Cooking while Camping-- Great Meal Ideas

The easiest meals to cook in a campsite are those that use the open fire.  No special equipment, no fuels to worry about, and no potential failures.  And who doesn't like being close to a fire?

Here are some meals that are cooked over an open fire.  Remember to use good safety procedures around the fire so no one gets hurt.

#10 Can Dinner, BSA MB Booklet, serves 1, 30 minutes.

(This is called a Coffee Can dinner in the BSA Cooking Merit Badge Booklet, but I have a lot more #10 cans laying around from our food storage.)

1 carrot
2 celery ribs
2 strips bacon
1/2 lb hamburger
1 medium potato, sliced
1/2 onion sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced
salt and pepper
can with metal lid-- use a can opener that cuts the lid off below the edge on the sides, not on the top.

Cut carrot and celery into small pieces, cut bacon in half.  Mold two meat patties out of the hamburger.  Put half of the bacon in the bottom of the can, place half of each ingredient on top of the bacon in layers, Layer again, starting with the other meat patty.  Cover with the metal lid (or another lid or double layer of tin foil) and place can on top of glowing coals for about 25 minutes.  Check after 10 minutes to see if it's cooking too quickly-- add water if so.
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Corn on the Cob, BSA MB booklet, serves 1, 10 minutes.

Take a raw ear of corn and remove the husk and silk.  Dab butter or oil all over the kernels and wrap in tin foil.  Roast on the coals for 10 minutes.
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Campfire Hobo Stew Foil Dinner, BSA MB booklet, serves 4, 15 minutes.

1 lb hamburger or stew beef
chopped veggies of your choice, like green beans, carrots, onions, zucchini, bell pepper)
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
4 TBS butter

Cut off 4 pieces of tin foil for individual packets.  Spray the foil with spray oil.  Add meat first, then veggies.  Top with seasonings, then butter.  Close foil on all sides, leaving some room for expansion.  Mark your packet so you know which one is yours.  Place the packets into the coals.  Check for doneness in 10 minutes.
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Camp Kabobs, BSA MB booklet, serves 4,

1 lb raw chicken (cut into strips.  Marinate in a ziplock bag with Italian dressing for 20 minutes)
or
1 lb steak (cubed, marinated in a ziplock bag with soy sauce and garlic powder for 20 minutes)
Large chunks of veggies like mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, etc.

When ready to cook, load skewers with meat and veggies, but load them separately from each other.  Load all mushrooms together on the same skewer, for example, because each item will cook at a different rate.

Position each skewer over the fire, starting with the meat first, then hard veggies, then soft veggies.  Turn regularly.
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Foil Pick a Meal, BSA MB booklet, serves 4.

Choose something from each category and prepare each item by making them uniform bit-sized pieces.  Spray the foil with oil, then put the meat in first, then the other ingredients.  Top with butter and any favorite seasonings.  Fold and crimp, allowing for expansion and place in the coals for 20-25 minutes.

Meats or Bases:
1 lb hamburger
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 veggie burgers
1 lb salmon filet
4 ham steaks
8 hot dogs
2-3 cups chili
1 12 oz can tuna mixed with a can of cream of mushroom soup

Starches:
4 potatoes, chopped
3 cups cooked rice
4 sweet potatoes, sliced
4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups corn chips
8 tortillas
4 cups corn

Veggies:
4 carrots, sliced into sticks
1 cup chopped broccoli, sweet peppers, zucchini or green beans
1 cup baked beans
1 cup shredded cheese
8 oz can peas

Exotics for flavor:
1 sliced onion
7 oz can mushrooms, drained
4 pineapple rings
1 sliced lemon
1 large apple, sliced
1 small can chopped green chiles
1 cup salsa or a medium tomato, chopped
1 cup diced celery
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Wooden Shad, from the Plains Wars 1850's, How to Feed an Army, serves 1.

One Shad (or you can substitute another fatty fish like herring, mackerel or freshwater bass.)
1x4 plank, hardwood like maple or apple or cherry.  Not pine because of the sap.
butter and salt and pepper to taste

Heat the plank near the fire.  Dress and clean the fish, removing as many bones as possible.  Nail the fish to the plank using a nail in the tail.  Place the board near the fire with the fish facing it to obtain a good slow heat.  After 15 minutes, remove nail and turn the shad.  Baste often with Italian dressing or butter.