I'm heading out this weekend with my boy for a little camping, scouting/hiking, and maybe even a little fishing.
As I was putting together some food, I thought I'd check with you guys on what some of your favorite camping foods are. I don't have a trailer w/ oven, etc., just a coleman stove, little hibachi, and of course, a nice fire :) .
I'll start-I love a good fire-roasted hot dog with some thick baked beans to go along with it. So, what are some of your favorites to pack along?
Jeremy
Ground Venison in Zataran's Dirty Rice Mix: rolled in tortillas, cheese, sour cream & Tobasco!
I'm into VOLUME.......
That sounds good BobW. I might have to have that this weekend at home, but if I'm camping and need to travel light, you'll usually find hard cheese, jerky, stick salimi, sardines, trailmix and maybe a freeze dried meal or two in my pack. Course you'll have to push the Jolley Rogers(Hard Candy)and either fresh apples or canned fruit aside to get to the other stuff. When I hunted Alaska, I even made room for a couple of cans of spam. Nothing like fried spam with a orange gator-aid base reduction sauce when your out back and hungrey.
I remember when my dad took me out when I was young. Those trips are the reason I love the outdoors so much today.
The cooking was never his strong hold, and I must have inherited that gene although it's pretty difficult to mess up hot dogs and hamburgers. Some fresh fish if you're fishing an area that you can keep a couple for dinner is always fun for the youngsters to do. Keep it simple and have lots of fun!
Hope you have a great trip and see lots of game, that's one of the great things about this time of year :)
If I'm hunting with "Biggie" I'm packing a lot more spam and gator aid.
1 small dutch oven lightly greased.
put in a deer steak, then apply an onion on top of deer steak, ad another deer steak,onion, steak, onion.... until you reach the height of the pot.
Peal tators, and carrots and pack around deer steaks, dump in a can of mushrooms. Then add 2 cups of swansons beef broth.
Start a good fire in the fire ring, let burn to coals. Place oven in coals and heap coals over it. Go do something fun for 3 hours, stump shoot, fish, whatever.
When you come back it will be done.
Bone ap eye tight :)
CKR
Rice:
Are you advising a whole onion between each steak or a large slice? I love cookin in Dutch Ovens when I don't have to haul them very far. That recipe sounds like a winner to me. Thanks for sharing.
Just a slice.
One big onion will do the whole job.
We actually do this when deer hunting.
Put it together after lunch.
Start a fire in the ring, take a nap! :)
About 3:00 P.M. get up, put dutch oven on coals and go to tree stand.
When you get back to camp after dark, its ready to feed 5 or 6 hungry hunters.
Do a whole chicken the same way sometimes. Stuff onions in the chicken and use chicken broth.
Cool nights, warm food, deer stands, hunting stories: Come on November!!!
CKR
hamburger helper and any kind of ground meat or sausage.
QuoteI'm into VOLUME.......
That's just funny-and I'm assuming assists in your name, Biggie? :)
rice - I haven't tried the dutch oven cooking yet, but after reading your recipe, I think I might have to find me one. I truck camp most of the time and that would be easy to haul along. Now I'm getting hungry...
Jeremy
QuoteOriginally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
I'm into VOLUME.......
:laughing: :laughing:
Bill:
Venison burger can be dehydrated to the consistency of coarse ground coffee, hard cheese lasts over a week, tortillas are perfect as they don't smash, hot sauce packets from Taco Bell... leaves only the absence of sour cream.
We also use dehydrated refried beans & cormbread to do poor man's tamale pie (outback oven).
We fed four of us on a week in the Boundary Waters on a 20# pack of food, ate like kings, and brought half of the weight back (dumb planning).
An outstanding text:
www.amazon.com/Hungry-Hikers-Book-Good-Cooking/dp/0394707745 (http://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Hikers-Book-Good-Cooking/dp/0394707745)
Not that hard to "eat like a king" in the woods...
MRE's...I tend to wanna go in light and come out heavy :bigsmyl:
QuoteOriginally posted by wapiti792:
MRE's...I tend to wanna go in light and come out heavy :bigsmyl:
I have to agree, if this is a hunting trip that is.
