What is the Quintessential Camp Food?
- Thread starter Ragman
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Member III
When I was younger and into backpacking for several days at a time I used to combine Mac & Cheese with a can of tuna….it was ok and gave me the nutrition I needed and didn’t require much prep.
Now that I’m older and married to a great cook we grill some kielbasa with onions and then add a can of baked beans. It is to die for and once again relatively easy to make. We make it on every trip!
Now that I’m older and married to a great cook we grill some kielbasa with onions and then add a can of baked beans. It is to die for and once again relatively easy to make. We make it on every trip!
Advocate III
One of my fav meals when camping alone is to pick up a couple filet mignons at reduced price because they're about to go out of date (an IGA I like in TN lowers the price dramatically the day or two before with a big red-n-yellow MGR's Special! label), and pick up some fresh mushrooms and asparagus and an onion and grill it all up. Sometimes it's chicken breasts or a hunk of ham, though the filet mignons, oh man. Sear 'em good each side and don't flip em a lot, and don't press the juices out.
Goes down just right with whatever local beer I find:
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Another thing that's become a fav camp meal, especially if I have company along, is my 4 ingredient scratch pancakes, topped with gobs of creamy butter, sometimes maple butter, and whatever fruit is on hand. Fresh berries especially, when in season.
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Goes down just right with whatever local beer I find:
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Another thing that's become a fav camp meal, especially if I have company along, is my 4 ingredient scratch pancakes, topped with gobs of creamy butter, sometimes maple butter, and whatever fruit is on hand. Fresh berries especially, when in season.
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Enthusiast III
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Enthusiast II
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This is on my large Discada, but can be scaled down for a scottle. Biscuits and gravy. I prepared and bagged the biscuits at home. Cook your favorite sausage, add some flour to the leftover grease, thin with heavy whipping cream, and boom. Side of eggs goes well.
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Explorer I
I had to look this one up-these are something you make or just take along with you? Inquiring minds want to know.
We still make it from time to time here at home, it's comfort food. We add peas to ours.
If you want to get really fancy... make homemade and try salmon with an appropriate smoked cheese. Same goes for Lobster, crab, chicken and even pork or beef.
As far as I know you'd take it with you. Homemade versions - at the camp site - would be rather tedious and labor intensive IMHO.
Unless I'm confusing these rusks with something else, they are just a more refined version of hardtack.
Member III
When I was in college and broke because I spent all my wages from the bike shop on parts, it was a box of Kraft mac cheese, a can of tuna, and a can of green chile. That'd stick with you. Even better if I actually had milk instead of water for the mac cheese.
summervijx
Rank V
Advocate III
I've always enjoyed a good jambalaya with sausage and chicken. You can throw everything into the cast iron and let it go.
Gonna have to second this and add in some s'mores for my sweet tooth!
Explorer I
My college age daughter loves to make Annie's white cheddar mac 'n cheese with bacon, sautéed onions and peas in it-one of her favorites and I gotta say it is pretty dang good.
Member III
Homemade Jerky - especially when the wife makes 8 trays of peppered bacon jerky.
Laganophake, Roman lentil & red wine stew. Always the first night meal. Make at home, freeze in a tupperware the size of my pot, that way it's part of the ice in my cooler. It's pre-made, so doesn't matter if you get to camp late. My kids and wife loved it camping. Always good and easy for the first night out.
And, you know, the Roman Empire, camping from 27BC to 476AD...
And, you know, the Roman Empire, camping from 27BC to 476AD...
Explorer I
I would love that recipe, I have a lentil recipe that I am thinking about putting up on a video.
Pizza pockets if it's cold enough to enjoy them. Using the round irons, never square.
Chicken bacon dijon in a Panini iron is second place.
I'll save the steaks for home. And generally we don't cook at camp at all. We ate while site seeing. By the time we get to camp, it's: shower, fire, sleep.
Chicken bacon dijon in a Panini iron is second place.
I'll save the steaks for home. And generally we don't cook at camp at all. We ate while site seeing. By the time we get to camp, it's: shower, fire, sleep.
Certainly! Although I've done it enough times that there are many variants now. I'll give you the current favorite. It originally came from a Boot Camp Melbourne recipe.
1-1.5 lbs beef (hamburger if pressed for time, sirloin tips if it needs to be kingly)
2 onions, chopped
2-9 garlic cloves minced, depending on company - 9 is my choice
2-4 carrots, sliced
2-4 celery stalks
1 cup red wine (preferably a high tannin type)
2 tbs tomato paste (I usually do 2 chopped tomatoes instead)
2 sprigs rosemary (probably 1 tsp dried powdered)
1 tsp dried Thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
1-2 tsp salt (that is such a difficult one to do - my wife and I are fairly low blood pressure so usually like fairly salty YMMV)
1.5 cups green lentils
5ish cups water or better yet, stock (chicken, beef, fish or veggie - this is your masterpiece, I usually have chicken stock made)
1. Brown the beef - I like grilling the tips while cooking the other ingredients
2. In a large pot/Dutch oven, add chopped onion, garlic, carrots, tomatoes if using fresh and celery, saute until onion is starting to get translucent (use olive oil/butter if not using the beef fat)
3. In same pot, add the water/stock, and lentils, rosemary thyme, bay leaves and black pepper
4. bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer, usually 30 min until the lentils start to get tender. Take a couple out, blow on them watch for the skins to peal - you may need to add a bit of water depending on the lentil moisture content
5. Beef should be about done if grilling, add back in if using hamburger (I usually grill/smoke at 300 F indirect heat)
6. Add chopped beef, wine, salt
7. simmer again, 5-ish minutes to boil off the alcohol.
8. It's ready - enjoy some now, freeze in appropriate container(s) for the upcoming trip!
I've used up to 1 lbs of carrots and a full head of celery if more people than us are coming. I've added yellow curry spices to give it a more Indian sub-continent flavor (that was spectacular!) and I've added mushrooms (morels in season or shiitake if dried). Fortunately, my family likes garlic, so I always double what a recipe calls for - hence the wide range of amount. Hamburger works, but the grilled sirloin tips is just plain over the top. My oldest daughter (just turned 23 - yikes! and still likes camping with her dad) and I used this recipe back in February in southern Utah, it felt so good as it was chilly. Waiting for the frozen lump to thaw in camp is sometimes a bummer, but with a little foresight, you can remove from the cooler and it can be partially thawed when you get to camp. Enjoy!
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