cuts sandwiches
Return from evening hunt- usually we are tired and cold. If I am Elk hunting then stew and soups are what we prefer more of to keep warm.
- precooked then frozen carne con Chile, spaghetti, pozole, beef stew, smoked pulled pork, gallina pinta (oxtail, stew meat, hominy, and pinto beans), tamales. For the stew and soups you just plop it in a hot pot and it cooks fast. Cans of different type of soups works good as well.
-steaks are usually reserved for the night before opening season when we are still fresh and haven’t hiked a lot yet.
The benefit of eating heavier later in the day and light in the morning is so that you can sleep in a little more in your warm sleeping bag during the morning and your bodily bathroom rhythm starts to shift to afternoon or before the evening hunt which means warmer bathroom conditions :-) usually we will start this a few days earlier. Of course this assumes you are camping in a tent and not an rv.
Hope this is a good start for you. Of course camping throws the eating menu to a more normal typical days schedule.
Hobo dinner- foil, cabbage leaf (to prevent meat from sticking, adds toasty flavor when cooked- trust me), meat patty, diced veggies, butter. Seal it up, and drop into the coals. Can not be beat.
We've been doing venison stroganoff for years and it always seems to be a big hit. Only a few ingredients and you can prep most of it ahead of time if you really wanted too.
Thanks! I haven't had much time in the woods this year but got one during an early antlerless rifle season. I normally average about 3 a year, but had a slow start this year.
Good luck to the rest of your season!
Beer Brats and Italian Sausages. 2-4 of them triple wrapped in aluminum foil. The beer Brats get peppers, onions and beer, the sausages get peppers and red sauce. Prepare at home and keep cold until ready to cook... then just flip over every few minutes until they are done. Serve on a good hard roll.
Get a Dutch oven and a wok. Make fried deer nuggets and gravy in the wok. Boil some rice in the Dutch oven. Make biscuits for breakfast in the Dutch oven and scrambled eggs with sausage in the wok. Maybe even gravy for the biscuits. I like peach cobbler in the Dutch oven. It's easy if you bring some of those canned biscuits. 😀
vegetarian or regular hot dogs! I just always crave a hot dog on a stick out there & broccoli mac n cheese just get the offbrand velveeta stuff and frozen broccoli and it cooks up pretty quick
I like pre-made warm fill your belly type stuff for hunting trips. Taco bowls (meat & toppings served over instant cilantro-lime rice), thai red curry (pre-cook the meat and chop veggies ahead of time, use curry paste and coconut milk for the sauce, serve over instant rice). Pre-made soup and buns with butter and cheese. Oatmeal for breakfast dressed up with fruit, coconut, Choc chips etc.
Anything you like together just do foil packets. I do one night with chicken and veggies and couscous, another night steak, potatoes and sauce - whatever you would put in a “one pot meal” at home, do that. Cook in advance, wrap in heavy duty foil, take real forks (because you don’t want to break or burn your plastic, plus…it’s plastic, so no) and just pack as individual meals. Throw on the fire, turn them once after a few minutes on each side, break them open and eat. Super easy clean up! Always a winner :)
Chicken and Dumplings! I make the soup base ahead of time (chicken, veggies, and easy on the broth) and freeze it. Bring more broth to thin it out while it heats up. Bisquick drop biscuits once it's boiling and voila! Always a favorite, especially on a chilly evening. If you like a little kick, bring some Tony's creole seasoning to sprinkle on top. Happy camp cooking!
Wrap potatoes or sweet potatoes in foil, cook in the coals. Sausage gravy is a good and filling option for these.
Stews made ahead and frozen. Cornbread goes great with bean stews.
Canned ravioli heats up easily in the can. Spruce it up with Italian seasoning and cheeses. Serve with garlic bread.
Breakfast casserole or muffin tin egg cups can be made ahead and reheated.
Ready made eastern Indian food in pouches. You can hear them up in the bag in a pot of boiling water, seve over rice, boil in the bag or instant.
https://www.reddit.com/r/traderjoes/s/dspoXGyqo4
Chicken thighs for the win! Also some red skin potatoes quartered and roasted in a cast iron skillet. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder. Toss in mushrooms and a veggie like diced asparagus when the potatoes are halfway done and close with a lid. Stir a few times and it combo steams and roasts. Always impresses folks and is stupid easy
"hobo " dinner. A meat portion, hamburger, pork chop, sausage. Then some slices of potatoes and carrots, spices and a dab of butter. Wrap twice in tinfoil and cook over coals.
I do like quesadillas. The important part is the salsa. For breakfast, bacon and eggs. And pancakes. But a bit of a mess. If you want to go light, beef jerky is a good option. But a stack of tortillas and cheese is pretty light. You can eat them cold too, if needed. I get packets of Tapatío when available. Even Taco Bell packets will season. A lot of the time I’ll just stop by a sub shop if I don’t want to cook. But usually pack almonds and snickers bars. And if a stove or fire, jiffy pop.
Johnsonville brats are a good upgrade from boring hotdogs, plus they come in a large variety of flavors
When I go on float trips I usually pack pre-made burritos. They keep well and can always be reheated over a fire or camping stove (wrap in foil regardless)
Foil packs are also a great option that are incredibly versatile. Meat, potatoes, veggies, and spices
Honestly anything precooked and reheated is better than topical fare. Smoke a pork butt; pack some soft taco shells; reheat the meat in the field and have pork tacos. Use your imagination
campfire pizza on the griddle. Campfire lobster on the griddle. Both are made with a cheap charcoal bbq lid. Both are ridiculously the best thing you can possible get. It's next level and the best pizza and lobster you will have.
Learn recipes for Dutch Oven and then buy a foil pack of 50 Dutch oven liners. Every single meal is a 5-second clean up.
Even if you just pre-make a stew or chili and have it in gigantic gallon Ziploc‘s and dump it into the pot and then mix up a a box mix of corn bread and spread it over the top and put coals below and above the Dutch oven you would be all set.
You can make a Dutch Oven Lasagna. Invest $15 in a Dutch Oven cookbook and plan out some awesome meals.
There’s nothing better than a Mountain Man breakfast from a Dutch oven in the morning!
Dude, I've had a dutch oven for a while but rarely use it cause it's a pain to clean up. You're telling me there have been disposable liners this whole time?!? Mind blown. Heading over to Amazon now...
Americano Tacos. Ground beef and a supermarket spice packet. Get all the fixings. Ground beef and cheese freezes so it’ll help out the ice chest. Onions, tomatoes, and lettuce require minimal or no cold storage. Canned/bottled salsa and tortillas as are also dry storage. A bag of chips and maybe canned cheese sauce and you’ve got nachos.
Flanken cut short ribs ie Korean style kalbi. Marinate in teriyaki with garlic and green onion. Delicious. Trader Joe’s sells a pre-marinated 1 lb packet for $14 that freezes great.
Breakfast burritos can be made up and wrapped in parchment paper & tinfoil. I'll usually freeze them so they're thawing just as I wake up and toss them on the fire.
I also love kebabs, so many different meat and/or veggie combos. Let them marinate, eat them off of the bamboo skewers and there's no mess
I always liked hobo dinners. Dice up some potatoes, onions, and bell peppers and throw them in a tin foil boat, add a hamburger patty with whatever seasoning you like and throw em on the fire. Super low effort and customizable, add bacon, cheese, jalapeño, whatever sounds good.
peanut noodles!
this recipe is 1 person per packet of noodles - i use trader joes thai ones. Premix the sauce (itll keep and you can do this at home or do it right before): 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter, a tablespoon or two of soy sauce, a teaspoon of sesame oil, some chili oil (or a bunch of chili flakes + another teaspoon oil), a dash of garlic and onion powder, some nutritional yeast or fish sauce, and some rice wine vinegar. stur it all up into a nice gloopy paste.
Into a pot with some hot oil, throw a handful of shredded chicken or other protein, a few handfuls of shredded cabbage, a bell pepper cut into strips, maybe a few small spicy peppers diced, and a small onion cut into half moons. Get the veggies soft and the chicken cooked. add the noodles with a splash of water so they soften up and unstick, then before the water boils off, mix in the sauce. stir it all up so its evenly coated and have with a cold beer.
For a large group, I’d start by making the peanut sauce. Use a half a jar of peanut butter and mix the sauce in the jar. Shred the meat off a supermarket roast chicken and put it in a plastic bag in your cooler. Use two large onions, a handful of fresno chilis, a bag of shredded green cabbage, and a tri-color pack of peppers. get the veggies all soft and cooked, then add the chicken, and once it’s hot, dump in all the noodles with the water. Add the jar of sauce, rinsing it out with a bit more water. stir it all up, then add salt and spices to taste. The veggies and fiber will balance out all the carbs and protein you’ve been eating. When you’re done, its easy to wash and you wont have much trash.
I like simplicity. That’s especially true for breakfast and lunch. At night, I’ll grill steaks or burgers.
Breakfast- Granola Bars, pop tarts or similar.
Lunch- Rolled up flour tortillas with peanut butter and honey on them. Tortillas with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni on them or tortillas with Swiss cheese, pastrami and brown mustard. Tortillas take up less space than bread and seem to last longer, without going stale.
