Camp Cooking: Recipes and Tips
While I don’t get to do as many overnight fishing trips as I would like, I’ve done quite a bit of outdoor cooking over the years. I’ve traveled and cooked with camp stoves, backpack stoves, charcoal grills, dutch ovens, and open fires. Being involved with scouting for many years, I’ve learned (and forgotten) a ton of great cooking tips and techniques. I generally like to keep things fairly simple, while still eating well.
Nothing works like a plan...a meal plan! No need to be too formal about this, you could probably improvise a meal plan on the fly shopping at the store in a pinch. However, before you hit the road for a camping trip account for all the meals you’ll need during the trip. Your meal plan could certainly include a fast food stop on the drive out, or you could pack a sandwich in the cooler to enjoy later. As far a cooking on the trip, you can be as ambitious or utilitarian as you like. The real keys for a successful summer camping trip are being prepared for inclement weather and making sure you have plenty to eat and drinking plenty of water. As long as you’re good with those essentials, the rest is really up to you.
Looking at the way I meal plan, I make the same kinds of food camping that I would enjoy at home. Here’s a simple meal plan for one from an old Mississippi trip where I left in the morning and stayed over one night. Nothing fancy, but I ate pretty well:
Dinner: Burgers cooked on the charcoal grill topped with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes from my garden, etc. Probably had extra sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper too and I think I had a soft pretzel or something in the cooler for later and a couple cold beers.
Breakfast: Fresh coffee and scrambled eggs cooked on the camp stove with meat (probably eaten in a sandwich).
I did a quick clean-up and went fishing after. I’m sure I stopped for a burger or something on the ride home.
Generally, I prefer to pack foods that are easy to handle and prepare and which travel well. Firm breads like French bread/rolls, English muffins, soft pretzels and bagels travel much better than soft white bread. For dinner entrees, I avoid meats like raw chicken, safe handling gets too tricky when you’re camping. However, you can always pre-cook chicken at home to use in recipes later. To pre-cook raw chicken is easy, you can poach it on the stove or cover and bake in the oven. Bag it up and you’re good to go. Sausages, burgers, and hot dogs are staples for summer camping trips and cook quickly in a pan or on the grill. Packages of flavored rice and pasta make easy side dishes. Single dish meals cooked in a pot are great, although they do require a bit more planning and take longer to cook.
Using quick cooking items on the stove you can get a variety of meals together pretty fast. You can even use your camp stove to reheat pre-cooked dishes made ahead of time such as pulled pork (pictured), sloppy joes, etc. Not only does this save time, but as noted earlier cooked meats are safer in your cooler on a hot summer day. Another trick is to save some individual condiment packages of mustard, ketchup, hot sauce and mayonnaise from hotels and fast food places. Packing these will save room in your cooler.
For breakfast, eggs cook fast and actually travel well with a bit of protection. If you have a stove and a pan, it's easy to brown some meat and cook some eggs. I like to warm pre-cooked bacon in the pan and cook scrambled eggs in the grease that renders out. If you like biscuits and gravy, not only can you pack pre-baked biscuits, if you're in a hurry you could even make sausage gravy ahead of time. Just heat and serve! If you’re feeling lazy, you can even warm those frozen breakfast sandwiches using low heat on your stove. I take them apart first and heat the contents separately. If you want a light breakfast you can always have a bagel or soft pretzel with cream cheese and take a snack for later.
With a little creativity, you can adapt about any of your favorite recipes for camp cooking. This could be as simple as preparing red beans and rice using summer sausage and quick cooking rice. Chicken quesadillas can be made easily using pre-cooked chicken. Pre-cooked chicken or beef saves time for dishes like chili or cowboy cornbread. You're really only limited by your own creativity here. You can make a variety of creations if you've packed dried onions, tomato paste, chicken or beef soup base, potatoes, butter and/or oil, bread crumbs/cracker crumbs, eggs, cheese, a few spices, salt and pepper. If you start with a basic combination of proteins and starchy foods bread, rice, and pasta, it's easy to round things out with you're favorite fresh veggies. Celery and carrot sticks are great you can munch on them or use in recipes.