MRe's - there is a reason the military has them - because only in a place of conflict would they seem palatable.... sorry our wonderful folks serving us have to endure such an assault on their stomachs :notworthy:
Quotesorry our wonderful folks serving us have to endure such an assault on their stomachs
:)
Yeah, I always found MRE's to be somewhat tasty when I was covered in dirt, hot or cold or wet, and pretty tired. Of course, hunting can be kinda like that, too... But I'm still looking up that site for back country eating. MRE's are ok and certainly convenient, but I'm liking that idea of "eating like a king" :pray:
Jeremy
I usually have all sorts of stuff back at camp. For when I'm on the move I usually carry hot cereal mixed with sugar (cocoa wheat is good to), kippered herring filets, jerky (which I hate but its convenient protein), and Lifesavers (thanks Marv Clynke).
Little Debbie Nutty Bars
Doo-Dah, Doo-Dah
smoked almonds, water, lots of water, pepperoni and cheese, miso soup (the two-part mix is best) and bean thread noodles.
The soup and noodles is great after a long day. It is dark, you are bone tired. Put the water on to boil. Put two packets of the soup mix into a bowl or tin cup. Put in a bundle of bean thread noodles, or pho noodles. Maybe some seaweed or thinly sliced carrot and onion, or fresh meat if you have been lucky. Add the boiling water. Cover it and go swap out your boots and wet socks for a pair of sheepskin mocs. Go get a beer out of the coolerator. Your soup is done.
Now go to bed, light the lantern, break out a copy of "Wild Sports" and a packet of Little Debbie Nutty Bars. See ya in the morning.
Killdeer
Hobo dinners in the coals of the fire. Wrap some burger, potatoes, carrots, onion a little butter and water in two layers of tin foil and lay them in the coals for about 30 minutes.
Cube a couple of potatoes and put them on to boil. Drain and set aside before they start to come apart - done but still cubes.
Ground beef browned in an iron skillet, drain some mosture off of it, and let simmer. Brown some chopped onion and bell pepper in a couple of spoons of olive oil, then add to the simmering meat along with your choice of canned beans (pork n beans, baked beans, etc..). Add the potatoes, and let simmer while you prepare some cheese slices and bread or crackers. Salt and pepper to taste.
Woolf Piney Stew - named after a mentor that is no longer with us. Eat while setting around an open fire. umumgood
Brown 1 lb ground beef,a little onion and about a 1/4 bell pepper in a dutch oven.Drain. Add a big can of Bush original baked beans,a little brown sugar and a little Blackburn's syrup(Southern thang). Cook over coals till almost burnt.Leave tent windows open.Yum,Yum.
Biggie can come with me I carry two dutch ovens and drive a ford diesel to carry all the other stuff. I eat really good..when camping,(hunting is different story). Usually end up with a good venison stew and peach cobbler...
QuoteWe fed four of us on a week in the Boundary Waters on a 20# pack of food, ate like kings
Boundary Waters!! Planning a trip there next June. Like to hear more about that trip! Did you take your bow and if so how'd you store it? and all the arrows?
I'm always real torn on camp cooking.
On the one hand I love to cook and have all kinds of Dutch ovens and other gear.
On the other hand, by the time I get my little truck packed with other stuff there's usually no room for ovens and a bunch of fancy stuff.
On the third hand, I'd kind of rather do whatever I'm out there to do rather than spend a bunch of time in camp prepping and cooking.
I guess that's why I usually end up with a few cans of Chunky soup, some Japanese noodle bowls and a bag of Cheetos.
Guy
I dig the desserts...
If you are camping from your truck:
Line a dutch oven with aluminum foil (makes an easier clean-up). Dump in a can of your favorite pie filling (or, if you're motivated you can peel, slice, season, and marinate some apples). On top of that dump a box of cake mix (seems like the cheaper the better). Then pour a can of soda in the mix. Cover it up and place hot coals on top of the oven. After 30 minutes or so it will be some of the best cobbler you've ever had.
If you're backpacking:
Try to think about the above cobbler while you're eating dehydrated eggs.
-Vig
I'm a real big fan of the freezedried foods of mountain house, backpackers pantry, MRE's etc. But man those suckers are expensive, for what is labled as 2 servings. I say 2 servings for an infant! and all it is .. is pasta or noodles..But I always find myself going back to them! I have found that getting the lipton pasta/rice meals are a great alternative for $1 ...ish
Thanks for all the ideas-some great recipes listed here. Now for some z's, then up to the mountains! Hope all you other fathers out there have a great weekend.
Jeremy
If camping from the truck we like taco's in a bag .
Brown burger and add taco sauce, open small bag of Fritos , add meat ,lettuce ,tomatoes,possiblt sour cream .
The kids love it.
