Ideas for camping cook needed

[Henrik]

Hi Pit members!

Next weekend I'm cooking for 6 guys. We're going camping, and it's very rudimentary. Think camping in the woods. There will be no grill or any other "fancy" stuff, there will only be what one can carry in a backpack, plus possibly a hole in the ground with some fire wood. It's not a survival trip, but in terms of equipment, think of it as one.

So, how can I cook something simple, but yet tasty? I have an idea, and I thought I'd share it here, and hopefully you can chime in. And if nothing else it will give you an idea of how simple I need to make it.


Idea: Beef tacos in the woods
I will bring a ribeye (or similar, big hunk of beef). It will be fine for a few hours in my back pack. I'll string it up like Francis Mallman does, get three branches of wood and form a tripod of sorts so I can hang it and cook over open fire for an hour or two. I will bring herbs and oil (will fit easily in my backpack), plus some basic veggies.
I can make a simple board sauce with a knife and small cutting board and then serve everything in pita breads with some veggies and board sauce.

The photo attached is only for reference, imagine something much smaller.

I could also do onions wrapped in tin foil with some oil and curry. That turns out great.

What do you think? Remember, everything needs to fit in a back pack, so bringing grill grates or a cast iron pan is out of the question.

How simple, yet tasty, can I make it? I think tacos are good because it's easy to pack, but I'm open to ideas.

[Bkhuna]

My first suggestion is to hire a Sherpa.

[Henrik]

Can't find them up here in the Nordics unfortunately...

[Clark]

All you need is a few cans of Pork 'n Beans. Eat them hot or cold. No plates needed, just a spoon (and can opener).
When you're through, just bury the cans. They do get heavy, tho, so put them in your buddies' packs.

[bbqLuv]

Bushes baked beans

[texastweeter]

Beanieweenies, get it right bbqLuv

[HawkerXP]

If you go the foil packet route, be sure to add something for moisture like slice of onion.

There are some pretty good freeze-dried products out there.

The boys always liked spaghetti in a bag. Cook the noodles and meat sauce at home, place the cooled cooked noodles and meat sauce in individual zip lock bags. Place in boiling / hot water at the site. Eat out of the bag. Easy and no cleanup.

[Jfrosty27]

Sorry Henrik. To me roughing it is a hotel without a bar and restaurant. But you go ahead and enjoy yourself! 🤣😂

[Henrik]

Lol!

[klflowers]

And room service. Or the RV

[Oak Smoke]

As a young man I camped often . My best tool was a roll of heavy duty aluminum foil. You can wrap and cook potatoes and almost any meat in the 2 or 3 pound size range on coals raked from the fire. Onions wrapped and cooked this way are really good. It’s simple and cleanup is a breeze.

[texastweeter]

Or on an exhaust manifold too.

[Oak Smoke]

texastweeter Yes that will do it. They are great for reheating Allsups burritos too!

[texastweeter]

I have a feeling we share many of the same stories, lol.

[LA Pork Butt]

I think your ribeye tacos is a good idea and Oak Smoke’s aluminum foil ideas expands the horizon. Have each backpack carry a food item.

[Henrik]

Yes, that sounds like a plan.

[texastweeter]

Caveman cooking is very effective. Cook the meat directly on the coals. Wrap onions peppers taters or any other veg in foil and bury in the coals. Cured sausages carry well too, and can be cooked on a stick, and then wrapped in a tortilla with veg/condiments. Bacon can be skewered and cooked as well, gathering the dripping grease to season the veg and taters.

[Alan Brice]

Oak Smoke nailed it. Foil wrapped onions, carrots, potatoes, n any kind of protein. Each can determine his level of heat, n spice, elim the need for cookware or tableware. Just need yer trio of silver n a cup. Veeola. Learned a tonne in Scouts.
You can boil water in a papercup, all you need is a stable fire.
We had races/contests of fire making along with whose water boiled first. If yer fire was sloppy the cup eventually tipped n put yer fire out. ;-{0>
Tee pee to start n sturdy base of logcabin style wins the race.

[texastweeter]

Yep, can boil it in a plastic bottle too in a pinch.

[Oak Smoke]

I’ve seen coffee made in a brown paper bag. The bag will burn down to the liquid level then stop. It was an old scout I watched do this. It was amazing to watch water boil in a paper bag. You had to dip the coffee out of the sack with your cup but it worked.

[Steve R.]

My opinion on camping meals: if you can't cook it in foil packets or on skewers, it's more trouble than it's worth.

[TripleB]

Few questions:

How long are you going for?

How cold is it going to be at night?

How did you get stuck cooking for 6 people with no equipment or fuel?

I assume they are carrying their own food? I sure hope so.

Do you have to pack water or will it be available?

[Huskee]

That's cool that you want to still cook something fresh and tasty. I like to cook over fire when camping, but I take a grill grate, cooler, and steaks and brats, etc. Definitely not what you're aiming for.

Peak and Mountain House MREs have come a long way, you can eat very good and all you have to do is boil water That's what I do when it's no longer steak cooking time, they're not 'survival food' or 'military food', they're nearly restaurant good (some excellent, some just 'ok') and very easy. I know, that's not cooking. Just throwing that out there as a backup

[Clawbear57]

Don't know but good luck.

[jfmorris]

Most of my camping meals as a kid when not fishing were packets of meat, onions, and veggies wrapped in foil and cooked in the coals - hobo stew we called it back then.

I like the taco idea much better! No reason it won’t work. I might see if I could carry a roll of wire or a metal coat hanger or something you can hook through the steak and suspend it over the fire with. I worry sticks could burn through…

[Henrik]

Good input from y'all. Tin foil is the way to go. I did buy a whole premium quality ribeye yesterday, weighing in at 3 kilos (6.6 lbs). I also purchased three bamboo sticks, 1.5 meters long each. They weigh nothing, and I will form a tripod with them so I can hang the ribeye over the fire. It will be real wood only, no charcoal. And yes, they're sturdy enough that they will last through the cook. Would be a shame if they catch fire and the meat drops :-)

I will distribute food with the others, but it won't take up much space, given the taco/tortilla plans I have. I will of course take photos and upload here. I'll start the fire on Saturday afternoon. Don't know how it will look when we get there, in terms of how much wilderness vs some kind of cement ring where one can make a fire. We'll see, I'm preparing for not having much to work with.

[mrteddyprincess]

Of course, we want to see pics! Have fun! B

[texastweeter]

I have one of these I use often.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/355966135296

[Henrik]

I wish I had seen that sooner texastweeter - that's what I'm fabricating (not that it's hard or anything, but still). Oh well, there's always a next time!