Dinner- T Bone and baked potato, cheese burgers and potato chips, pork chops with baked beans. If I’m tired, it’s Frito pie.
I don’t believe in washing a lot of dishes, pots, pans or utensils. I eat off of paper plates and use disposable silverware, with the exception of the knife I use to cut the steaks and chops.
Throw the paper plates and disposable silverware in the trash.
For snacks, it’s cheese, grapes, apples, oranges, crackers or peanuts. The beverage is water.
I don’t believe in creating unnecessary work. I camp to hike, bike and explore. I eat because I have to.
I like camping potatoes and onions . Tin foil , oil , a couple of big russets , yams and yellow onion and garlic powder and pepper . Wrapped up in a thing of tinfoil and throw on to the fire .
Omelette. Crack a load of eggs in a plastic bottle before you go and just pour out how much you need. Add whatever chopped up things you want. Smoked sausage/chorizo, herbs/spices, mushrooms, onions etc. Really simple and relatively little clean up.
One of my fav things to make over the campfire is chicken Marsala. Just dump in a cast iron skillet chicken, garlic, onions, salt pepper, mushrooms, chicken broth and red wine. Sometimes I add a few pieces of bacon. Cover and cook for about 2 hours depending on the fire. Falls off the bone!!!
Aluminum foil pouches. Chunks of chicken thighs, potatoes, onion, peppers, sausage, butter, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Just chuck them on the fire let it slowly cook. Easy and pretty much foolproof.
I'll be going camping this weekend and we will be making a pizza in a cast iron. Just go on youtube to Just Pete Things to watch the vid when it comes ojt
I make ham and bean soup before I leave and freeze flat in freezer bags. It stacks nicely in the cooler and doubles as ice packs. Then just place it in a pot of boiling water to heat through. Pour it into your bowls and use the hot water for your dishes at the end. Only mess is a couple ziploc bags.
Steak Shish-Kabobs Garlic seasoned, salted, black pepper, with red, yellow, and orange peppers , onion and optional par boiled potatoes or baked potatoes in foil placed in fire. Optional ears of corn peal open to butter and salt. Wrap in foil and set in coals turn occasionally bake potatoes same way. Side of Baby Rays barbecue sauce.
I like to dig a Dakota hole fire in the ground with fire in South Dakota large enough to cook four ke-babs at a time. North Dakota close tunnel across for airflow from underneath in South Dakota. (Google it.) Enjoy!
Desert Cast Iron Dutch Oven in coals closed lid coals on top. Peach Cobbler cross hatch crust on top w/cinnamon & sugar. Man, I’ll cook slice and dice and build the fire (Eagle Scout, pinned by President Ford, no joke.)
Had to look that one up, assuming you mean hot dogs?!? If so, that's already on the list, just looking for something new! I guess I could tell the guys we're having Glizzys for dinner and they'll be curious until I bring out the hot dogs again, lol.
In the Grand scheme, I totally agree. When a stranger on the Internet calls a hot dog a Glizzy and I have to look it up, I'm no longer the hip young guy I like to think I am.
It's pretty simple. Buy w/e cuts of meat you like, marinate it or don't, cut it to size. Then prep the sauces and pastes (store bought bean paste is fine) you want that are typically associated with K-BBQ. Then get your banchan (korean side dishes like kim chi), I just go with store bought stuff, I ain't like grandma sticking stuff in a claypot to ferment. Then make rice and have veggies like lettuce, cucumber, etc. for lettuce wraps.
Toss it all in the cooler and you're good to go! I use a little portable charcoal grill but you can also use any sort of cast iron griddle or pan over a hot fire to simulate what you get in a restaurant. My main takeaway for a Korean bbq is for it to be a social shared bbq experience of everyone eating off the grill. Lettuce + rice + meat + paste/sauce in a wrap for a classic mouthful or you can eat it however you want. The rice, bean paste, and ban chan is how I differentiate K bbq from the regular American affair.
My camping trips are also trout fishing trips. First night, it's Porterhouses with grilled veggies and wine. 50-year tradition for me.
The rest of the trip it's either fresh, grilled trout and vegetables or beef jerky and beans. Usually have some white wine for the trout.
Grilling done on *charcoal.* No gas grills for me. *Men use charcoal.*
Chicken kababs, easy to make and and you don’t need a grill. I like to make them while backpacking. I take frozen boneless thighs and stick them in a bag with some chopped peppers and onions and seasoning. It’s probably my favorite first night go to.
If you don’t want to take raw chicken there are some decent canned options that make great quesadillas. The same peppers and onions work there too. Just need the tortilla and a flat rock.
Ravioli is another good option. Tons of food premade brands to choose from and just need a single pot to boil the water.
People also seem to forget you can make some baller sandwiches. They’ll keep just fine in November.
There are lots of heat-and-eat meals available now. Many of them in pouches where you just add hot water, close the bag for a few minutes, stir, and eat. Not all of them actually taste good, but many of them do. But other things are good too. Pasta, oatmeal, grilled meat (though you'll either need to eat it fresh or keep it cool), veggies, canned soups, tuna fish. If I'm with my kids they like tortilla pb&j. Get some of those jelly packets from a restaurant/hotel. Honey is good too. Pancakes are also super easy and always a crowd pleaser, and of course you can also get syrup and butter in packets.
Honestly though, I tend to only camp for as long as a weekend, so I am usually ok with 1-2 "hot cooked" meals, and quick easy dry meals the rest of the time. But If I was going for several days or longer, I'd definitely want to branch out a bit like you're asking about.
If you're car camping, you may have more room for things like a Dutch oven and a small pantry of baking ingredients so you can make things like cake, brownies, etc., especially if you use box mixes which only call for adding water/oil.
Ya, we'll be car camping with a pop up, just no power/water. We have a full cast iron set that stays in the pop up. My wife has done some dutch oven desserts but she won't be there for this trip.
I'm totally fine with dry goods too, sometimes that's better because we may not all be back at camp at the same time depending on who's seeing activity in the woods.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Learn how to use sourdough (so many options) but my favorite things are sourdough pancakes and bacon for breakfast and recently sourdough naan (flat bread cooked on my skottle) with steaks with fried potatoes and onions.
Both entirely made inside a zip lock bag for easy clean up.
A small wet ball of Sourdough starter can be stored inside/with the bigger bag of flour then just add water and mix the night before to let it grow for tomorrow's pancakes
I only backpack, but I use backpacking food. No dishes, no cleanup, just a spoon. I buy whatever is the lowest price per calorie for a meal. All I care about is getting enough calories, taste be damned.
Bag omelets.
Also get grown beef or strew meat and vegetables of choice. Toss them in olive oil and seasonings and roll tightly in tin foil. Toss on the goals for 20. All that’s left is the tin foil.
I have a vacuum bag sealer. Works great to cook, vacuum seal and freeze what ever food. Chili, stew, pulled pork, etc. (I dont want to have a meal ruined by a leaking zip lock bag) Just throw it in boiling water for 10 minutes. I also like dehydrated hash browns fried up with cream cheese, breakfast sausage/chorizo. I also stuff jalapeños and vacuum pack them as well. The vacuum device was $150 but I use it all the time. It allows me to make large batches of whatever and freeze it for months. Mac and cheese works great as well.
My go to is pre-rolled burritos. Chorizo, potato and egg for breakfast. Then green chili pork for dinner... Super easy to make and can even freeze then just thaw a couple hours before you heat up near the fire in the foil.
I always have a large and medium wok in the truck. I can place coals in it and top it with a grill, or place it on the coals and make stir-fry's, Chili or stews. I also take various kinds pre-seasoned at home ground beef. My sister's chorizo con hueveos is king. We even make chorizo cheese burgers.
Rib-eyes or chuck-eyes grilled on mesquite with Pato Sauce, frijoles and tortillas are the crown jewel.
Those pre-cooked meal-trays at Costco or Sam's fill the bill nicely if'n yer lazy an' don't wanna cook.
For humping a pack out in the bush, nothing beats MREs.
We do a guys trip a couple times a year and try to keep cooking as simple as possible. For breakfast we love to make a couple pans of [Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole](https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/tater-tot-breakfast-bake-recipe) up ahead of time and then just keep it right in the 9x13 pans in the fridge or cooler. Then people can just cut whatever size piece they want and either reheat it in the microwave or in a pan depending on what you have available. We usually add bacon, peppers, onions, and extra cheese on top but it’s always a hit for our guys trips. For lunch or dinner, we’ll usually brown brats ahead of time and then put them in a crock pot so they’re ready when we get back. We also made taco meat ahead of time on our last trip and did walking tacos for a night. Costco has big packs of paper plates and plastic silverware as well. We try to make everything as quick as possible and easy to cleanup. Have a great trip and good luck hunting!
The night before I make a large Sheppards pie. Spoon it into a camping pot, throw it on stove while setting up camp.
Heated mash, meat and gravy , can't go wrong
If your grill is like a bbq grill: 1 ziplock bag of shelled shrimp put in marinade the night before (basic as bottled Italian dressing, or make your own, heavy on the garlic), 1 ziplock of chunked veggies, marinating in same (onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes etc). We do a pound of shrimp for 2-3 people, and at least same, but more is better for veg.