Also love soup or chili prepared weeks in advance and frozen in a milk jug . Helps keep everything cool in cooler until ready to use , cut milk jug off and add to pot .
Usually when I`m out in the woods or in the mountains it`s important for me to not carry to much weight.
So my camp food is rather simple:
I use a lot of the REAL Expedition Meal is mainly made from natural fresh Norwegian ingredients and freeze dried, and only need boiling water.
This gives ca 700 kcal pr bag, and enough for me to keep up energy and protein needs.
I usually eat 2 or 3 serving/bags pr day
Beside that I usually make the bannocks over the campfire, with dried fruits and nuts on the side.
I also bring a big piece of smoked bacon and instant mashed potato packs.
Smoked bacon is always a treat with the bannocks after a hard/rough day in the mountains.
I also use dried meat in my coffee + coffee- cheese I make before longer hikes(quite easy to make from raw/whole milk heaten to ca 104F then mixed with rennet and rolled out to a tortilla and baked in the oven). This gives energy to keep going in rough terrain for hours.
The nice thing with this kind of food is that it is light to carry and all i need is my coffepot and a small frying pan to make all my food.
The most important thing is light to carry and that it not take to much space bin my backpack.
Oh: and I always bring with me my fishingrod in case I find some nice trout waters:D
No cans or anything to carry back home :thumbsup:
Margly
Try those new starbucks instant travel coffee packs. those things are a God send, if you like coffee. :coffee:
sausage whith extra sharp cheese and crackers, ham and turkey sandwhichs ad if we are lucky tenderloins cooked over coals. for snacks a bite size snickers bars.
My kids loved jiffy-pop popcorn for camping and backpacking
Since I can haul everything in my truck and park it where I camp lightness is not a factor. I'm a big proponent of preparing meals beforehand and freezing them to be thawed and heated up. I cook with a two burner Coleman stove and sometimes a weber tabletop grill.
Breakfast: cereal (put milk in small container to be used up), bananas, OJ, coffee
Bacon, eggs or pancakes in one of those just add milk or water and shake and pour containers.
Lunch: sandwiches.
Dinners: deer stew, bread, butter.
Spaghetti, meat sauce, Italian bread.
Crab bratwursts with sauteed onions and peppers.
Desserts or breakfast: Enttemens crumb cake.
On thing I have done in the past, when doing a lot of camping, is to take all my meat left overs and cut them up into chunks or strips. Put then in the freezer until I get enough to fill my dehydrator. Put what ever seasoning on them I want, dehydrate them and then vacum seal the bags. Nothing like a nice chunk of steak, turkey, or roast around a nice campfire.
QuoteOriginally posted by stringstretcher:
On thing I have done in the past, when doing a lot of camping, is to take all my meat left overs and cut them up into chunks or strips. Put then in the freezer until I get enough to fill my dehydrator. Put what ever seasoning on them I want, dehydrate them and then vacum seal the bags. Nothing like a nice chunk of steak, turkey, or roast around a nice campfire.
You've had leftover meat? How is that even possible? :confused:
:bigsmyl:
beans , hard cheese , sardines , bill-tong, fruit, tinned fruit , chocolate bars , nuts , dried fruit , flour [ with foil for damper ]
stock cubes , spam ...yes spam with tobasco tastes ok ...
always more concerned with coffee more than food ...
if room in my pack allows a couple of hard crust brown rye bread rolls ...
You've had leftover meat? How is that even possible?
LOL. Yeah sometimes I am a light eater......until I go camping. :thumbsup:
Me and my buddies always prepare our food before we go on the hunt and pack it in a large cooler and then all you have to do is heat it up when its time to eat.
My favorite is deer spaghetti and lasagna.
After a hard day of hunting it sure is nice to come in and just heat up your meal plus you can really cary a lot of food this way.
How do you get spaghetti out of a deer??????
If your using Mountain house Meals for mountain hunting, bring along some "Cous Cous" the small little dried up Greek Pasta. Add it to your mountain house dinners it it makes a great filler.
Another good filler for breakfast provided your not on the move is cans of new potatoes for your eggs for breakfast. Scramble up a dozen eggs with new potatoes and shredded cheddar cheese. makes a great breakfast dish!
Biggie, I'd hate to know where he gets the noodles out of a deer for spaghetti. Just doesn't seem right :bigsmyl:
I love MRE's or LERP's,Ramin noodles,beans(can act as alternate heat source for the sleeping bag),weenies,CHILI, and powder shake mixes.forget the perishable items.I like to travel light and eat rite. :campfire:
I will eat whatever you bring - doesn't matter to me. . . .
