Convenient, delicious, and without the mess of prepping food in the wild.
As makers of the world’s finest hammocks and outdoor gear, it should be no surprise that camping is one of our favorite things to do. We’re always looking for an excuse to escape the everyday world and venture out to the middle of nowhere for some adventure and relaxation. One thing we don’t always love, though, is having to prepare food in the wild. It’s messy, and it brings a risk of attracting unwanted visitors to your campsite. We think the cleaner and easier cooking in the outdoors can be, the better.
Over the years, we’ve come to appreciate the convenience of cooking food in foil packets. They’re easy to prep, and in fact you can even assemble them before leaving home so that all you have to worry about when you’re ready to eat is opening the cooler and popping one of these over your campfire. Here are some of our favorite foil packet options for each meal. Bon appetit!
Breakfast: Dinosaur Eggs
Here’s the perfect way to cook a savory, spicy breakfast over the campfire. Take a large jalapeno, cut the top off, and carefully remove the seeds and inner ribs using a long, thin knife. Once you’ve got that pepper hollowed out, fill it with shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese. Next, pack raw sausage meat all around the outside of the pepper and wrap the whole thing in foil.
Dinosaur eggs cook well when they’re heated slowly with medium-high heat. Give them at least 20 minutes near the hot coals in your campfire, rotating frequently with a pair of tongs, before checking. Once the sausage is thoroughly cooked, the cheese should be melted and you’ll be ready for a delicious start to your day!
Lunch: Burritos
When it comes to combining flavor and convenience, you really can’t beat a good ol’ burrito! Fill your tortillas with beans, rice, chopped onions, green chiles, salsa, hot sauce, cheese, or anything else you like. Roll them up and wrap them in foil for the next time you’re feeling hungry.
We find these cook best on a grate above a bed of hot coals, with frequent flipping and rotating to make sure the tortillas don’t burn as they’re heated. If you pull it off, you’ll end up with a brown, crispy tortilla and perfectly warmed insides. This takes some practice, so if the first bite is cold, don’t be afraid to throw it back in the foil and heat it a little longer.
Dinner: Grilled Potatoes
We say “Grilled Potatoes”, but really, so much can be added that the potatoes are only the base for everything else you want to throw in. Start by chopping several potatoes into small cubes. Add them to a large foil packet along with several pats of butter and whatever spices you like. We like to add pepper, rosemary, and a couple whole cloves of garlic. Cheese and bacon bits are a couple of upgrades you may want to consider. Raw vegetables like broccoli florets, mushrooms, chopped onions, or asparagus would also not be out of place in here. If you’re looking for a little more substance, add some cubed steak.
Steam is the secret to cooking a potato packet to perfection, so you’ll want to make sure the foil is sealed tightly. Allow the packet to heat up over hot coals, turning and moving it often to avoid burning your food. You may also want to add a tablespoon or so of cooking oil to help keep things from sticking to the bottom. Open it up to check after 15-20 minutes to see how soft the potatoes are, and seal it back up for more time on the fire as needed. If you added raw meat, you may need to drain off some of the juices, and of course make sure it’s cooked thoroughly before eating.
Dessert: Marshmallow & Chocolate Banana Splits
Here’s a fun, easy treat to warm up over the campfire at the end of the day. Take a whole banana, cut it the long way, and lay it in your foil packet. Sprinkle on as many chocolate chips and mini marshmallows as you like, we like a lot! Some caramel cubes or a spoonful of peanut butter would definitely not ruin anything.
Close the foil pack around everything and find a place where it will get low to medium heat near the campfire. Really, all you need to do is melt the marshmallows, chocolate, and caramel. Give it about 5 minutes, then grab a spoon and dig in!
We hope you enjoy these easy and delicious campfire meals. Send some pictures our way if you end up making any of these recipes, or better yet, tell us about one of your own foil pack meals!