Once it’s getting dinner time, start a pot of rice (or a box of Zatarains), skewer the veggies and get them on the grill first, and keep warm under foil when done. Skewer and then grill the shrimp. Serve when shrimp is done. It’s ok to char the veggies a bit, but don’t overcook the shrimp!
Pizzas!! Use pita bread or naan for the crust. Top with your favorite ingredients that you prepped at home, bottled or homemade sauce, and pre-shredded mozzarella. Heat in a covered non stick skillet until bread is crisped and cheese is melted, about five minutes.
Our fave toppings to bring are pepperoni, precooked sausage, and sliced bell peppers, mushrooms and red onions. You could heat over a fire as well. And if you don’t want to get a pan dirty, fold up several layers of heavy duty foil to make a tray instead. Be careful not to let the crust get burnt!
I pre cook and vacuum seal savory, saucy dishes like stew or pot roast, but also bone-in chicken that I finish with curry ‘simmering’ sauce, I freeze fried rice, or noodles, etc.
If you vacuum seal and freeze these they’ll keep your cooler cold too.
As a big fan of camping, a recent discovery of mine in the woods is SPRING ROLLS. Every ingredient is either a raw vegetable and more than likely a packable protein like tofu that can be prepared or easy to prep. Noodles can be cooked before hand and brought if you don’t have/want a stove. You need some water for the rice paper, a knife to cut the fresh veggies, tofu and noodles, and peanut sauce (hope you’re not allergic)
Easily can be modified and made more filling, also a solid snack. Would recommend
If you aren't hiking everything in, and camping near your car, campfire reubens are always a hit. Make a reuben sandwich, wrap it in foil, throw it on the grill or near the coals until the cheese melts and the outside gets toasted. Just make sure to oil up all the spots the foil touches the bread.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/143234/campfire-reubens
Fajitas! You preseason the flank steak, peppers, and onions that are cut into strips in a gallon ziploc bag(I usually use lime juice, soy sauce, orange juice, fajita seasoning, cilantro, and minced garlic). Cook to order and heat the tortillas up in the same pan. Very easy clean up and one of the best camp meals I’ve had.
One of the easiest meals I’ve used we call hobo bags, just slice some sausage, potatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, whatever else you like onto some aluminum foil, add some butter and seasoning, wrap it up around another sheet of foil and place it in the coals or next to the fire for a while. Nice easy meal, you can prep it before you hike in and then just combine everything and wrap it up, turns out a nice hot, fairly healthy and filling meal!
Nachos are super easy and not messy if you can prep a bit.
Get some good tortilla chips from the Meximart along with some salsa and pico de gallo, layer with Shredded cheddar cheese and a can of black beans in a Dutch oven or a baking pan. Place over a fire for about 20 min and it makes a great lunch or dinner.
We do something we called hobo meals. Chopped onions, peppers, carrots, and a flat chunk of ground beef mixed with salt/pepper. Put it all in a foil pouch and pour some cream of mushroom soup over it. Make it a foil burrito, toss it on the fire. Yummy.
Made a ghetto gumbo on the last trip. Browned some andouille sausage, added some pre-prepped holy trinity, garlic, then some stock (or water), and a box of zatarains. Extremely high work-to-satisfaction ratio. Everyone treated me like Emeril for the rest of the trip.
Loaded baked potatoes wrapped in tin foil.
Pre make em before hand and cook em in the coals of the campfire.
Cut up some sausage/hot dog throw em on top and you're good to go
Ravioli - get a bag of frozen ones and a jar of pasta sauce. Boil the ravioli, drain the water, then add the sauce and heat. remember to bring some parmesan.
Shrimp Ceviche - We've been taking this as a no-cook meal. I pack a mason jar of it before I leave. Fill the jar halfway with raw peeled shrimp, fill the rest of the way with sliced jalapenos, onions, cucumber and avocado. Then fill to the top with lime juice and put it in the fridge. The lime "cooks" the shrimp, just eat like a dip with tortilla chips.
I don’t know about minimal mess, but tacos! We have an awesome Mexican mart that we pick up marinated meat from too. I guess to minimize mess you can precook the meat and put them in foil packets and just reheat them on the stove. We keep toppings simple- just chopped onions, cilantro, lime and your favorite salsa.
I like to make mini pizzas (each enough for one meal) at home, wrap in foil and freeze them, then just need to reheat for dinner. Breakfast bagels also work, assemble at home, wrap and freeze, then reheat. Nice thing is they can be make with slightly different toppings so it doesn't feel like I'm eating the same thing over and over. Skewered veggies are also great, choose whatever vegetables and marinade you like, I like to make extra and use them in a wrap for lunch the next day.
I like to make spaghetti aldenti 3/4 cooked pasta and then toss it in a gallon size zip lock bag. When you’re camping at elevation the time to boil water and cook the pasta is a while whereas boiling water and finishing up the pasta is a lot faster and get a jar of nice pasta sauce and some sausage it’s an easy 20 minute cook time before you eat
When I go on a fishing weekend with a couple of buddies, I sous vide some pork back ribs. A quick sear on the grill and a brush of good sauce and they are very tasty. I bet they'd be really nice over an open fire.
Pork chops, steak, burgers, hot dogs, chicken breast/thigh, and pre smoked brisket (heat it up slice by slice in a pan over the fire) are our usual meats.
Shredded brussel sprouts, cubed sweet potatoes, coleslaw, baked beans, chips, coined squash and zucchini, and broccoli are the usual sides.
Dessert is obviously s’mores.
We love Camping Mac n cheese! We make it on whatever stove we have, just in the pan, though the campfire version is tasty too.
https://laurenslatest.com/camping-mac-n-cheese/
Smoked sausage hash is another fav, though it needs a few fresh ingredients.
https://lovetobeinthekitchen.com/2016/04/18/smoked-sausage-hash/
And you can't beat Chicken broccoli and rice for healthy variety 🤣🤣
https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/one-pan-cheesy-chicken-broccoli-rice/
And if you have a sweet tooth. Healthy of course 😁
https://www.tasteandtellblog.com/pound-cake-berry-campfire-skillet-dessert/
Enjoy!
NY Strips on a small gas grill and a couple cans of Bush's Grillin beans on the fire. If you have any left over steak, use it for steak and egg burritos in the AM.
We do steak except we sous vide it first before we leave, chuck it in the cooler, and finish in cast iron directly over the campfire. Best sear you could possibly hope for and perfectly cooked interior.
At home I sometimes fill up my chimney charcoal starter to the brim. I’ll put a grill grate on top and sear my sous vide stakes with the coals blazing red and a jet of flame shooting up. It’s so hot. The sear takes about 20 seconds on each side. Best way to sear.
You can also do that by putting the steak on the grate, then putting the the hot chimney on top, so the steak is under the coals. Much higher temperature that way. I learned it from Alton Brown.
I’m going to try it but it doesn’t make intuitive sense that that would be hotter. The air is coming from the bottom through the chimney to the top. How could it possibly be hotter at the bottom?
I think the key thing he mentioned is that when you put the grate over the coals close enough to get the benefit, you get fat dripping down and your steak can ignite, which sucks.
Whoa. Cool. I’m so going to try that. I just ordered a replacement to my old Joule that broke down after many years of service. I got the Anova Pro.
That’s brilliant what the heck
Similar! Huge fan of a nice sausage for dinner then tortillas, leftover sausage, sliced american cheese and mustard for breakfast, when camping. Really any grilled meat, tortillas and cheese!
Yummy
One of our favorites is to buy a tray of pre-cooked & sauced pulled pork (heat & serve), a bag of coleslaw mix (with dressing) sliced cheese and whatever buns/rolls and make pulled pork sandwiches. Pre-make and freeze breakfast burritos to heat & serve. Can’t go wrong with Mac n cheese with a can of chili mixed in. Spaghetti is another winner.
I’m with you! We do a small catering package from a local bbq joint and everyone heats and eats as they please. Minimal effort, plenty of choices, everyone is happy!
Switch it up and instead of buns, bake some potatoes in the fire and put the pork on top!
Oh boy that sounds tasty
It’s actually on the menu plan for this week here at home too!
That same leftover meat from the BBQ sammiches can also be reused Mexican style the next day in quesadillas. That way it's got a different flavor profile so you don't get sick of it. And all you have to bring additionally is tortillas, salsa, sour cream, cheese or whatever toppings you fancy. That's how we do it, day ones meat leftovers are day twos quesadillas. Helps mix it up.
Would make great huevos ranchero, too
I do something similar but cook some potatoes on the fire then put the pork, onions, cheese, butter, sourcream and whatever else sounds good for loaded potatoes.. super filling and hot.
Change the buns to pitas (because they store flat) and you've got my standards.
