It's a long way from cracking your eggs and putting them in an olive bottle to retard spoilage, or crushing your sliced bread down to a loaf about 4 inches long. I guess it all depends on how much you can carry with you.

How about a dutch oven recipe -- if you can carry a lot and really want to cook over a fire? This recipe calls for a cup of Bisquick, a can of sliced peaches, a cup of sugar, a stick of butter and a 12 inch dutch oven, at least five inches tall, with legs and a flat,rimmed lid.

Also, this recipe assumes that the dutch oven has been properly cured and stored with a layer of shortening on its innards. Things may get stuck, otherwise. Wipe any surface coating off the lid and the oven before heating them.

I have used cast iron and cast aluminum ovens, and can't say they are much different, except for hauling them around. Also, my aluminum one is prone to tip over when lifted by the handle, so check the balace before you buy.

You also need a hooked stick that is long enough to lift the dutch oven by its handle when it is hot. Some people use channel lock pliars to lift and flip the lid, but a properly designed hooked stick will work here, too. Oh, yes, you need one of those cute little METAL folding shovels

To get this started you build a cooking fire out of hardwood that makes coals. While the wood is flaming, place the lid upside down over 1/2 of the fire. If you put it on two rocks, you can get under it with your hooked stick. Place the empty dutch oven on the other half of the fire. Let them get hot enough that they sizzle when some butter is dropped in to test. The lid has to be really hot, hotter than the dutch oven, if possible.

Open the can of peaches. Throw the stick of butter into the dutch oven, dump the can of peaches in, throw in half the sugar and all the Bisquick and stir the mess a little so the peaches are mixed with the other ingredients. Then pour the remaining sugar kinda evenly on top of the mess and don't stir.

Take your little shovel and place a shovel full of coals on a flat spot. The ingredients will start sizzling and poping and boiling amost immediately -- a sign that things are very hot. (Here's where the unbalanced aluminum one bothers me.) CAREFULLY lift the dutch oven with your stick and set it on the coals. CAREFULLY lift the lid and flip it onto the dutch oven (Here's where an aluminum lid is better). Take your little shovel and fully cover the lid with hot coals about two inches thick or more.

Let it cook without opening for about an hour. You can't really look inside because you will lose the heat that comes almost entirely from the lid. Also you'll dump ashes inside. If you start smelling it cooking after about 30 mintes, it's probably about done, but the coals have cooled as well, so it kinda coasts home.

To serve, set the dutch oven in a safe place. Remove coals and ashes from the edge of the lid so they won't contaminate the food. Then lift the lid and turn it upside down somewhere safe to keep the interior surface clean.

Serve your peach cobbler to about eight people.

Like cherry cobbler? Guess what you change? You use a can of cherry pie filling.
Like blueberry cobbler? Use blueberries straight off the bush with a cup of water and a little more sugar.
Want meat loaf? Use ground beef and whatever seasoning you like (my mother used condensed alphabet soup) and add some oatmeal to soak up the grease.

Want biscuits? Follow the recipe for drop biscuits on the box.

Want pancakes? Eggs? Bacon? Cook on the lid. It's not very flat.

Want bread? Try sourdough.

Wonderful little gadget. When you're through with your dutch oven, you should be able to wipe it clean, then smear it and the lid liberally with a coating of shortening. Just shove it aside out in the rain and let it get rancid until the next time you need it.

tobytubby May 10, 2007 07:58AM | link

steak and salad-corn on cob too-bring along some wine or your favorite booze and chow down

marlie202 May 18, 2007 12:27PM | link

Someone's gotta be able to do better than this - I'd love some suggestions for a trip this weekend. Good camp food? How about if you're backpacking?

bmust May 24, 2007 03:24PM | link

RE: Backpacking.
It all depends on water. If you're going to have water waiting for you everywhere you go, you can go freeze-dried, powdered, etc.

If you're going to have to take your water with you, you might as well take wet food and less water.