For float trips and longer camping trips remember that good things come in small packages:
When I want to pack really light, I have an MSR isobutane back-packing stove. It’s ultra-light, convenient, and packs very small. The fuel comes in sealed lightweight cans. It cooks great, I just love
it. It was well worth the $55 investment some years back. You can make a lot of dishes in a single pot like a small sauce pan or sauté pan. If you’re packing a coffee pot you can also use it to heat water for washing dishes. For drive-in camping spots, I bring a larger two burner propane camp stove.
As far as food items that pack small, you can make a decent pasta sauce with water, spices and a 6 oz. can of tomato paste. Also works for Chili. Red beans and rice made with summer sausage doesn’t require refrigeration. Firm cheeses like cheddar will last a day or so without refrigeration. Soft tortillas and pita bread pack very compact and travel well. Corn Meal, salt and pepper, and corn oil are all that’s needed for a quick fish fry. If you’re cooking, pre-measuring spices in plastic bags saves bringing them all. Finally, you can leave the boxes at home bring only contents and instructions if you need to save space.
If you were looking for recipes, here's a few favorites:
Famous Skillet Breakfast
(you're only limited by your creativity with this one)
You'll need eggs, meat, potatoes (shredded or finely diced, fresh or frozen), and whatever else you
want to throw in there.
Thoroughly cook the potatoes in a pan, iron skillet, or dutch oven.
Add diced up cooked meat, maybe some diced onions. Cook a few minutes until the onions start to soften. Add scrambled egg mix, and top with shredded or sliced cheese.
Cover and heat until the eggs are cooked all the way through. Easy enough!
Red Beans and Rice
1 Can Red Beans well drained;
1/2 med onion diced,
2 green onions, 1 clove garlic (or 1/8 tsp garlic powder)
2 Tbsp Parsley, 1 rib celery, 1/6 cup ketchup,
1 cup water, 1/2 tsp hot Sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 lb smoked sausage cut-up and cooked with a few dashes of cayenne pepper
Sauté onions and garlic with sausage until onions just tender… add remaining ingredients except rice and simmer 30 min to 1 hour this is the gravy mix to serve over 3-4 servings of cooked rice… you can make vegetarian Red Beans and rice without the sausage and it's still great !
(don't sweat it if you don't have all the vegetables. Whatever you've got works, if you have the beans, spices, and ketchup).
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
(we’ll assume you pre-baked biscuits of some type)
Making sausage gravy is quite easy...
Brown 1/2 package breakfast sausage. Chop up with a spatula while browning so it's crumbled...I usually drain most all the grease once the meat is cooked.
After sausage is cooked add 4-5 tablespoons flour to meat in pan and stir until coated.
Cover and cook over low heat for a few minutes. If mixture appears dry, that's okay. Just be sure to keep the heat low to avoid scorching.
After a few minutes you can add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Maybe a few dashes of hot sauce or cayenne pepper.
Add some milk (enough to just about cover meat), stir quickly and cover. Keep heat low and allow mix to simmer for several minutes until milk is absorbed by the flour and begins to thicken.
Keep over low heat and keep adding a little milk at a time until gravy is the desired consistency. This is a good time to check seasonings, once gravy has simmered for several minutes you're ready to serve.
Cowboy Cornbread
(simply amazing recipe)
2 boxes Jiffy corn bread mix; 1 can cream style corn; 3 eggs; 1 Cup milk
Combine mix, corn, eggs and milk..brown 1 lb ground beef, drain (breakfast sausage works too…or even canned chili)
Mix meat with grated cheddar cheese (1 cup ?); add some hot pepper (to taste) and diced onion.
Pour half of batter into pan then sprinkle with meat mixture.
Pour remaining batter on top and bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven until done
(40-50 minutes)
I’ve also cooked this one a dutch oven with coals on the top and bottom. This is another recipe you could prepare ahead of time at home and then heat and serve in camp.
Mexican Restaurant Salsa
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, 1/8 tsp oregano, 1 thick onion slice
1 Tbsp vinegar, 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, 1/4 tsp Salt fresh cilantro
Sear onion on both sides in hot, dry skillet. The lower heat and cook until soft.
Blister jalapeno in hot skillet on all sides and set aside to cool.
After cooling, dice pepper and onion ( I remove most of pepper seeds and center "spine") and add fresh cilantro.
Drain canned tomatoes, put in blender and add remaining ingredients whirl quickly (a few seconds) until just mixed. (depending on size one small pepper makes for mild to medium while 2-3 small peppers adds a little burn) keeps up to a week in refrigerator.
