Healthy Recipes for Dinner
Tips for How to Cook Over a Campfire
Many people enjoy camping but have a hard time planning the meals. When you're used to cooking in your home, it can be hard to improvise with just a fire. I'm here to tell you that you don't have to feel intimidated by your limitations. You can cook pretty much anything on the hot coals of a campfire, and I believe that the food tastes better when cooked in the wild outdoors. And it tastes even better when you serve on something special. Visit this page to give you some ideas: https://slateplate.com
I do recommend that you keep things simple. The meal it's self doesn't need to be simple, but it's best to make an easy clean-up. I'm a strong believer in using foil so that you can just dispose of it later. It's also very important if you're back-packing to make sure you don't waste too much water on cleaning. I've provided 3 single-portioned recipes that require almost no clean-up. They tend to cook better in single portions, and it's more fun for each person to prepare their own dinner anyway (especially if you have children).
1.
Pimrel's Foil Chicken & Potatoes: 1 potato, 1 chicken breast, 1 carrot, 2 slices of union, foil, spray-butter, and seasoning.
Wash your potato, and slice it into 4-5 pieces. Lay a piece of foil on the table (make sure it will wrap around the food with a bit of room to spare). Spray the foil with butter, and place your potato slices, union, carrot, and chicken on the foil (in that order). Season the food to your liking (I usually use salt, pepper, garlic, old bay, and anything else I have in the cupboard). Fold 2 opposite sides of the foil over the top of the dinner, and roll the other 2 sides in fairly tight. It's best to prepare the food at home and store it in the cooler until you're ready to cook. Find some hot coals in your campfire, and lay the dinner down directly on the coals. Flip it every 5 minutes for about 15-20 minutes, and it should be ready. When checking to make sure it's done, try not to destroy the foil in case it needs more time in the fire.
2.
Pimrel's Foil Ham Omelet: thick slice of pre-cooked ham, 3 eggs, spray-butter, foil, bowl, and seasoning.
Place 2 sheets of foil on the table, spray with butter, and form a dish in the middle of the foil. Cut up the ham into chunks and put them in a bowl. Crack the eggs and dump them into the bowl too. Season omelet to your liking, and mix the contents well. Dump the omelet into the hand-made dish in the middle of the foil, and fold the sides over the top of it (make sure it's tight enough to hold the contents when flipped). Place the foil breakfast on hot coals (flipping every 3 minutes) for 6-9 minutes.
3.
Pimrel's Breakfast in a Bag: 3 strips of bacon, 2 eggs, seasoning, roasting stick and lunch-size paper bag. Place the 3 strips of bacon side-by-side in the bottom of the bag. Crack the eggs and dump contents on the strips of bacon. Poke a hole through the top of the bag with your stick so it hangs from the stick. Keep the bag over hot coals for 10 minutes.
I hope these recipes work as well for you as they have for me. I've found that foil/paper bag meals allow you to cut out clean-up, and give you an opportunity to enjoy yourself more. For those that would still rather use a pot over the campfire, here are some pointers:
•
I recommend that you use cast aluminum instead of cast iron. It's much easier to clean and maintain, and it gives similar results for cooking over a fire.
•
Make it a one-pot meal to cut out clean-up. You can use my foil dinner recipe in a cast-aluminum Dutch-oven with up to 5 portions, and only have one pot to clean. You can cook eggs and bacon in a pot or pan together just like you might do at home.
•
When using a pot over a fire, try to keep it around 3-4 inches above the hot coals, and never cook over a flame.
Have fun camping, and enjoy your meals while you're enjoying the outdoors!!!
I do recommend that you keep things simple. The meal it's self doesn't need to be simple, but it's best to make an easy clean-up. I'm a strong believer in using foil so that you can just dispose of it later. It's also very important if you're back-packing to make sure you don't waste too much water on cleaning. I've provided 3 single-portioned recipes that require almost no clean-up. They tend to cook better in single portions, and it's more fun for each person to prepare their own dinner anyway (especially if you have children).1.
Pimrel's Foil Chicken & Potatoes: 1 potato, 1 chicken breast, 1 carrot, 2 slices of union, foil, spray-butter, and seasoning.
Wash your potato, and slice it into 4-5 pieces. Lay a piece of foil on the table (make sure it will wrap around the food with a bit of room to spare). Spray the foil with butter, and place your potato slices, union, carrot, and chicken on the foil (in that order). Season the food to your liking (I usually use salt, pepper, garlic, old bay, and anything else I have in the cupboard). Fold 2 opposite sides of the foil over the top of the dinner, and roll the other 2 sides in fairly tight. It's best to prepare the food at home and store it in the cooler until you're ready to cook. Find some hot coals in your campfire, and lay the dinner down directly on the coals. Flip it every 5 minutes for about 15-20 minutes, and it should be ready. When checking to make sure it's done, try not to destroy the foil in case it needs more time in the fire.
2.
Pimrel's Foil Ham Omelet: thick slice of pre-cooked ham, 3 eggs, spray-butter, foil, bowl, and seasoning.
Place 2 sheets of foil on the table, spray with butter, and form a dish in the middle of the foil. Cut up the ham into chunks and put them in a bowl. Crack the eggs and dump them into the bowl too. Season omelet to your liking, and mix the contents well. Dump the omelet into the hand-made dish in the middle of the foil, and fold the sides over the top of it (make sure it's tight enough to hold the contents when flipped). Place the foil breakfast on hot coals (flipping every 3 minutes) for 6-9 minutes.
3.
Pimrel's Breakfast in a Bag: 3 strips of bacon, 2 eggs, seasoning, roasting stick and lunch-size paper bag. Place the 3 strips of bacon side-by-side in the bottom of the bag. Crack the eggs and dump contents on the strips of bacon. Poke a hole through the top of the bag with your stick so it hangs from the stick. Keep the bag over hot coals for 10 minutes.
I hope these recipes work as well for you as they have for me. I've found that foil/paper bag meals allow you to cut out clean-up, and give you an opportunity to enjoy yourself more. For those that would still rather use a pot over the campfire, here are some pointers:
•
I recommend that you use cast aluminum instead of cast iron. It's much easier to clean and maintain, and it gives similar results for cooking over a fire.
•
Make it a one-pot meal to cut out clean-up. You can use my foil dinner recipe in a cast-aluminum Dutch-oven with up to 5 portions, and only have one pot to clean. You can cook eggs and bacon in a pot or pan together just like you might do at home.
•
When using a pot over a fire, try to keep it around 3-4 inches above the hot coals, and never cook over a flame.
Have fun camping, and enjoy your meals while you're enjoying the outdoors!!!