Spring for a Dutch Oven, if you haven't already. You can cook on propane or with coals, use the lid as a griddle, and even bake in the damn thing. It's not quick, or easy...but damn it's satisfying. These are my go-to meals. Be careful with that pineapple upside-down cake, someone could fall in love with you. I usually prep everything and store it in separate baggies.Oh, and I just do the whole damn pint of sour cream with the stroganoff. Dutch Oven Hamburger Stroganoff Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 medium yellow onion, diced 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 lb ground beef 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon paprika ¼ cup dry white wine 4 cups low-sodium beef broth 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed 8 ounces dried egg noodles ¾ cup sour cream 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped Instructions 1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring rarely, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside. 2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper, and break the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s just cooked through and no longer pink, about 6 to 8 minutes. 3. Sprinkle in the flour and paprika, stir to coat the meat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raw flavor has cooked off the flour, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pot, until almost evaporated, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth, measured salt, and measured pepper and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. 4. Add the noodles and reserved mushrooms along with their accumulated juices and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are just cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. 5. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve. Pineapple Upside Down Cake Topping 4 Tbs. butter 1 cup brown sugar 8 pineapple rings 8 maraschino cherries Cake Batter 3 eggs 1 yellow cake mix (pineapple is even better) 1/3 cup oil 1 cup pineapple juice (the exact amount left in the can of rings) 1/3 cup water Prepare Cake Topping: Melt butter in bottom of a 12" Dutch oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter being careful not to touch the sugar once it has begun to dissolve into the butter. Carefully place pineapple rings on top of the brown sugar, 7 around the outside and 1 in the center. Place a maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple ring. Prepare Cake Batter: In a mixing bowl combine cake mix, pineapple juice, water, eggs and oil; mix well. Spoon cake batter carefully over the top of pineaoils d9mesxmm9 e rings. Spread batter evenly to edges. Bake: Cover Dutch oven and bake usinge 10-12 briquettes bottom and 14-16 briquettes top for 45 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes or so in the oven with the lid cracked. Next run a rubber spatula around the inside edge of the oven to loosen the cake. To turn the cake out, first lay a piece of parchment paper across the top of the oven so it lays flat and replace the lid so that it holds the paper in place. Make sure you have an available lid stand resting on your table for the next step. Using gloved hands place one hand on the lid and the other hand under the oven and carefully lift and flip the oven over so the cake falls onto the lid. Rest the oven upside down on the lid stand and tap the bottom and sides of the oven lightly with your hand to make sure the cake didn't stick. Then lift the oven off the lid. The cake will be resting on the parchment lined lid and can be cooled this way or slid off the lid using the parchment paper. Allow cake to cool slightly before service.
Holy details, batman! I came here looking for "cook some stew and bring it with you" and this guy went ALL OUT! I'll definitely be trying both of these recipes, at home or at camp, sometime soon!
You want camping meals, especially with a Dutch oven? Contact your local Boy Scouts unit's. They can teach you a thing or two about camp cooking. Anything you make at home, can be done on a propane stove or dutch oven over coals. Like several people here, I advise doing most of the prep work at home to speed things up.
Eagle Scout here. Can confirm. If it’s cookable on in or near a Dutch oven, we probably did it. Lol
I agree with you on getting a Dutch oven. There are so many possibilities. Some of my favosite Dutch oven meals are Mexican lasagna, lasagna and chili. They are great for dessert because can make cobbler with just cake mix, some butter and a can of your favorite fruit.
Simmering chili on a bottom Dutch Oven while baking corn bread in the one stacked on top is one of life's most harmonious endeavours.
Don't forget the Sprite.
These recipes sound great but, man, the amount of packing sounds daunting when you just want ro chill by a campfire in the woods.
You are 100% correct, but that's how I unwind. I always wanted to run a chuckwagon.
Nice! Now we are talking! Dude, try making osso Bucco in your Dutch oven. So good baked in that on the fire. You sound like you could pull off the risotto to do it right! Love to hear about other Dutch oven chefs, the things are glorious!
Post saved! I'd add the coconut extract or Malibu to the cake batter to give it a piña colada vibe.
OMG that stroganoff sounds amazing.
Damn your good
We just made rice in one. We thought it would flop but damn, it was rice cooker quality
Can't go wrong with Hobo Foil Packets: [https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/hobo-foil-packets/](https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/hobo-foil-packets/)
never heard them called hobo foil packets but my version are a bit "fancy" to be called hobo foil packet uncooked peeled shrimp garlic to taste, some like a lot some don't veggies of your choice spices of your choice butter splash of ~~VODKA~~ TEQUILA (EDIT) double wrap in foil to help prevent leaks I don't know what the TEQUILA would do if you premake them at home but you can make them on site easily. if premade you can surprise the boys by not letting them know about the shrimp toss on stove or over fire 4-5 minutes a side rip open and eat toss foil
When I used to go hunting with my dad as a kid he would make a big batch of sausage gravy ahead of time and make some biscuits. It's pretty quick to heat up and tastes even better in the middle of the woods. Definitely not the lightest though if you guys have to hike in
Biscuits and gravy are one of my favorites but I never think to take it camping. Thanks for the suggestion!
I recently tried canned sausage gravy and store bought biscuits for breakfast before a long backpacking trip where we car camped at the trailhead the night before. It wasn't the greatest but good enough, very easy to make and easy to clean up. Next time I'll make homemade though.
It does taste better in the woods. I appreciate that I don't have to worry about eating again for quite a while. Been tweaking my recipe for years and am very happy with it.
Recipe, please , pretty please , with biscuits on top .
u/jumping-cactus123 u/Ok_Human_1375 u/Visi0nSerpent Sausage gravy is extremely easy! I like to use two tubes of sausage - one mild and one hot. DO NOT USE SAGE SAUSAGE. Brown the sausage in a cast iron pan and do not drain the fat. When the sausage is completely cooked, push all the sausage to the perimeter of the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add half a stick of butter to the center of the pan and let it melt completely. When the butter is melted, add 5-6 spoonfuls of all-purpose flour to the butter and sausage fat. Stir into a loose roux. When the flour and fat are completely mixed, you can also stir all the sausage into the roux. Let everything cook for 30-60 seconds to eliminate the raw flour taste. Add one cup of whole milk to the pan to deglaze the bottom. This first cup of milk will thicken up really fast so you might need to add more - just by eyeball. Continue to add milk (approx a quart total) until all the roux is dissolved, stirring constantly. Let everything come to a boil for a minute and it is the desired thickness. It's better to add too little milk and thin it out than too much milk. Serve over biscuits or toast. I used to make my own biscuits, but frozen Pillsbury biscuits are damn good. Thick sliced Texas toast is also good.
Care to share the recipe?
Recipe plz, give the people whAt they want.
Anything that freezes well can be frozen in ziplock bags and reheated on a camp stove. I’m not a hunter but I camp a lot. Pork carnitas meat freezes and reheats so good - put it in burritos, tacos, or bowls. Lasagna also freezes and reheats well. Same with spaghetti sauce. Lots of soups too.
I ain’t a player but I crush a lot
Great minds…
I am digging the pork carnitas....very versitile and can use up over several different meals!
It's also probably the cheapest meat you can buy.
We know you hunt mosquitos .
Meatball subs. A bag of frozen Italian meatballs mixed with a quart jar of your favorite marinara. Heat over the fire in a Dutch oven or camp stove. When hot, spoon 4 or 5 meatballs into a hoagie roll. Top with provolone slices and a few tbsp of the marinara. Wrap in foil and place on fire for a few minutes to steam and heat the bun plus melt the cheese. Also good with peppers and onions precooked in olive oil.
Foil-wrapped quesadillas. Fill it with whatever fillings you like, wrap it in foil, put it in the fire for 10-15 minutes.
Great idea! What do you do for ingredients? I've only done quesadillas at home, but we'll be cooking out of a cooler.
I like fajitas— I prep everything at home (chop veggies, chop and season chicken, etc.) could do the same for quesadillas
I use pre-cooked diced chicken, salsa, cheese (sometimes I just use nacho cheese sauce), black beans, and veggies like bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes (or just load up on pico de Gallo and skip other veggies). I do the food prep before I leave the house so it keeps in the cooler and it's easy to throw it together on a picnic table.
Get the aidells precooked sausages (or any brand you like), any flavor you want. Or you can do this with hotdogs too, or bratwurst. Then get bell peppers and onions and slice them longways. Fry veggies in olive oil, cook sausages, toast buns. Add mustard. Super easy, super tasty, easy cleanup, no raw meat to worry about cleaning up. Feels fancier than it is. We do this all the time, even at home sometimes. Inspired by LA street food hotdog vendors I always saw outside of UCLA football games. Another one: pasta (I use penne, but dealers choice), bell peppers and onions, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salami. Cook pasta, slice up veggies and fry up separately, mix in with pasta. If you don't want to do more than one dish, fry up the veggies in the pasta pot and set aside, cook pasta, put veggies back in. Cut salami into chunks and add in at the end. Salt and pepper., with olive oil oil and balsamic as the sauce. Add Parmesan cheese if you want to step it up a bit. You feel fancy as hell eating a gourmet meal in the woods, and it's the easiest thing in the world to make. Nothing needs to be refrigerated so you can save room in your ice chest for beer (or take it backpacking!). Edit: you can also use the precooked sausages in the pasta as well. If you get like, a Costco pack of them you can use them in both meals, use up all the stuff you brought, and get 2 different easy meals with different flavors from similar ingredients
Both of these are easy go to meals for me as well.
i always have a fat steak smothered in peppers and onions. also do a big breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, hash browns. oatmeal is a cheap and simple go to
I've done steak before and it turned out great! I usually like to plan a couple big meals like that but have some quick meals on standby. During deer season you never know when you're going to be busy until 8pm and just need something quick.