Then, there's the old "compress a loaf of bread and pack your eggs in an olive jar."

Personally, I think that cooking is a nuisance when backpacking. You can live off jerky, cheerio-o's and dried fruit if backpacking is your goal. (or trail mix, etc.)

tobytubby May 25, 2007 04:58AM | link

2 quick backpacking food thoughts, assuming water availability, and a whiperlite or other lightweight campstove:

tuna in the pouches
packets of oatmeal for breakfast

cheesemonger May 26, 2007 01:13PM | link

I'm an avid backpacker and I asked for help with recipe suggestions awhile ago. Here is the thread:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/402778

My personal favorites so far are sweet fry bread, Annie's mac&cheese with added tuna and some cous cous kicked up with dehydrated veggies and herbs.

thunderbug84 Jul 16, 2007 06:45AM | link

a great old standby for backpacking is ramen noodle soup. here's my variation: add chopped up carrot and some chopped broccoli to non boiling water, and add flavoring. bring to a boil and then add noodles. cook for what, 3-5 minutes -until the noodles soften and then *here's the kicker* add one fat tablespoon of cream cheese and stir. this combination makes a surprisingly filling meal and is quite tasty after hiking all day. * if you have an egg - you can swap the cream cheese - but it's even better if you have both - Creamy Egg-drop Camping Ramen Noodles

designer_dave Jul 17, 2007 10:23AM | link

Two things I love to do involve baking in the campfire.

First I love roasting garlic cloves. Chop off the tops of the garlic, drizzle with olive oil, pepper and salt, cover with a few layers of foil, and toss it all into the coals of your campfire. After 20 min or so, pull them out and serve on crackers or French bread.

Similarly, I always try to toss in some potatoes into the evening campfire. The next morning you can take the baked potatoes and chop them up for some great home fried potatoes.

For me half the fun of cooking while car camping it improvising to create some great food with whatever has made it along on the trip.

Enjoy

THz

Terahertz Jul 20, 2007 11:40AM | link

well, i used to do a lot of camping/backpacking. my best staple was pancake mix. great on fish, not catching then pancakes it is. preferably home ground[with all the natural bran an germ still in tact,but any good old mix will do. rockskipper

rockskipper Jul 20, 2007 02:46PM | link

a fun treat my girlfriend loves is taking making banana boats...

cutting the banana along one side, cutting a groove about 1x1cm and packing it with chocolate chips. wrap it in foil, toss it on the grill part of the fire and let sit for maybe 10 mins, maybe a bit more, til it's all soft and mushy.

mmmm..

dr_t Jul 22, 2007 04:02PM | link

I love the old girlscout trick of taking gingerbread mix with you, making it on site by the campfire, and pouring it into hollowed out orange shells (stir a little of the orange into the mix with as little membrane as possible). Wrap the orange shells in foil and bake on the coals.
Or using a stick, hold a square caramel in the middle of a donut, and stab all of them right through. Hold over the coals to slightly melt the caramel and warm the donut.
fayefood.com

fayehess Jul 24, 2007 09:39AM | link

There's one thing I learned to stop cooking- everybody loves bacon, especially bees. There's too much leftover grease that's a pain to dispose of and the brown sugar-cure draws insects from miles away. I expect it would draw bears from miles away, too, which is an even better reason not to cook it. It's too bad it tastes so good when you're among the pine trees...

EWSflash Jul 26, 2007 01:02PM | link

Then, there's precooked bacon. It may be all those bad things about bees and bears, but it's not greasy -- not to mention a pound only weighs about 4 oz and it doesn't have to be refrigerated before opening. Believe it or not, it's low fat and low calorie if you only eat two or three pieces. .

tobytubby Jul 27, 2007 07:25AM | link

If you didn't plan far enough ahead to buy special biodegradable camping soap, you can use Joy dishwashing concentrate. Gives your hair a beautiful sheen with clean sea water, too. Even better, it is cheap enough to be put to environmentally correct use between camping trips

tobytubby Jul 27, 2007 09:33AM | link

So we are going to BEAR COUNTRY. If there are no bears where you hike, relax. If there are Black Bears where you hike or even camp with a car, trailer or RV, there is a brochure by the Boundary Waters Canoe Area on "How to Camp in Black Bear Country":
http://bwca.cc/wildlife/bears/camping...

