Camping Classics

August 20, 2010, By Steve Hartsoe 0 comments

Think back to your last camping trip. How was the food? Were the kids begging for gas station beef jerky? Was it so bad even the bears were staying away? With a few simple tricks, you don’t ever have to eat another burned hamburger or cold Pop-Tart again (well, that is, unless you want to).

The cool thing is, you don’t have to be Julia Child or even Bobby Flay to keep your stomach happy. You just have to know how to follow directions and use the same commonsense tips at the campsite as you would at home: Separate cutting boards for meat and vegetables, keep perishables cooled to the appropriate temperature, use the right tool for the job, etc.

Breakfast

First of all, ditch the cold cereal sans milk and let your guests wake up to the smell of something delicious cooking over an open fire. Nothing says “come and get it” like bacon, right?

For this breakfast, you’ll need three eggs, a bag of shredded cheese, three English muffins and six strips of bacon. Fry the bacon first and set it aside, then cook the eggs in the remaining bacon grease. (If this sounds completely unappetizing to you, you can always drain the grease and use butter instead.) Put each egg on top of half of an English muffin, then sprinkle with cheese to taste. Place two slices of bacon on each one and top with the other half of the muffin. Toast the muffins over the fire if you want and voila! Breakfast on the open range.

Lunch

After a morning spent swimming and chasing off mosquitoes, you and your guests will have worked up a healthy appetite. Tacos, anyone? That’s right, tacos. Well, not exactly tacos, but close enough – taco pouches. The ingredients are incredibly portable and can be cleaned up in a snap.

One pouch will typically feed an adult male, so plan accordingly. By precooking the meat at home, you’ll save time and can spend a leisurely afternoon with your family. You’ll need ground beef, one package of taco seasoning, taco toppings (cheese, lettuce, chopped onions, salsa, etc.) as desired and individual serving bags of your favorite taco chips. Cook meat with taco seasoning at home and pack it in a ziplock bag.

For added convenience, pack toppings in individual plastic bags as well, prechopped and ready to go. At the campsite, reheat the meat and crumble the chips in their unopened bags. Then cut a slit along the sides and fill with taco meat and toppings. There you have it: taco pouches.

Dinner

Why not try dinner in a can? For each serving, you’ll need one thin, boneless pork chop, baby carrots, diced red potatoes and onions, vegetable oil, a small amount of butter, a clean coffee can and tin foil. Wash all vegetables and place a small amount of oil in each can. Brown each chop. Add baby carrots, potatoes and onions. Place a little bit of butter in each can, cover with tin foil and cook directly in the coals for 20 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Really, it's quite good.

The real key with camping food is to experiment, try new things and drag out that apron and chef’s hat. Your guests will thank you, and so will your stomach. (But don’t forget to pack the Pop-Tarts and hot dogs, just in case!)