Tip for handling Hot Peppers…you can freeze in sandwich bags for several months. I freeze them whole from my garden. Frozen peppers don’t need to be pre-cooked, I just dice them and add right in. I've kept peppers for up to a few years in my freezer
There you have it, my tips, suggestions, and recommendations for camp cooking. Is anyone else getting hungry right about now?!?
(here's a short video mixing up some of the salsa recipe)
Nothing works like a plan...a meal plan! No need to be too formal about this, you could probably improvise a meal plan on the fly shopping at the store in a pinch. However, before you hit the road for a camping trip account for all the meals you’ll need during the trip. Your meal plan could certainly include a fast food stop on the drive out, or you could pack a sandwich in the cooler to enjoy later. As far a cooking on the trip, you can be as ambitious or utilitarian as you like. The real keys for a successful summer camping trip are being prepared for inclement weather and making sure you have plenty to eat and drinking plenty of water. As long as you’re good with those essentials, the rest is really up to you. Looking at the way I meal plan, I make the same kinds of food camping that I would enjoy at home. Here’s a simple meal plan for one from an old Mississippi trip where I left in the morning and stayed over one night. Nothing fancy, but I ate pretty well:
Lunch: Ham sandwich packed in the cooler (eaten at my first anchor spot). Extra sliced cheese and sausage in the cooler with bottles of water for an afternoon snack.
Dinner: Burgers cooked on the charcoal grill topped with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes from my garden, etc. Probably had extra sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper too and I think I had a soft pretzel or something in the cooler for later and a couple cold beers.
Breakfast: Fresh coffee and scrambled eggs cooked on the camp stove with meat (probably eaten in a sandwich).
I did a quick clean-up and went fishing after. I’m sure I stopped for a burger or something on the ride home.
Using quick cooking items on the stove you can get a variety of meals together pretty fast. You can even use your camp stove to reheat pre-cooked dishes made ahead of time such as pulled pork (pictured), sloppy joes, etc. Not only does this save time, but as noted earlier cooked meats are safer in your cooler on a hot summer day. Another trick is to save some individual condiment packages of mustard, ketchup, hot sauce and mayonnaise from hotels and fast food places. Packing these will save room in your cooler. For breakfast, eggs cook fast and actually travel well with a bit of protection. If you have a stove and a pan, it's easy to brown some meat and cook some eggs. I like to warm pre-cooked bacon in the pan and cook scrambled eggs in the grease that renders out. If you like biscuits and gravy, not only can you pack pre-baked biscuits, if you're in a hurry you could even make sausage gravy ahead of time. Just heat and serve! If you’re feeling lazy, you can even warm those frozen breakfast sandwiches using low heat on your stove. I take them apart first and heat the contents separately. If you want a light breakfast you can always have a bagel or soft pretzel with cream cheese and take a snack for later.
With a little creativity, you can adapt about any of your favorite recipes for camp cooking. This could be as simple as preparing red beans and rice using summer sausage and quick cooking rice. Chicken quesadillas can be made easily using pre-cooked chicken. Pre-cooked chicken or beef saves time for dishes like chili or cowboy cornbread. You're really only limited by your own creativity here. You can make a variety of creations if you've packed dried onions, tomato paste, chicken or beef soup base, potatoes, butter and/or oil, bread crumbs/cracker crumbs, eggs, cheese, a few spices, salt and pepper. If you start with a basic combination of proteins and starchy foods bread, rice, and pasta, it's easy to round things out with you're favorite fresh veggies. Celery and carrot sticks are great you can munch on them or use in recipes.
For float trips and longer camping trips remember that good things come in small packages:
When I want to pack really light, I have an MSR isobutane back-packing stove. It’s ultra-light, convenient, and packs very small. The fuel comes in sealed lightweight cans. It cooks great, I just love it. It was well worth the $55 investment some years back. You can make a lot of dishes in a single pot like a small sauce pan or sauté pan. If you’re packing a coffee pot you can also use it to heat water for washing dishes. For drive-in camping spots, I bring a larger two burner propane camp stove.