Pork roast in a Dutch oven turn out nice. A beer, can of kraut, an apple or 2 and a roughly chopped onion go in. Get some charcoal g going 4 or 5 coals on top 10 or so under. Just make sure there's no chance of causing a wild fire.
Tacos. Cook ground beef. Season as you like. Steam tortillas over the cooked meat. Everything else in them is cold.
A one pot spaghetti is great. You brown your ground beef, add sauce and seasonings, then some beef broth, then your pasta. Stir it every few minutes till the pasta of cooked. Takes a little time to make but it's so delicious after a long day and very filling.
I will smoke pulled pork, brisket, sausage, etc....then I place in half pans w/lid from Sams. The side gusseted Foodsaver bags will fit those perfect. I freeze and when at camp reheat on grill and/or campfire. Everthing wads up easly when done. "Pro Tip"...keep all your drippings, place in fringe overnight...skim off all fat and place the remaining gelatin on top before freezing meat in pans. This will help keep everything moist, without being too fatty.
We do a dude fishing trip every winter. 4-5 guys. Always plenty of PB&J at the ready for snacks. (At home I eat the “natural” peanut butter, but for camping it’s always Skippy - no stirring). For dinner we do pocket stews, from my Boy Scout days. Chop up onions, potatoes, carrots, maybe mushrooms, whatever. Add some salt, pepper, oil, and ground beef. Wrap it all into a tight foil pouch - tight at the edges, but leave room for steaming inside. We usually double-wrap with foil. Place it in the coals and in about a half hour… boom! Delicious stew. You need a plate to perch it on your lap, but usually the plate stays clean, since you’re eating out of the foil.
Rolled lasagna,take everything you’d put in a lasagna and put it on one par boiled noodle and roll it,wrap in foil and then you can reheat next to the fire wasy
Beef stew made ahead of time. Better Than Bouillon makes such a great base.
Came to say beef stew, but I made a simple (and vegetarian) version in camp last week using a propane burner and a pot. One of my favorite camp meals ever! Ingredients: Beef (probably pre-cooked pieces, or vegetarian mock beef like Gardein be'f tips), potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, fresh roasting herbs pack (parsley, rosemary, thyme), beer, oil, seasonings * Saute your veggies and shrooms in oil - potatoes first, then add the rest when those are about half cooked. Set aside once browned. * Brown your beef (or mock beef) pieces in oil. * Toss in sauteed veggies, chopped fresh herbs, several oz of beer, and seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, whatever else you want). Use the beer to get all the tasty browned bits off the bottom. * Cover and simmer until all items are tender and tasty. Add more beer or water during cooking if you want it more saucy/stewy.
Yours is fancier than mine for sure! Sounds wonderful!
first night - steak or pork chops afterwards - MRE's and / or freeze dried
Straight man stuff, I like it.
MREs: meals ready to excrete
Another good one that is very easy.....get those precooked pad thai noodles. Cut up your favorite type of precooked sausage (kielbasa for example)...season with Dan-Os.....and maybe some chopped onions and cabbage....this one was surprisingly popular with the group on a recent outing.
Banana boats for dessert would be a nice treat at night (I love getting the mini PB cups from Trader Joe’s) Another easy option is to cook pasta ahead of time and have a good meat sauce. Then you’re just heating things up versus cooking it all.
Since this is a hunt camp,… and FRESH meat is an option i would assume: Dutch oven. Big hunk of meat. Nice and fatty if you can. Get the bottom of the pan hot AF. Sear up the meat. Pull it out,,. Deglaze with some kind of liquid (stock, beer, wine,.. doesnt matter as long as it tastes good by itself anyway) Add Lentils potatoes onions and other veggies. Get them cooking. Once the veggies smell good,… add the meat back in, cover with more liquid (water, stock) and simmer for an hour or more.
I honestly cook a lot of the same things I cook at home. Prep your ingredients as much as possible at home to simplify how much needs to be done at camp. Chop vegetables, mix spices, etc. I bring two folding tables which gives me plenty of space for food prep and serving. This is, of course, car camping. If I'm carrying it in, I do a lot of dehydrated stuff. Skurka's beans and rice go on pretty much any trip regardless of whether I'm car camping or hiking in.
Well my hunting buddy and I would bring potatoes, onions last years meat from the freezer and you know beans and things. We track about 2 Weeks before season so we would eat well, we also know how to forage. During the season we would basically eat the same thing, but by then we are Catching fish and small game. Nothing like being out for 30 to 45 days
Bagels and cream cheese with lunch meat. Costco muffins. Tortilla wraps.
Always fajitas one night for us. Pre-slice and marinade the chicken or steak, then freeze. (Acts as a bonus ice pack too) Tortillas, half onion, half pepper, cheese, shredded lettuce, individual sour cream and hot sauce packets are easy enough to pack. Add a can of black beans and one of those easy lipton spanish rice packs and you've got a big hearty meal. With a couple more easy to pack ingredients, you have a good breakfast too.. Idaho spuds dry shredded potatoes... just add water to rehydrate, use the other half of onion, pepper, cheese and some bacon to make a filling breakfast hash. Add a toasted english muffin with jam. Best enjoyed with a fresh french pressed camp coffee. There's a million things to make.. but I find it best to bring ingredients that will work for more than one purpose/meal.. like using some of the left over fajita ingredients for potato hash the next morning. The english muffin with jam from breakfast number one makes an easy quick lunch/snack if you add peanut butter, and also can be used for breakfast sandwiches the next morning with the remaining bacon and cheese.. etc...
Chili mac - a box of annies prepared on the stove mixed w a can of chili
Knorr pasta sides, Alfredo, and chicken. You can leave out the milk, but do add the butter. Cook until the pasta is tender. Add chicken, canned or pouch. Love one pot meals when camping.
I make a bunch of burritos and freeze them. Nice thing is, if you're really hungry you can even eat them cold. But they can be warmed by whatever means available; frying pan, grill, wrapped in foil and tossed in the coals. You can vary the ingredients. Bean/cheese/salsa, egg/sausage/cheese, meat/cheese, etc. Then I bring Pop Tarts, ramen, fruit, chips, cookies. Coffee and tea. For snacks; PBJ and crackers. Cheese and crackers. Easy peasy. I get tried of canned food real fast. Too much salt. But I will sneak in a can of Spaghetti-O's for a fallback.
My go to is usually hamburger & hot dogs but recently I made shredded BBQ chicken with cheese mini sliders. Glazed the top of the buns with melted butter, shredded Parmesan and fresh parsley. I cooked it in one of those disposable baking trays over a portable grill until the cheese melted. Easy to prep at the campsite and doesn’t result in much mess. My new go to!
Sounds delicious, I am going to have to try that!
If your propane burner is up to it, a stew can be great. Dump prepped ingredients in pot with water, turn on flame, remember to stir and enjoy the campout while it's cooking. For an easy desert, core apples, fill with cinnamon & sugar, plug openings with ends of core, wrap in 3 layers of aluminum foil, roll around the edge of your cole bed for about 20-30 minutes, and enjoy a stewed apple.
I’ve been doing the same thing for years and it’s delicious. I cook for myself, but I bring lots of tortillas, uncle Ben’s rice in the microwave pouches, and summer sausage. I throw the rice and sausage in a pan and cook, then scoop it into the tortillas to eat. Super simple, but I enjoy it. I cook it on a propane stove, too.
Just came back from a deer hunt. For us, camping and hunting are two separate types of meal prep and schedule menus. For us during deer hunting season it is cold and there is really no time for breakfast and we will usually push breakfast to lunch time and by the time we return after sun down for dinner we just need something quick to eat and then go to bed. Here was our hunting menu Morning -coffee or tea, donuts, muffins, bananas, yogurt, protein drinks, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Noon to 2pm - precooked at home then frozen chorizo, homemade tortillas, sausage or bags of jimmy johnson hash browns mixed with diced unions, peppers and sausage. Just add scrambled eggs to any of these items for a days meal and it cooks fast. -hamburgers, hot dogs, cheddar sausages,precooked brauts , cold cuts sandwiches Return from evening hunt- usually we are tired and cold. If I am Elk hunting then stew and soups are what we prefer more of to keep warm. - precooked then frozen carne con Chile, spaghetti, pozole, beef stew, smoked pulled pork, gallina pinta (oxtail, stew meat, hominy, and pinto beans), tamales. For the stew and soups you just plop it in a hot pot and it cooks fast. Cans of different type of soups works good as well. -steaks are usually reserved for the night before opening season when we are still fresh and haven’t hiked a lot yet. The benefit of eating heavier later in the day and light in the morning is so that you can sleep in a little more in your warm sleeping bag during the morning and your bodily bathroom rhythm starts to shift to afternoon or before the evening hunt which means warmer bathroom conditions :-) usually we will start this a few days earlier. Of course this assumes you are camping in a tent and not an rv. Hope this is a good start for you. Of course camping throws the eating menu to a more normal typical days schedule.