Black Bears are omnivorous and you really don't want to be carrying open packages of trail mix or beef jerky in your pack, much less bacon grease, if they are around. The above mentioned brochure recommends that you burn all waste food, grease and wrappings completely. They also recommend bear-proof packs instead of the usual fabric packs. People camping in the Smokies generally swing their food in ice chests from tall tree limbs. Hikers who care should avoid shelters and camp sites that have bear warnings posted.

All I know about Grizzley Bears is in a joke: "The way you identify the kind of bear near-by is that a Black Bear's scat will have berries and the fur of small animals in it, while the Grizzley's scat will smell like pepper spray."

tobytubby Jul 27, 2007 09:52AM | link

LOL Tobytubby!
You're clearly an expert when it comes to camping- I'm not by any stretch. Precooked bacon is a teriffic idea! and the Joy is an excellent tip.

EWSflash Jul 29, 2007 09:36AM | link

Re my post on Bear Country. The link to BWCA got abbreviated, so I will re-do it here without the "www" in front of it.
bwca.cc/wildlife/bears/campingwithbears.htm

tobytubby Jul 30, 2007 05:27AM | link

In a camp, if you have a picnic table, a griddle, a dutch oven, tin foil, plus a decent fire pit you can do some amazing things.. just depends on how elaborate you want to be - would you rather be prepping or hiking.

In a backpack situation, they have it right - you don't want to carry water or fuel if you don't have to.. carry in no-heat items, or 1-pot dehydrated stuff if you can purify/filter water. Those tuna-steak pouches are great, or the packaged Indian or rice meals - boil them then use the hot water for something else like coffee or cleanup... forget cooking bacon - bring in cured meats for breakfast... if its okay for the Italians in the morning, its okay for you.

grant.cook May 21, 2008 11:54AM | link

We just returned from our version of foodie camping. We take about 14 dads and 25 kids up to a campground near Gettysburg and tent it with air matresses for 2 days and 2 nights. We have a Heineken mini keg iced and ready to go for after we set up tents and the camp. first meal was Ceviche, home made guaqcamole, peach salsa, chips, grilled shrimp stuffed with jalepeno, perrper jack and rolled in bacon, then we had burgers and an assortment of sausages with chilli, beans fried onions and peppers, cole slaw, potato salad and pasta salad. assortment of warmed fruit pies for desert. Next morning fresh strawberry and blueberry pancakes, omelets, hashbrowns, bacon and sausage, oj and fresh brewed starbucks coffee. Lunch was honey baked store spiral sliced ham and turkey sandwiches, chips, pickles etc. dinner we had steam clams, fresh tuna and salmon sashimi with assorted asian salads, buffalo mozzarella cheese and tomatoes wth basal and balsalmic, priscutti ham wrapped around cantelope and then grilled chicken wings and baby back ribs. more pies and watermellon to follow. Next morning was breakfast burittas with scrambled eggs, chorizza, chedder, fried onions and peppers, pico de galo and sausa verde, oj and coffee
drinks included blue margaritas, watermellon margaritas, stolli doli pineapple steaped vodka shooters, blue moon belgian ale with oranges, corona's with lime, rum runners

No one starved
the food and drinks were great
send in Bobby Flay cause we are more than ready for the challange of a camp site throwdown!

dining with doc May 26, 2008 01:16PM | link

I enjoyed the specificity of "fire charred green beans". When you cook
over a fire, you get fire charred everything. The other recipes should
probably be renamed "fire charred couscous", "fire charred trout",
"fire charred pancakes", etc.

