Camping Dinners: 7 Aluminum Cooking Recipes
Somehow, food tastes so much better outdoors. Maybe it’s the cool, crisp air. Maybe my appetite is bigger. Maybe it’s being able to eat without being interrupted by the phone!
The only downside to cooking for camping is prep and cleanup. I don’t like cooking multi-step recipes or scrubbing smoke-stained dishes in less-than-adequate basins after a meal when I may be watching the sun go down.
That’s why my favorite ‘pot’ to cook with is aluminum foil.
Foil cooking allows you to prepare delicious meals in the embers of your campfire and have nothing to wash when dinner is over! Below are 7 of my favorite foil wrap recipes. But first let’s review the basics of cooking with aluminum foil:
- Use heavy-duty aluminum foil so you don’t burn the food and the package doesn’t break.
- Use the assembly line technique, not one foil pack at a time. me
- Put a little butter on the package so your food doesn’t stick to the package.
- Sprinkle seasonings generously. Makes others think you’re a pro at this.
- Seal twice by folding twice to keep moisture in.
- When you fold, leave room for air to circulate inside.
- Do not cook foil packets over a roaring fire. A small fire or white coals is best.
Tip: For the first night, prepare the foil packets at home. When you get to the camp, throw them on the coals.
Here are 7 foil packet recipes: Note: Depending on how hot the coals are, it usually takes 20-30 minutes, less for fish or convenience foods. Flip every 5 minutes.
Recipe 1. Ham and Sweet Potato
– 1 slice of precooked ham (can be fresh or canned)
– 1 serving of canned yam (about 3 pieces)
– 1 or 2 canned pineapple rings
– 1 to 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
– 1/2 tablespoon of butter
Recipe 2. Potato and Chicken Packets
– 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
– 4 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
– 2 cups frozen green peas
– 1 jar (12 oz.) chicken sauce
– 1 teaspoon salt
– ½ teaspoon dried thyme
– 1/8 teaspoon of pepper
Recipe 3. Baby back pork ribs
– 3 pounds of pork ribs
– 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
– 1 tablespoon paprika
– 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
– 1 ½ teaspoons of pepper
– ½ cup of water
– 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce
Or just pick up a package of ready-to-heat Lloyds Barbecue Ribs.
Recipe 4. Tuscan swordfish
– 1 can (15 oz.) Great Northern or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
– 1 medium tomato chopped
– 2 tablespoons prepared pesto, divided
– 2 swordfish fillets (4 to 6 oz each)
– 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
– 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
– 2 lemon slices
Recipe 5. Jambalaya Shrimp Packages
– 1 pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
– 4 cups of cooked rice
– ½ pound smoked sausage, sliced
– 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) chopped tomatoes with garlic and onion
– 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
– 3 to 4 teaspoons of dry cajun seasoning
– 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Recipe 6 Packs of Mexican Style Pork
– 4 boneless pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick
– 1 teaspoon chili powder
– 1 cup of medium thick sauce
– 1 can (15 1/4 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained OR 1 package (10 oz.) frozen whole kernel corn
– ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
Recipe 7 Apple Cranberry Sweet Potatoes
– 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
– 2 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples, cored, thinly sliced into rings
– ½ cup dried cranberries
– 3 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
– ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Have fun cooking aluminum foil. Open the foil carefully to avoid a blast of hot steam.
For aluminum dessert recipes, watch a video of how to put together a campfire banana boat and other foil wrapped dessert recipes [http://www.joyofcamping.com/camping-tips/campfire-smores-banana-split].
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