I like wrapping food in aluminum foil and cooking it in the coals. Easy to do and very little clean up afterwards.
Onion, mushroom, potato, carrots, broccoli, butter and seasoning
Chicken can be done this way also.
Now Tom You know Ben doesn't like Chicken.
If truck camping with a large group. Best if You have a couple of skillets.
1 lb. bacon
1 lb sausage
3 lbs potatoes
1 large onion
1 dz. eggs
8 oz. or 8-10 slices of Your favorite cheese
Fry potatoes and onion together in 1 skillet
fry bacon and drain and crumble
fry sausage and drain
add everything above together
add eggs over mixture cover if possible
when eggs are almost done add cheese cover
until melted and eggs are set.
Great with Home-made salsa over the top.
bretto
QuoteOriginally posted by bretto:
Now Tom You know Ben doesn't like Chicken.
I Think he is a closet chicken lover. In more ways than one. :laughing:
Venison backstrap marinated in horse radish, brown sugar, and bourbon, cooked over the coals, served rare. Just had this at Compton......wow!!
We just got back from Comptons and our meals that we cooked were Pheasant, Venison steaks and Deep fried Northern Pike. That being said, when camping with my son when he was young, it really did not matter. We cooked, ate , camped and fished together what we ate was really secondary because it was the time we shared that will never be lost. Enjoy yourselves! :campfire:
Keep it simple :D ...Van
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/VanTX/Little%20Delta%20Bow/LDBlunchs.jpg)
Trad and true.
Killdeer :goldtooth: :biglaugh:
Pork and beans. Beans and pork. Pork and beans.
I agree with Friend!
Beans, eggs and meat!
I like to brown some ground meat. drain it if needed. Then add some canned baked beans, some chili beans and a can of corn in. Salt and pepper to taste. Great with bread and butter.
One pan meal. Sweet and savory with the chili beans.
Wife's family calls it "cowboy dinner"
Zradix, I do something very similar, I add a big onion when browning the meat.
Another good one is 1/2 big onion per person, two yellow potatoes per person, and two Ball Park BEEF hotdogs per person. 1/2 tablespoon of liquid smoke per five people, salt, pepper, and a big pat of REAL butter.
Combine butter, liquid smoke, salt (easy on the salt), pepper, and add all the chopped onions you need per person. Mix the onions with the melted butter. (we like the onions coarsely chopped) Put in iron skillet large enough to hold all the ingredients, and get the pan just hot enough to begin cooking the onions.
Dice the potatoes, and slice the hotdogs, and then add them to the skillet.
Increase the heat a bit while you turn the ingredients with a spatula to get the entire contents mixed well. After about five minutes add a little water. When the water steams off, the potatoes are usually done.
Regardless of how much you cook, there will be no leftovers.
Sounds darn good. Thanks
Bretto, that is pretty much the same receipe I looked forward to the most when I was a kid. When me, dad and my uncles would go to the lake to set some trot lines and camp, we would always cook this up. Dad called it campfire surprise, sometimes the ingrediets would vary a bit. Always good though. In fact, its almost lunch time..............
we go to the grocery store and get a whole beef tenderloin (back strap) & have filet mignon all weekend! It aint that bad when you split the price up. Not much waste if any at all either. All meat! Now I wanna go to camp.
Van: I used to camp and hunt by myself a lot and many's a night my dinner when I got out of the tree stand was vi-annies, crackers and a cold one. I always had sharp cheddar to go along with it.
Thanks for reminding me :)
CKR
put all your meat veggies, spices and butter in foil and put it in the coal. i call it squirl camp special
Van's the only guy I know who still has VHS tapes......
You can always eat it all raw and do away with cooking entirely...
Um.... :o
And my dad still has Betamax. :readit:
Killdeer
Last time I heard someone tell someone to eat it raw, there was a bit of a brouhaha.
Killdeer :saywhat:
I like to pan fry Jiffy corn muffin mix for use with pork n beans.
Also Bisquick on a stick is really good over a campfire.
One word. Spam.
OK, a couple more words..fried crispy on a coleman stove with ketchup on white bread.
There. I said it.
Biggie, you ought to see my 8 tracks. They still play just fine :D ...Van
QuoteVan's the only guy I know who still has VHS tapes
:biglaugh: