What is your must cook meal or must have food for camping.

[MattLew]

My Go-To camp foods? it really depends on how long I am going to be out, what gear I am taking with me, and how much time I am going to spend in camp. On hunting overnighters I am just as likely to take a kettle and my propane camp stove to be able to quickly heat and eat a mountain house freeze dried dinner as I am to actually cook a real dinner, BUT if I am going camping (even in the canoe) I am just as likely to take a cooler full of "real food" even if I am cooking over an open flame.

Assuming I am vehicle camping even if the vehicle is a canoe, and assuming I am cooking for more than just me, I am known to cook:
Pasta Salad (outlined in the spam thread, though I am more likely to use summer sausage these days than spam).

"Lew's Nearly Famous Stuffed Meatballs and Spaghetti" Spaghetti with lightly breaded and pan fried savory meatballs stuffed with cheese in marinara (preferably home made, but I WILL use sauce from a jar if my pantry is low on or I have run out of the home made sauce) served with real grated parmigiano cheese, and if possibly campfire toasted garlic bread

Soft Shell Tacos (either wrapped like a burrito, or open like a hard shell depending on my mood and what size shells I happen to choose) with mild meat (I am mildly alergic, or SEVERELY intolerant to most members of the pepper family depending on which doctor you ask so I have no tollerance for hot n spicy), cheese, roasted bell peppers, sliced or chunked (depending on my mood) tomatoes skin on, refried beans (from a can... sorry. I must confess I do not do enough mexican food that I have ever learned to do proper refried beans), fresh guacamole, taco sauce in both mild and oh my gawd that's hot, and sour cream. I often will serve it with home made salsa in both mild and hot, and store bought chips (I often will get a bag of tostitos and a bag of frito lays. (since everything is ala carte, I can go very mild, and my friends can go as hot as they wish. As variations on the trail taco theme I will also do fajitas or quesadillas instead of tacos.

5 meat chili (o.k. I serve this at hunt camp more than on the trail, mostly because it takes much longer to cook but if a day is going to be spent in camp) but I make it mild with 2-3 different species of meat in 2-3 different cuts each depending on what my butcher had available so it may have lamb, strips of stew meat (stroganoff), pork sausage, ground chuck, thick sliced bacon, steak tips, sliced steak, maybe even venison depending on what I have left from hunting season... I will serve it with a "stupid hot" sauce and roasted bell and or jalapeno pepper slices on the side so others can spice it as they see fit, and serve it with cast iron corn bread and shredded cheese

Japanese Steakhouse steak or shrimp stir fry, complete with onion volcanos. I often will marinade different batches of meat or shrimp for different flavors and serve with rice, sauteed mushroom and onion, etc. when mixed together, each bite will be different because the different marinades do not mingle much once cooked into their chosen meat. (I have done sushi in camp using packaged salmon, but I have also thrown out too much salmon because I did not trust it so I won't do it again til I have a refrigerator in my camp gear.)

breakfasts may be scrambled eggs (on request I may cook them to order), western omelets, japanese style omelets, waffle house style hashbrowns, biscuits and gravy, hashbrown casserole.

I USED to be able to do pizza at camp, but I no longer have that oven. it is on my list of things to get when I reequip.

I will also on occasion do artisanal breads in the dutch oven if it is some place I can have a proper camp fire even if that is a raised fire pit. (it would be better doing so with a well regulated internal temperature using charcoal briquettes, but I never really had anything to carry charcoal in without covering EVERYTHING I owned in charcoal dust. I have come into some ideas to rectify that problem and may start bringing charcoal to camp)

I also am known to pullout camp cooking classics such as biscuits on a stick, steak cooked on a rock, pie iron burgers and deserts, but I like to mix the classic camp/boyscout cooking with the fancy stuff.

Sorry folks... despite being a shutter bug, I never have been one for taking pictures of food, though that is going to be changing this year as I start filming for an outdoor channel I am going to be starting later this year.

 

[MattLew]

yes indeed! i fried some SPAM and threw it in an omlet with some wilted spinich and topped it with tomato and avocado and served as a breakfast sandwich. BBE (Best Breakfast Ever)

i also do a dish every trip where i make a pot of instant rice and then fry pieces of Spam and add Rotel and black eyed peas, simmer a bit and then add to the rice as a hybrid "Hoppin' John"...EXCELLENT use of Spam!

I see that sammich... even if it is just spam it looks great. I am going to have to make a point of going campin with you one of these days... or at least swappin some recipes.

