One of the funnest ways to prepare a meal on the trapline (before the snow falls) or while out camping is to use the campfire. This is a great way to cook as it doesn't create a lot of dishes to wash, which in my opinion is always a plus! All you need are the ingredients, a knife and cutting board, some heavy duty foil and your campfire. Let me show you how I do it!
First, assemble your ingredients. I used potatoes, carrots, onions and our favourite trapline food, Spam! We use Spam or other canned meats a lot. It doesn't need to be refrigerated and it keeps through several freezings as it is left in the cabins over winter. This was a new variety for us and was really good.
Now peel and cut the veggies into bite sized pieces. Cube the Spam and pile them all onto a large piece of foil. I make one package for each person to be served. You can spray the inside of the foil with a non stick spray if you like, but it's not really needed.
Wrap the meal up in the foil. I fold the 2 top edges together and then roll in the ends to make an easy to open package.
Now it's time to cook it! You will want to get the packages into the coals, not in the flames. If it goes into the flames it will most likely burn before it's cooked. So make a hole down in the bottom of the fire where it can bake slowly and put your meals in there. You can scoop coals on top of the packages too for all around heat.
After about 30 minutes, check a package for doneness. You will have to haul it out of the fire, open it up and poke the veggies with a fork to do this. If it is done...great! If not, put it back in to the coals and let it continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes. Because we are using fire, it is not an exact science. Times will vary depending on your fire, where you locate the packages and how hot the coals are as well as how big you cut your veggies up. But, this is supposed to be a fun way to cook and that means we should be relaxing! So sit back in your camp chair and enjoy the fire, the view, the outdoors and soon you will be enjoying your dinner!
All done! You can eat it all out if the foil package and save even more on washing up. Add some salt and pepper, ketchup, bbq sauce...whatever takes your fancy! Enjoy!
I'd love to hear what you think. Have you ever tried this? Tell me about your outdoor cooking experiences in the comments below.
Love the whole cooking on the campfire thing. But just can't get past the Spam-we ate it all the time in catholic elementary school-long with mashed potatoes and pale green peas : ( Visiting from the #SoMe2 Blogloving party! Thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteLol Sue! I can understand that. I keep telling my family I'm going to write a Spam cookbook with all the ways I've prepared Spam on the trapline. We NEVER eat it at home. I'll call it Spam-A-Lot. Honestly, it's not bad when you get creative with it!-Sue
DeleteReminds me of camp when I was a kid. I love cooking potatoes in foils pouches. Sometimes I just cut them in half for easy baked potatoes. I also slice them, add slices of onions and peppers, seasoning and a little margarine for what I call camp potatoes. I don't have a campfire, but cook them in the front of my woodstove's firebox. - Margy
ReplyDeleteHey Margy! These are great ways to change up a potatoe! I've also done my packet dinners in our woodstove at the cabin. So much easier when it's -40C! !-Sue
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