As far as food items that pack small, you can make a decent pasta sauce with water, spices and a 6 oz. can of tomato paste. Also works for Chili. Red beans and rice made with summer sausage doesn’t require refrigeration. Firm cheeses like cheddar will last a day or so without refrigeration. Soft tortillas and pita bread pack very compact and travel well. Corn Meal, salt and pepper, and corn oil are all that’s needed for a quick fish fry. If you’re cooking, pre-measuring spices in plastic bags saves bringing them all. Finally, you can leave the boxes at home bring only contents and instructions if you need to save space.
If you were looking for recipes, here's a few favorites:
Famous Skillet Breakfast
(you're only limited by your creativity with this one)
You'll need eggs, meat, potatoes (shredded or finely diced, fresh or frozen), and whatever else you
want to throw in there.
Thoroughly cook the potatoes in a pan, iron skillet, or dutch oven.
Add diced up cooked meat, maybe some diced onions. Cook a few minutes until the onions start to soften. Add scrambled egg mix, and top with shredded or sliced cheese.
Cover and heat until the eggs are cooked all the way through. Easy enough!
Red Beans and Rice
1 Can Red Beans well drained;
1/2 med onion diced,
2 green onions, 1 clove garlic (or 1/8 tsp garlic powder)
2 Tbsp Parsley, 1 rib celery, 1/6 cup ketchup,
1 cup water, 1/2 tsp hot Sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 lb smoked sausage cut-up and cooked with a few dashes of cayenne pepper
Sauté onions and garlic with sausage until onions just tender… add remaining ingredients except rice and simmer 30 min to 1 hour this is the gravy mix to serve over 3-4 servings of cooked rice… you can make vegetarian Red Beans and rice without the sausage and it's still great !
(don't sweat it if you don't have all the vegetables. Whatever you've got works, if you have the beans, spices, and ketchup).
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Making sausage gravy is quite easy...
Brown 1/2 package breakfast sausage. Chop up with a spatula while browning so it's crumbled...I usually drain most all the grease once the meat is cooked.
After sausage is cooked add 4-5 tablespoons flour to meat in pan and stir until coated.
Cover and cook over low heat for a few minutes. If mixture appears dry, that's okay. Just be sure to keep the heat low to avoid scorching.
After a few minutes you can add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Maybe a few dashes of hot sauce or cayenne pepper.
Add some milk (enough to just about cover meat), stir quickly and cover. Keep heat low and allow mix to simmer for several minutes until milk is absorbed by the flour and begins to thicken.
Keep over low heat and keep adding a little milk at a time until gravy is the desired consistency. This is a good time to check seasonings, once gravy has simmered for several minutes you're ready to serve.
Cowboy Cornbread
(simply amazing recipe)
2 boxes Jiffy corn bread mix; 1 can cream style corn; 3 eggs; 1 Cup milk
Combine mix, corn, eggs and milk..brown 1 lb ground beef, drain (breakfast sausage works too…or even canned chili)
Mix meat with grated cheddar cheese (1 cup ?); add some hot pepper (to taste) and diced onion.
Pour half of batter into pan then sprinkle with meat mixture.
Pour remaining batter on top and bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven until done
(40-50 minutes)
I’ve also cooked this one a dutch oven with coals on the top and bottom. This is another recipe you could prepare ahead of time at home and then heat and serve in camp.
Mexican Restaurant Salsa
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, 1/8 tsp oregano, 1 thick onion slice
1 Tbsp vinegar, 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, 1/4 tsp Salt fresh cilantro
Sear onion on both sides in hot, dry skillet. The lower heat and cook until soft.
Blister jalapeno in hot skillet on all sides and set aside to cool.
After cooling, dice pepper and onion ( I remove most of pepper seeds and center "spine") and add fresh cilantro.
Drain canned tomatoes, put in blender and add remaining ingredients whirl quickly (a few seconds) until just mixed. (depending on size one small pepper makes for mild to medium while 2-3 small peppers adds a little burn) keeps up to a week in refrigerator.
Tip for handling Hot Peppers…you can freeze in sandwich bags for several months. I freeze them whole from my garden. Frozen peppers don’t need to be pre-cooked, I just dice them and add right in. I've kept peppers for up to a few years in my freezer
There you have it, my tips, suggestions, and recommendations for camp cooking. Is anyone else getting hungry right about now?!?
(here's a short video mixing up some of the salsa recipe)
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