 

[Draykas]

wow gotta browse this thread in little more depth lots of good ideas. I tend to lean towards the nicer and finer foods......21 years US Army retired and too many just fill you up meals/MRE/Dried foods.

We so far have enjoyed Chicken Fajitas and... the surprising one that I watch You tube video is camp Pizza

 

[Stomper_TJ]

So, I have not really “overlanded” yet... July 4th is my first trip with the truck and RTT, but I am doing my wings I make when hunting, and at home. I have a Traeger grill, and 30 minutes is all I need to make the best smoked hot wings ever! Love them...

 

[MOAK]

Salmon, Chicken, Steaks, burgers, along with fresh Veggies for dinner. If we’re beat and it’s late we’ll just boil some water and eat MREs. For lunch sandwiches or dogs. Oatmeal with fruit or sausage and eggs for breakfast. I’m the cook when we are out and about and this kinda food is quick & easy to prepare. My wife is a great amateur chef so we save the gourmet meals for when we are home. Our go to, must have with us food? I’d have to say oatmeal. I bake it on low heat in cast iron for about 15 minutes, add fruit, cinnamon and brown sugar. It’s nice and fluffy and never gruel like. My entire family looks forward to it. Even with our food we abide by our KISS methodology.

 

[Downs]

Cornbeef hash. :D

 

[Misfit6035]

Ceviche soft tacos. I'm actually leaving on a trip in the morning, and I'll be making them tomorrow evening. I will post sone pictures.

1/2lb of raw shrimp shelled and deveined
5 limes
2 large tomatoes
2-3 jalapeños or 4-6 serrano peppers
Use more or less depending on your tastes
1 meduim yellow onion
1/2 cucumber
1 bunch cilantro
Salt to taste
1 large avocado
Tortillas, corn or flour
And you favorite hot sauce

Cut limes in half and squeez 8 halves into a bowl. Set the other halves aside for later.

Cut raw shrimp up in to small pieces and add them to the bowl with the lime juice, and place on ice for about an hour.

While the shrimp "cooks" in the lime, make the pico de gallo, dice up the tomato(i usually remove the veins and seeds,) onion, peppers, cucumber, and cilantro, and place in a bowl, squeeze in the remaining lime juice, salt to taste and mix thoroughly.

Once the shrimp is done(you will know because it really will look like it was cooked) drain the lime juice and mix the shrimp into the pico.

Toast up your tortillas and serve with a slice of avocado and hot sauce.

 

[Stomper_TJ]

Ceviche soft tacos. I'm actually leaving on a trip in the morning, and I'll be making them tomorrow evening. I will post sone pictures.

1/2lb of raw shrimp shelled and deveined
5 limes
2 large tomatoes
2-3 jalapeños or 4-6 serrano peppers
Use more or less depending on your tastes
1 meduim yellow onion
1/2 cucumber
1 bunch cilantro
Salt to taste
1 large avocado
Tortillas, corn or flour
And you favorite hot sauce

Cut limes in half and squeez 8 halves into a bowl. Set the other halves aside for later.

Cut raw shrimp up in to small pieces and add them to the bowl with the lime juice, and place on ice for about an hour.

While the shrimp "cooks" in the lime, make the pico de gallo, dice up the tomato(i usually remove the veins and seeds,) onion, peppers, cucumber, and cilantro, and place in a bowl, squeeze in the remaining lime juice, salt to taste and mix thoroughly.

Once the shrimp is done(you will know because it really will look like it was cooked) drain the lime juice and mix the shrimp into the pico.

Toast up your tortillas and serve with a slice of avocado and hot sauce.

Damn that sounds good! ...when and where exactly are you cooking this meal???

 

[Misfit6035]

Ceviche soft tacos. I'm actually leaving on a trip in the morning, and I'll be making them tomorrow evening. I will post sone pictures.

1/2lb of raw shrimp shelled and deveined
5 limes
2 large tomatoes
2-3 jalapeños or 4-6 serrano peppers
Use more or less depending on your tastes
1 meduim yellow onion
1/2 cucumber
1 bunch cilantro
Salt to taste
1 large avocado
Tortillas, corn or flour
And you favorite hot sauce

Cut limes in half and squeez 8 halves into a bowl. Set the other halves aside for later.

Cut raw shrimp up in to small pieces and add them to the bowl with the lime juice, and place on ice for about an hour.

While the shrimp "cooks" in the lime, make the pico de gallo, dice up the tomato(i usually remove the veins and seeds,) onion, peppers, cucumber, and cilantro, and place in a bowl, squeeze in the remaining lime juice, salt to taste and mix thoroughly.

Once the shrimp is done(you will know because it really will look like it was cooked) drain the lime juice and mix the shrimp into the pico.

Toast up your tortillas and serve with a slice of avocado and hot sauce.

Damn that sounds good! ...when and where exactly are you cooking this meal???

Technically you don't "cook" anything. The lime juice "cooks" the shrimp, and I made it three nights ago in Black Canyon outside of Montrose Colorado.

 

[472HemiGTX]

I have 2:

Jalapenos in the Dutch oven - cut off stems and clean out seeds. Mix cream cheese, diced white onion, real bacon crumbles (make extra bacon at breakfast), powdered garlic and Johnny's seasoning salt. Stuff jalapenos, coat with olive oil and bake in Dutch oven.

What my friends call meatloaf cheeseburgers. Mix 2 lbs burger, 1 egg, 1 cube diced butter, 1 diced onion, bacon crumbles, garlic salt & pepper. Make patties and cook on campfire grill, add cheese.

I usually do the prep on both of these in advance put it in a ziplock bag.

Sorry, no pictures. By the time I broke out the camera last trip, the food was gone.

 

[BikeManDan]

I always bring a package or two of (store bought) lavash bread. It packs well, stays fairly fresh for a long time, and is really versatile. I use it for sandwich wraps, flat bread pizzas, and breakfast "burritos". I even use it for cheesesteak style sandwiches.

 

[athwrangler]

My go to camp food most of the time is fast fry pork chops with backed potatoes wrapped in tin foil in the coals of the fire as long as you can have a fire.

 

[scott17818]

i do

dinner:
pan fried potatoes (homefries 3/4"x34" or so cubes) fried in EVO, and butter with some cayenne pepper, garlic powder and salt (you have to do small batches (enough to cover pan bottom) otherwise they get mushy..
steak tips , sear on pan, than cook over fire, salt pepper
pan roasted peppers & onions

breakfast:
sausage egg, cheese onion, and peppers in a burritto, add salsa/hotsauce or whatever you brought

luch simple trail meals:
sandwiches (cold cuts work great)
soup on cold days (jetboil makes this easy (just dont cook tomato based soups in your jetboil)
premade wraps (I like to pre-make a wrap sandwich (grilled chicken, bacon, and caesar salad is a fav) no heating needed, eat cold out of cooler. bread tends to get squished
PB & J
tuna melts (if you feel motivated to pull out the stove, or use the jetboil pot adapter)
fruits, veggies as trail/road snacks

I keep plenty of snacks in the truck, and emergency rations JIC.

 

[PNWoffroader]

BBQ chicken and Baked potatos on the fire, I like to vacuum seal some chicken breasts in a BBQ sauce and freeze them for the cooler. At some point they will thaw in my cooler and I will cook them over a campfire along with the baked potatos that I slice open a bit and put sliced onions inside and wrap them in aluminum foil. Tastes great and super easy meal.

 

[Viv OB20287]

Bacon and eggs in a toasted english muffin with melted cheese and bbq sauce....

 

[Gone_xtrkn]

One anniversary trip I made pan seared gnocchi with brown butter and sage as an indulgence and was pleasantly surprised by how well it works as a camp meal. Only three ingredients, one pan, and if you buy the right packaged gnocchi the only thing that needs to be refrigerated is the butter. Lately I’ve been tossing some thick bacon or prosciutto in for protein. We now have this on every multi-day trip.

 

[velo47]

BBQ chicken and Baked potatos on the fire, I like to vacuum seal some chicken breasts in a BBQ sauce and freeze them for the cooler. At some point they will thaw in my cooler and I will cook them over a campfire along with the baked potatos that I slice open a bit and put sliced onions inside and wrap them in aluminum foil. Tastes great and super easy meal.

View attachment 159951

What is that thing you're cooking over? I seem to remember it from when I was a kid, but it's been soooo long since we've been allowed to have one... ;o)

 

[PNWoffroader]

What is that thing you're cooking over? I seem to remember it from when I was a kid, but it's been soooo long since we've been allowed to have one... ;o)

HAHA you must be talking about the fire pit. Believe it or not I found this pre-made pit in the middle of no where, no campground, no markings just a flat spot and a random permanent fire-pit.

 

[chuckoverland]

Filet mignon.

 

[PyroTek_98_23]

While Camping, for us, a MUST have is Elk burgers or steaks. Have a few go-to meals. But Elk is definitely in the MUST have.