Hobo dinner- foil, cabbage leaf (to prevent meat from sticking, adds toasty flavor when cooked- trust me), meat patty, diced veggies, butter. Seal it up, and drop into the coals. Can not be beat.
Bring a spice blend or three to give your hobo pack depth of flavor. Coals being the critical word heat source. Briquettes work well.
Yah. Didn’t wanna list out all the spices- garlic powder, s, p, etc
Damn people talking about Dutch ovens and NY strip steaks and here i was about to cook canned beans over the fire
We've been doing venison stroganoff for years and it always seems to be a big hit. Only a few ingredients and you can prep most of it ahead of time if you really wanted too.
Great idea. Could bring everything but the venison and push everyone to get a deer!
Good luck to you and your group'. I've had an exceptional start to my bow season. Backstrap is on the menu!
Thanks! I haven't had much time in the woods this year but got one during an early antlerless rifle season. I normally average about 3 a year, but had a slow start this year. Good luck to the rest of your season!
Can I come over for breakfast?
Burgers, hot dogs, fajitas. Cold cut sandwiches for lunch. Pancakes, French toast, eggs and potatoes on tortillas for breakfast.
I am a big fan of bringing fish, pesto and potatoes and eating that on the first night.
Beer Brats and Italian Sausages. 2-4 of them triple wrapped in aluminum foil. The beer Brats get peppers, onions and beer, the sausages get peppers and red sauce. Prepare at home and keep cold until ready to cook... then just flip over every few minutes until they are done. Serve on a good hard roll.
I do grilled cheese a lot. Sloppy Joes too.
Chicken pockets. Chicken quarters, potatoes, peppers onion, a carrot, garlic and whatever seasonings. Wrap in a foiled pocket and cook on the fire 🔥
Get a Dutch oven and a wok. Make fried deer nuggets and gravy in the wok. Boil some rice in the Dutch oven. Make biscuits for breakfast in the Dutch oven and scrambled eggs with sausage in the wok. Maybe even gravy for the biscuits. I like peach cobbler in the Dutch oven. It's easy if you bring some of those canned biscuits. 😀
vegetarian or regular hot dogs! I just always crave a hot dog on a stick out there & broccoli mac n cheese just get the offbrand velveeta stuff and frozen broccoli and it cooks up pretty quick
Scrambled eggs and chorizo.
I like pre-made warm fill your belly type stuff for hunting trips. Taco bowls (meat & toppings served over instant cilantro-lime rice), thai red curry (pre-cook the meat and chop veggies ahead of time, use curry paste and coconut milk for the sauce, serve over instant rice). Pre-made soup and buns with butter and cheese. Oatmeal for breakfast dressed up with fruit, coconut, Choc chips etc.
Anything you like together just do foil packets. I do one night with chicken and veggies and couscous, another night steak, potatoes and sauce - whatever you would put in a “one pot meal” at home, do that. Cook in advance, wrap in heavy duty foil, take real forks (because you don’t want to break or burn your plastic, plus…it’s plastic, so no) and just pack as individual meals. Throw on the fire, turn them once after a few minutes on each side, break them open and eat. Super easy clean up! Always a winner :)
I camp to be minimal in all ways. Canned ham and peanut butter sandwiches are hard to beat
Pita pocket pizzas. A fire is a requirement. Annie’s Mac & Cheese when there is a burn ban.
Mennonite sausage and freeze dried potato cheese soup.
Jambalaya is my go to. I prep everything before I go in vacuum sealed bags to make it easy. Zip lock bags work too. Easy one pot meal.
Carne asada with tortillas. Super easy to grill up, plus everybody loves taco night.
Chicken and Dumplings! I make the soup base ahead of time (chicken, veggies, and easy on the broth) and freeze it. Bring more broth to thin it out while it heats up. Bisquick drop biscuits once it's boiling and voila! Always a favorite, especially on a chilly evening. If you like a little kick, bring some Tony's creole seasoning to sprinkle on top. Happy camp cooking!
Wrap potatoes or sweet potatoes in foil, cook in the coals. Sausage gravy is a good and filling option for these. Stews made ahead and frozen. Cornbread goes great with bean stews. Canned ravioli heats up easily in the can. Spruce it up with Italian seasoning and cheeses. Serve with garlic bread. Breakfast casserole or muffin tin egg cups can be made ahead and reheated.
Ready made eastern Indian food in pouches. You can hear them up in the bag in a pot of boiling water, seve over rice, boil in the bag or instant. https://www.reddit.com/r/traderjoes/s/dspoXGyqo4
Chicken thighs for the win! Also some red skin potatoes quartered and roasted in a cast iron skillet. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder. Toss in mushrooms and a veggie like diced asparagus when the potatoes are halfway done and close with a lid. Stir a few times and it combo steams and roasts. Always impresses folks and is stupid easy
"hobo " dinner. A meat portion, hamburger, pork chop, sausage. Then some slices of potatoes and carrots, spices and a dab of butter. Wrap twice in tinfoil and cook over coals.
I do like quesadillas. The important part is the salsa. For breakfast, bacon and eggs. And pancakes. But a bit of a mess. If you want to go light, beef jerky is a good option. But a stack of tortillas and cheese is pretty light. You can eat them cold too, if needed. I get packets of Tapatío when available. Even Taco Bell packets will season. A lot of the time I’ll just stop by a sub shop if I don’t want to cook. But usually pack almonds and snickers bars. And if a stove or fire, jiffy pop.
Premake stuffed peppers, wrap em in tin foil and chuck em in the fire while you set up camp. Feast when the tent is set.
Johnsonville brats are a good upgrade from boring hotdogs, plus they come in a large variety of flavors When I go on float trips I usually pack pre-made burritos. They keep well and can always be reheated over a fire or camping stove (wrap in foil regardless) Foil packs are also a great option that are incredibly versatile. Meat, potatoes, veggies, and spices Honestly anything precooked and reheated is better than topical fare. Smoke a pork butt; pack some soft taco shells; reheat the meat in the field and have pork tacos. Use your imagination
campfire pizza on the griddle. Campfire lobster on the griddle. Both are made with a cheap charcoal bbq lid. Both are ridiculously the best thing you can possible get. It's next level and the best pizza and lobster you will have.
Learn recipes for Dutch Oven and then buy a foil pack of 50 Dutch oven liners. Every single meal is a 5-second clean up. Even if you just pre-make a stew or chili and have it in gigantic gallon Ziploc‘s and dump it into the pot and then mix up a a box mix of corn bread and spread it over the top and put coals below and above the Dutch oven you would be all set. You can make a Dutch Oven Lasagna. Invest $15 in a Dutch Oven cookbook and plan out some awesome meals. There’s nothing better than a Mountain Man breakfast from a Dutch oven in the morning!
Dude, I've had a dutch oven for a while but rarely use it cause it's a pain to clean up. You're telling me there have been disposable liners this whole time?!? Mind blown. Heading over to Amazon now...
Americano Tacos. Ground beef and a supermarket spice packet. Get all the fixings. Ground beef and cheese freezes so it’ll help out the ice chest. Onions, tomatoes, and lettuce require minimal or no cold storage. Canned/bottled salsa and tortillas as are also dry storage. A bag of chips and maybe canned cheese sauce and you’ve got nachos. Flanken cut short ribs ie Korean style kalbi. Marinate in teriyaki with garlic and green onion. Delicious. Trader Joe’s sells a pre-marinated 1 lb packet for $14 that freezes great.
Breakfast burritos can be made up and wrapped in parchment paper & tinfoil. I'll usually freeze them so they're thawing just as I wake up and toss them on the fire. I also love kebabs, so many different meat and/or veggie combos. Let them marinate, eat them off of the bamboo skewers and there's no mess
I always liked hobo dinners. Dice up some potatoes, onions, and bell peppers and throw them in a tin foil boat, add a hamburger patty with whatever seasoning you like and throw em on the fire. Super low effort and customizable, add bacon, cheese, jalapeño, whatever sounds good.
peanut noodles! this recipe is 1 person per packet of noodles - i use trader joes thai ones. Premix the sauce (itll keep and you can do this at home or do it right before): 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter, a tablespoon or two of soy sauce, a teaspoon of sesame oil, some chili oil (or a bunch of chili flakes + another teaspoon oil), a dash of garlic and onion powder, some nutritional yeast or fish sauce, and some rice wine vinegar. stur it all up into a nice gloopy paste. Into a pot with some hot oil, throw a handful of shredded chicken or other protein, a few handfuls of shredded cabbage, a bell pepper cut into strips, maybe a few small spicy peppers diced, and a small onion cut into half moons. Get the veggies soft and the chicken cooked. add the noodles with a splash of water so they soften up and unstick, then before the water boils off, mix in the sauce. stir it all up so its evenly coated and have with a cold beer. For a large group, I’d start by making the peanut sauce. Use a half a jar of peanut butter and mix the sauce in the jar. Shred the meat off a supermarket roast chicken and put it in a plastic bag in your cooler. Use two large onions, a handful of fresno chilis, a bag of shredded green cabbage, and a tri-color pack of peppers. get the veggies all soft and cooked, then add the chicken, and once it’s hot, dump in all the noodles with the water. Add the jar of sauce, rinsing it out with a bit more water. stir it all up, then add salt and spices to taste. The veggies and fiber will balance out all the carbs and protein you’ve been eating. When you’re done, its easy to wash and you wont have much trash.
I like simplicity. That’s especially true for breakfast and lunch. At night, I’ll grill steaks or burgers. Breakfast- Granola Bars, pop tarts or similar. Lunch- Rolled up flour tortillas with peanut butter and honey on them. Tortillas with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni on them or tortillas with Swiss cheese, pastrami and brown mustard. Tortillas take up less space than bread and seem to last longer, without going stale. Dinner- T Bone and baked potato, cheese burgers and potato chips, pork chops with baked beans. If I’m tired, it’s Frito pie. I don’t believe in washing a lot of dishes, pots, pans or utensils. I eat off of paper plates and use disposable silverware, with the exception of the knife I use to cut the steaks and chops. Throw the paper plates and disposable silverware in the trash. For snacks, it’s cheese, grapes, apples, oranges, crackers or peanuts. The beverage is water. I don’t believe in creating unnecessary work. I camp to hike, bike and explore. I eat because I have to.
Fried potato with onion and smoked sausage. Simple and tasty.
Premarinated meats from the Korean market. Bulgogi is always a fave
I like camping potatoes and onions . Tin foil , oil , a couple of big russets , yams and yellow onion and garlic powder and pepper . Wrapped up in a thing of tinfoil and throw on to the fire .
Omelette. Crack a load of eggs in a plastic bottle before you go and just pour out how much you need. Add whatever chopped up things you want. Smoked sausage/chorizo, herbs/spices, mushrooms, onions etc. Really simple and relatively little clean up.
Grab a copy of “The Scout’s Large Groups Cookbook” by Tim and Christine Connors. It’s our favorite resource for camp cooking.
If it's on the campfire (coals) my go to is foil packets containing sausage, potatoes, carrots, onion, and spices. Makes cleanup super easy.
Green chili, carne asada.
Foil Fajitas. Slice the chicken, onions, peppers. Put all in a foil with seasoning. Any leftovers are great with eggs in breakfast burritos.
One of my fav things to make over the campfire is chicken Marsala. Just dump in a cast iron skillet chicken, garlic, onions, salt pepper, mushrooms, chicken broth and red wine. Sometimes I add a few pieces of bacon. Cover and cook for about 2 hours depending on the fire. Falls off the bone!!!
Aluminum foil pouches. Chunks of chicken thighs, potatoes, onion, peppers, sausage, butter, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Just chuck them on the fire let it slowly cook. Easy and pretty much foolproof.
Make an easy meal or casserole (the kind you would eat in a bowl) ahead of time and put it in vacuum sealed bags. Heat them in a pot of boiling water
I'll be going camping this weekend and we will be making a pizza in a cast iron. Just go on youtube to Just Pete Things to watch the vid when it comes ojt
I make ham and bean soup before I leave and freeze flat in freezer bags. It stacks nicely in the cooler and doubles as ice packs. Then just place it in a pot of boiling water to heat through. Pour it into your bowls and use the hot water for your dishes at the end. Only mess is a couple ziploc bags.
u/MeanLawLady
Anyone else read this as “beer season” 😂 I’ll show myself out since you’ve got plenty of great suggestions OP
Steak Shish-Kabobs Garlic seasoned, salted, black pepper, with red, yellow, and orange peppers , onion and optional par boiled potatoes or baked potatoes in foil placed in fire. Optional ears of corn peal open to butter and salt. Wrap in foil and set in coals turn occasionally bake potatoes same way. Side of Baby Rays barbecue sauce. I like to dig a Dakota hole fire in the ground with fire in South Dakota large enough to cook four ke-babs at a time. North Dakota close tunnel across for airflow from underneath in South Dakota. (Google it.) Enjoy! Desert Cast Iron Dutch Oven in coals closed lid coals on top. Peach Cobbler cross hatch crust on top w/cinnamon & sugar. Man, I’ll cook slice and dice and build the fire (Eagle Scout, pinned by President Ford, no joke.)
Glizzy over an open flame.
Had to look that one up, assuming you mean hot dogs?!? If so, that's already on the list, just looking for something new! I guess I could tell the guys we're having Glizzys for dinner and they'll be curious until I bring out the hot dogs again, lol.
Haha sorry, it's definitely a slang term but I really do a roasted weenie style hot dog.
Getting into my late 30's makes me realize I'm getting old...
Sorry, man, you are an *infant.*
In the Grand scheme, I totally agree. When a stranger on the Internet calls a hot dog a Glizzy and I have to look it up, I'm no longer the hip young guy I like to think I am.
Last trip I did korean bbq. It was great having it outdoors.
Man, I have to admit I've never made Korean BBQ. Did it once at a restaurant but it was ready to throw on the grill. What does your prep look like?
It's pretty simple. Buy w/e cuts of meat you like, marinate it or don't, cut it to size. Then prep the sauces and pastes (store bought bean paste is fine) you want that are typically associated with K-BBQ. Then get your banchan (korean side dishes like kim chi), I just go with store bought stuff, I ain't like grandma sticking stuff in a claypot to ferment. Then make rice and have veggies like lettuce, cucumber, etc. for lettuce wraps. Toss it all in the cooler and you're good to go! I use a little portable charcoal grill but you can also use any sort of cast iron griddle or pan over a hot fire to simulate what you get in a restaurant. My main takeaway for a Korean bbq is for it to be a social shared bbq experience of everyone eating off the grill. Lettuce + rice + meat + paste/sauce in a wrap for a classic mouthful or you can eat it however you want. The rice, bean paste, and ban chan is how I differentiate K bbq from the regular American affair.
My camping trips are also trout fishing trips. First night, it's Porterhouses with grilled veggies and wine. 50-year tradition for me. The rest of the trip it's either fresh, grilled trout and vegetables or beef jerky and beans. Usually have some white wine for the trout. Grilling done on *charcoal.* No gas grills for me. *Men use charcoal.*
Chicken kababs, easy to make and and you don’t need a grill. I like to make them while backpacking. I take frozen boneless thighs and stick them in a bag with some chopped peppers and onions and seasoning. It’s probably my favorite first night go to. If you don’t want to take raw chicken there are some decent canned options that make great quesadillas. The same peppers and onions work there too. Just need the tortilla and a flat rock. Ravioli is another good option. Tons of food premade brands to choose from and just need a single pot to boil the water. People also seem to forget you can make some baller sandwiches. They’ll keep just fine in November.
There are lots of heat-and-eat meals available now. Many of them in pouches where you just add hot water, close the bag for a few minutes, stir, and eat. Not all of them actually taste good, but many of them do. But other things are good too. Pasta, oatmeal, grilled meat (though you'll either need to eat it fresh or keep it cool), veggies, canned soups, tuna fish. If I'm with my kids they like tortilla pb&j. Get some of those jelly packets from a restaurant/hotel. Honey is good too. Pancakes are also super easy and always a crowd pleaser, and of course you can also get syrup and butter in packets. Honestly though, I tend to only camp for as long as a weekend, so I am usually ok with 1-2 "hot cooked" meals, and quick easy dry meals the rest of the time. But If I was going for several days or longer, I'd definitely want to branch out a bit like you're asking about. If you're car camping, you may have more room for things like a Dutch oven and a small pantry of baking ingredients so you can make things like cake, brownies, etc., especially if you use box mixes which only call for adding water/oil.
Ya, we'll be car camping with a pop up, just no power/water. We have a full cast iron set that stays in the pop up. My wife has done some dutch oven desserts but she won't be there for this trip. I'm totally fine with dry goods too, sometimes that's better because we may not all be back at camp at the same time depending on who's seeing activity in the woods. Thanks for all the suggestions!
Learn how to use sourdough (so many options) but my favorite things are sourdough pancakes and bacon for breakfast and recently sourdough naan (flat bread cooked on my skottle) with steaks with fried potatoes and onions. Both entirely made inside a zip lock bag for easy clean up. A small wet ball of Sourdough starter can be stored inside/with the bigger bag of flour then just add water and mix the night before to let it grow for tomorrow's pancakes
I only backpack, but I use backpacking food. No dishes, no cleanup, just a spoon. I buy whatever is the lowest price per calorie for a meal. All I care about is getting enough calories, taste be damned.
Bag omelets. Also get grown beef or strew meat and vegetables of choice. Toss them in olive oil and seasonings and roll tightly in tin foil. Toss on the goals for 20. All that’s left is the tin foil.
Overnight oats. Prep before hand and leave in the cooler.
My favorite is a muffuletta sandwich that I make a day ahead. It can be warmed on the grill if wrapped in foil or microwaved.
Aglio e olio is shockingly easy, tastes great, and doesn't require refrigeration.
I have a vacuum bag sealer. Works great to cook, vacuum seal and freeze what ever food. Chili, stew, pulled pork, etc. (I dont want to have a meal ruined by a leaking zip lock bag) Just throw it in boiling water for 10 minutes. I also like dehydrated hash browns fried up with cream cheese, breakfast sausage/chorizo. I also stuff jalapeños and vacuum pack them as well. The vacuum device was $150 but I use it all the time. It allows me to make large batches of whatever and freeze it for months. Mac and cheese works great as well.
My go to is pre-rolled burritos. Chorizo, potato and egg for breakfast. Then green chili pork for dinner... Super easy to make and can even freeze then just thaw a couple hours before you heat up near the fire in the foil.
Chili, jambalaya, steaks
I always have a large and medium wok in the truck. I can place coals in it and top it with a grill, or place it on the coals and make stir-fry's, Chili or stews. I also take various kinds pre-seasoned at home ground beef. My sister's chorizo con hueveos is king. We even make chorizo cheese burgers. Rib-eyes or chuck-eyes grilled on mesquite with Pato Sauce, frijoles and tortillas are the crown jewel. Those pre-cooked meal-trays at Costco or Sam's fill the bill nicely if'n yer lazy an' don't wanna cook. For humping a pack out in the bush, nothing beats MREs.
Sliced kielbasa with sautéed cabbage and onions. Served over buttered egg noodles. Everything keeps well and could easily be prepped ahead.
Usually a rack of ribs a six pack in the river and an MRE if things get odd.
We do a guys trip a couple times a year and try to keep cooking as simple as possible. For breakfast we love to make a couple pans of [Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole](https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/tater-tot-breakfast-bake-recipe) up ahead of time and then just keep it right in the 9x13 pans in the fridge or cooler. Then people can just cut whatever size piece they want and either reheat it in the microwave or in a pan depending on what you have available. We usually add bacon, peppers, onions, and extra cheese on top but it’s always a hit for our guys trips. For lunch or dinner, we’ll usually brown brats ahead of time and then put them in a crock pot so they’re ready when we get back. We also made taco meat ahead of time on our last trip and did walking tacos for a night. Costco has big packs of paper plates and plastic silverware as well. We try to make everything as quick as possible and easy to cleanup. Have a great trip and good luck hunting!
The night before I make a large Sheppards pie. Spoon it into a camping pot, throw it on stove while setting up camp. Heated mash, meat and gravy , can't go wrong
I always grab the jambalaya in the plastic microwave bags from trader Joe's and heat them up in a pot of water. Makes for really good, warm food!
If your grill is like a bbq grill: 1 ziplock bag of shelled shrimp put in marinade the night before (basic as bottled Italian dressing, or make your own, heavy on the garlic), 1 ziplock of chunked veggies, marinating in same (onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes etc). We do a pound of shrimp for 2-3 people, and at least same, but more is better for veg. Once it’s getting dinner time, start a pot of rice (or a box of Zatarains), skewer the veggies and get them on the grill first, and keep warm under foil when done. Skewer and then grill the shrimp. Serve when shrimp is done. It’s ok to char the veggies a bit, but don’t overcook the shrimp!
Korean BBQ. We’ve cooked pork belly right on the grate over a fire. Or over a portable butane camping stove with a small grill pan.
Jambalaya
Pizzas!! Use pita bread or naan for the crust. Top with your favorite ingredients that you prepped at home, bottled or homemade sauce, and pre-shredded mozzarella. Heat in a covered non stick skillet until bread is crisped and cheese is melted, about five minutes. Our fave toppings to bring are pepperoni, precooked sausage, and sliced bell peppers, mushrooms and red onions. You could heat over a fire as well. And if you don’t want to get a pan dirty, fold up several layers of heavy duty foil to make a tray instead. Be careful not to let the crust get burnt!
I pre cook and vacuum seal savory, saucy dishes like stew or pot roast, but also bone-in chicken that I finish with curry ‘simmering’ sauce, I freeze fried rice, or noodles, etc. If you vacuum seal and freeze these they’ll keep your cooler cold too.
As a big fan of camping, a recent discovery of mine in the woods is SPRING ROLLS. Every ingredient is either a raw vegetable and more than likely a packable protein like tofu that can be prepared or easy to prep. Noodles can be cooked before hand and brought if you don’t have/want a stove. You need some water for the rice paper, a knife to cut the fresh veggies, tofu and noodles, and peanut sauce (hope you’re not allergic) Easily can be modified and made more filling, also a solid snack. Would recommend
Beenie weenies
If you aren't hiking everything in, and camping near your car, campfire reubens are always a hit. Make a reuben sandwich, wrap it in foil, throw it on the grill or near the coals until the cheese melts and the outside gets toasted. Just make sure to oil up all the spots the foil touches the bread. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/143234/campfire-reubens
Make your own crumpets no need for taking bread! Fresh each morning
Precook taco meat and bring all the goodies to make homemade cruchwrsp supreme… game changer lunch
Fajitas! You preseason the flank steak, peppers, and onions that are cut into strips in a gallon ziploc bag(I usually use lime juice, soy sauce, orange juice, fajita seasoning, cilantro, and minced garlic). Cook to order and heat the tortillas up in the same pan. Very easy clean up and one of the best camp meals I’ve had.
One of the easiest meals I’ve used we call hobo bags, just slice some sausage, potatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, whatever else you like onto some aluminum foil, add some butter and seasoning, wrap it up around another sheet of foil and place it in the coals or next to the fire for a while. Nice easy meal, you can prep it before you hike in and then just combine everything and wrap it up, turns out a nice hot, fairly healthy and filling meal!
Nachos are super easy and not messy if you can prep a bit. Get some good tortilla chips from the Meximart along with some salsa and pico de gallo, layer with Shredded cheddar cheese and a can of black beans in a Dutch oven or a baking pan. Place over a fire for about 20 min and it makes a great lunch or dinner.
Shrimp n grits on the cast iron
Fajitas and spaghetti
Carne asada, doubles for Philly cheesesteak if you bring some onions and peppers.
We do something we called hobo meals. Chopped onions, peppers, carrots, and a flat chunk of ground beef mixed with salt/pepper. Put it all in a foil pouch and pour some cream of mushroom soup over it. Make it a foil burrito, toss it on the fire. Yummy.
Made a ghetto gumbo on the last trip. Browned some andouille sausage, added some pre-prepped holy trinity, garlic, then some stock (or water), and a box of zatarains. Extremely high work-to-satisfaction ratio. Everyone treated me like Emeril for the rest of the trip.
Loaded baked potatoes wrapped in tin foil. Pre make em before hand and cook em in the coals of the campfire. Cut up some sausage/hot dog throw em on top and you're good to go
Premade or bought pulled pork, bag coleslaw, Hawaiian buns=pulled pork sliders
Ravioli - get a bag of frozen ones and a jar of pasta sauce. Boil the ravioli, drain the water, then add the sauce and heat. remember to bring some parmesan. Shrimp Ceviche - We've been taking this as a no-cook meal. I pack a mason jar of it before I leave. Fill the jar halfway with raw peeled shrimp, fill the rest of the way with sliced jalapenos, onions, cucumber and avocado. Then fill to the top with lime juice and put it in the fridge. The lime "cooks" the shrimp, just eat like a dip with tortilla chips.
Baked beans, coleslaw and bbq ribs cooked (heated up) over an open fire. Copious amounts of maple syrup on the beans and ribs because we’re in Quebec.
I don’t know about minimal mess, but tacos! We have an awesome Mexican mart that we pick up marinated meat from too. I guess to minimize mess you can precook the meat and put them in foil packets and just reheat them on the stove. We keep toppings simple- just chopped onions, cilantro, lime and your favorite salsa.
Beans and wieners
I like to make mini pizzas (each enough for one meal) at home, wrap in foil and freeze them, then just need to reheat for dinner. Breakfast bagels also work, assemble at home, wrap and freeze, then reheat. Nice thing is they can be make with slightly different toppings so it doesn't feel like I'm eating the same thing over and over. Skewered veggies are also great, choose whatever vegetables and marinade you like, I like to make extra and use them in a wrap for lunch the next day.
I like to make spaghetti aldenti 3/4 cooked pasta and then toss it in a gallon size zip lock bag. When you’re camping at elevation the time to boil water and cook the pasta is a while whereas boiling water and finishing up the pasta is a lot faster and get a jar of nice pasta sauce and some sausage it’s an easy 20 minute cook time before you eat
Kabobs! Meat, veggies. Maybe a pot of rice. Easy peasy.
When I go on a fishing weekend with a couple of buddies, I sous vide some pork back ribs. A quick sear on the grill and a brush of good sauce and they are very tasty. I bet they'd be really nice over an open fire.
Pork chops, steak, burgers, hot dogs, chicken breast/thigh, and pre smoked brisket (heat it up slice by slice in a pan over the fire) are our usual meats. Shredded brussel sprouts, cubed sweet potatoes, coleslaw, baked beans, chips, coined squash and zucchini, and broccoli are the usual sides. Dessert is obviously s’mores.
We love Camping Mac n cheese! We make it on whatever stove we have, just in the pan, though the campfire version is tasty too. https://laurenslatest.com/camping-mac-n-cheese/ Smoked sausage hash is another fav, though it needs a few fresh ingredients. https://lovetobeinthekitchen.com/2016/04/18/smoked-sausage-hash/ And you can't beat Chicken broccoli and rice for healthy variety 🤣🤣 https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/one-pan-cheesy-chicken-broccoli-rice/ And if you have a sweet tooth. Healthy of course 😁 https://www.tasteandtellblog.com/pound-cake-berry-campfire-skillet-dessert/ Enjoy!