Chuckles the Clone May 29, 2008 04:51PM | link

Here's a caveat- several years back a bunch of us went camping and cooked bacon for breakfast. The bacon must have been sugar-cured or something, because every bee in that particular mountain range hovered around us at point-blank range while it was cooking. I can't even imagine what the bears would have planned for us, I consider us very lucky that we didn't see any.

EWSflash Jun 06, 2008 05:42PM | link

Our last camping trip quite luxurious (water sources, cooler and more).

Here was my meal plan:

1st day Dinner - chicken stir fry (cut up chicken and peppers at home; saved half of this cooked mix for 2nd day Dinner) with snow peas, broccoli, garlic oil, soy sauce (packets) and rice.

2nd day Breakfast - pancakes ("just add water mix" pre-measured in a ziploc bag with the camp cups used as the water guage), fruit, juice box.

2nd day lunch - sub sandwiches (pre-cut cheese at home; used salami-style meat, mustard packets).

2nd day dinner - Mexican feast! Used the chicken and pepper mix from 1st day dinner, and tossed with some salsa, added shredded cheese and wraps to make burritos. Can of refried beans, Uncle Ben's instant Tex-mex rice, and bagged salad with a small container of dressing.

egirlwonder Jul 01, 2008 08:41PM | link

My secret is to wrap things in foil and stick them in the embers, or over the fire. Especially good is asparagus sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper. I've also reheated premade wild rice that way. Corn and potatoes of course. I've even made a thai-type whole (small) salmon with lemongrass that way, and it was fabulous. Also, portabello mushrooms with balsamic vinegar are wonderful over a fire.

The key is the ingredients. It doesn't take more space or effort to bring asiago cheese, brioche rolls and arugula than chedder, hamburger rolls and iceberg!

We also often do marinated chicken breasts, which can be amazing, or kababs. Usually, we do:
1st night dinner - burgers and dogs (sometimes veggie, sometimes portabello mushrooms), with pasta salad and chips
Breakfast 1st morning - yogurt and grab-able food. We used to do muffins until we discovered that no one really liked them. They didn't travel well anyway.
lunch- sandwiches, fruit, trail mix etc.
Dinner - the feast night - we pull out the pre-marinated meat, have a fabulous salad - we eat better than at home!
Breakfast - eggs, hashbrowns, a nice big feast, and then we pack up and head home. We use a campfire stove for this meal.

For dessert both nights- smore's - really is there anything else you need.

When car camping, you can really go crazy - and anything that you can put over a grill you can put over a fire.

yummygirl Dec 22, 2008 07:59AM | link

This is a revelation folks I did not know it was possible.
Thanks for Chowhounds having such amazing imagination.
I can't think of anything worse than the rubbish that passes for camping food but above!!

brillianthomechefuk May 04, 2009 09:46AM | link

Hate to re-iterate some of the earlier posts, but a Dutch oven (the kind with the legs on the bottom and the flanged lid) is absolutely critical to expanding your food horizons while camping. Without it, you basically are limited to boiling or frying everything (or burning it over a campfire). Blech! With a Dutch oven, casseroles, cobblers, cakes, breads, biscuits, rolls, roasts and stews are all possibilities.

MikeB3542 Jun 11, 2009 10:05AM | link

Every Memorial Day we do much better than the menu

Friday night Keilbassa, Sweet and Hot Italian Sausage, Bratworst, hamburgers, sauteed vidalia onions and sweet peppers, chili, sauerkraut, beans, sliced onion, tomato, lettuce, lots of side salads, 4 fresh fruit pies

snack: smores

Sat Am: fresh blueberry, strawberry, chocolate chip or plain pancakes, bacon, sausage links, oj, oatmeal, starbucks brewed coffee

Sat lunch: spiral sliced honey baked ham and turkey, fixings

Sat Night: Prischutti with melon, grilled shrimp stuffed with jalepeno and pepper jack cheese wrapped with bacon, home made grilled gourmet pizza's, sesame encrusted seared tuna with wasabi sauce, steamed clams, steamed mussels, herb encrusted grilled lanb chops with mint jelly, grilled ceasar salad, slice tomato with buffallo mozzarella, fresh basil, balsalmic vin and olive oil
4 pies, smores, watermellon

Sunday AM: Breakfast burritos with chorizo, grilled onion, eggs, pico de gallo and poblamo peppers, hash browns, bacon/sausage, oj, fresh starbucks coffee

all weekend: keg heineken, freshly made mojito's, watermellon margarita's, blue margarita's, pineapple infused vodka shooter

We should be on the food channel
we have a propane camper stove with 3 ovens, a 6 shelf gas smoker whidh we use as an oven, 3 fold up charcoal grills.

Our group has grown to 15 adults and 46 kids over the last 12 years, but we are able to pull it off.

dining with doc Jun 13, 2009 03:44PM | link

My husband introduced me to backpacking as an adult and I must say, he really worked to make sure I enjoyed it and, knowing food and drink are key to my happiness level, has done some very cool things. Probably the MOST amazing was one birthday for which he carried a bottle of champagne (very heavy so you really have to want it) and wrapped frozen lobster tails around it -- they defrosted on the hike to the campsite and kept the champagne cold. I have never had such a romantic dinner under the stars before or since.

Other tricks: The first night out is the night to indulge in fresh food; its the most heavy and prone to spoiling so enjoy it at the beginning . You can use the little plastic bottles they sell for travel size cosmetics for olive oil, etc., just don't confuse the oil with the soap (smile). I took a bladder from one of those Platypus hydrating backpacks and it can hold two full bottles of red wine; if you don't want to sacrifice the weight, really good tequila has the best weight to joy ratio of any liquid I have found. This is the time to eat those pre-packaged fat and sodium filled Indian foods in the pouch -- you need the salt and calories after hauling 40 pounds around on your back all day! Bring some dehydrated wild mushrooms to throw into your mac and cheese, amazing the flavor they add and they weigh almost nothing; alot of people throw in a can of tuna but I am not big on mixing fish and cheese for some reason. Hide a treat like a can of Spanish anchovies deep in your pack; they really will slip your mind if you are ont he trail for awhile and you will be very happy when you find them. Always leave a couple of beers in the car for when you get back. It may not stay cold, but the longer you are in the woods, the less that will matter.

lbzeats Jun 18, 2009 11:49AM | link

I love coking over an open wood fire, and my husband and I have some favorites that work well for us. Gourmet hamburgers, of course, and steak a la "bistecca fiorentina" if we're really feeling into meat. The two more unusual ones are paella and cheese fondue. My husband doesn't like seafood, so I make a "mountain" paella and use pre-cooked meats to make clean-up easier (don't want to deal with raw meat juices). Chopped prosciutto, pre-cooked sausage (including boudin noir), duck leg confit, smoked chicken or turkey and/or pork chop, cubed ham, Canadian bacon...all have made it into the paella pan at one time or another. I try to cut up my veggies at home and pack them in ziplocs, make my saffron-and-spice seasoning ahead of time, etc. My paella pan is from Spain and is built to handle open flame (the method for cooking an authentic paella, after all) and the process of cooking the dish is loads of fun. And it tastes so much better than any restaurant I know of...in this country, anyhow. For my fondue, I grate all the cheese (I use a variety, like emmenthaler, fontina, gruyere, etc.--Whole Foods carries them all) at home, toss it with a bit of flour to stabilize the fondue, and pack it in ziplocs. I cook the fondue (adding the requisite white wine, kirsch, etc.) over the fire in two aluminum roaster pans--one nestled inside the other--the double thickness keeps the cheese from scorching, and we just throw away the pans when we're done (otherwise we'd have the clean-up from Hell!). We always eat way too much, and usually don't have the fondue unless it's chilly at night and we've hiked like demons all day!

happycat Jun 18, 2009 02:41PM | link