Campsite Cooking

[BackofBeyond]

Never underestimate the utility of the first crock pot - my trusty cast iron Dutch oven's.  I enjoy the journey and the process. My triumph - wonderful sourdough bread and a great gumbo. All in the back of beyond. Oliver just sat and watched - voltage be darned. 

RB

 

[SeaDawg]

That sounds yummy, @BackofBeyond.

Do you use a tripod or coals for the gumbo pot? I'm making gumbo this morning, but on the stove top. It's a slow, but very rewarding process. 

[BackofBeyond]

8 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

That sounds yummy, @BackofBeyond.

Do you use a tripod or coals for the gumbo pot? I'm making gumbo this morning, but on the stove top. It's a slow, but very rewarding process. 

coals

[SeaDawg]

Yummy. Gumbo is one if my favorites. 

The lighting makes it look red, but no tomato in my gumbo. Ever. Its really more brown.

My recipe is 2nd hand, via an old  friend, who got it from a NOLA chef. Simple , but great. The veggies, andouille sausage,, and seafood create the flavors.

[SeaDawg]

Another beautiful evening in WNC meant another simple meal on the fire. 🔥 

Just burgers and slaw. Watched a cardinal flitting around. Now that it's getting darker, we'll watch for fireflies.  So peaceful. 

[SeaDawg]

Sunday morning campfire breakfast. It's the best, ever. And a beautiful morning here in wnc.

 

[Dena Hill]

What size small crock pot?

[SeaDawg]

So, tonight we did salmon fillets, on the grill, in a coffee cake tin. I clean and save them. Usually can use several times before recycling.

My friend Aubrey's recipe, minus honey, just because I don't have any. Spray the bottom of the pan with canola. Light spray on the filled, followed by a bit of mustard, spread with a knife, heavy shake of dried Dill. Slices of lemon. 

On our very hot grill fire, covered first with wax paper, then foil, turned twice,  moved to the back and turned off while I finished rice and broccoli. Small fillets from Faroe islands, (great memories of our stay there), probably 8 minutes, on high, to show white fat on top, and 140 when temped.

Lemon dill sauce... mayo (I love duke's) a bit of sour cream,if you have it,  squeeze of lemon juice, heavy shake of Dill. Stir. I do this first, and let rest and develop flavor while everything else cooks.

 

[Kathy Tewart]

This is not campsite cooking but recently we have been camping when it was in the upper 90s and didn't feel like cooking.  We have a trip coming up next week so I have been cooking and putting up meals in meal prep containers and freezing them, individual containers.  Made meatloaf, pork tenderloin and navy beans so far.  I think this will help.

[SeaDawg]

23 minutes ago, Kathy Tewart said:

This is not campsite cooking but recently we have been camping when it was in the upper 90s and didn't feel like cooking.  We have a trip coming up next week so I have been cooking and putting up meals in meal prep containers and freezing them, individual containers.  Made meatloaf, pork tenderloin and navy beans so far.  I think this will help.

I'll do the same,,if we think we'll hit iffy weather. I love to cook outside,  but not in rain, snow, or heat.😏

I freeze chili or gumbo, and it lasts in the fridge for a week. Keeps us going,,on cold nights

[SeaDawg]

We had breakfast for lunch today. Our friend camping with us asked for the "recipe," and name. My husband calls it skillet breakfast, I call it "clean out the fridge mess." (We're wrapping up a 3 week trip.)

Today's ingredients: 

About 1/4 bag of frozen hashbrowns thawed 

2 slices of onion, diced

1 small (wilting) green pepper, diced

4 pieces of brown and serve breakfast sausage, cut into coins

3 pieces precooked bacon, chopped

3 eggs, whisked with a fork, and a splash of milk

Olive oil (any oil... it's what I had left)

Mrs Dash to taste

Shredded cheddar (about 1/6 bag)

In my wok skillet, I sautéed the vegetables until a bit soft. Added the meats, continued til brown. Added the egg mix, and lowered heat, stirring til done but moist. Dumped onto my plate, set aside, wiped empty pan with a paper towel, added some oil,,and cooked thawed  hash browns with Mrs dash. Dumped the egg mix back on top, cooked a minute on low, topped with cheddar, turned heat off and covered to let the cheese melt. 

Serve with toast if you like, or not. Jalapeño if you like, or not. A squeeze of sour cream is great, too.

I use any bits of veggies left in the fridge. Particularly spinach or greens (add near end of sauté ), mushrooms, asparagus, etc., none of which I had today, so I used what we had.  

Easy one pan meal. I made it with my left hand only, though my husband chopped the veggies. (My dominant hand is in a sling.) Everything sticks together pretty well, so I could eat it left handed, too. 😊

Prettier when it's still in the pan.

 

 

[SeaDawg]

So, I found this on Amazon today. 

I love using cast iron, but my big cast iron stuff is gettimg too heavy to haul around, for occasional use. 

Have any of you used carbon steel on the campfire or grill? I have not.

I like the "natural" nonstick qualities of carbon steel, and I'd really like something that's useful on the stove, or induction, too. I don't like carrying single purpose items. 

This pan comes in 8, 10 and 12 inch sizes. I'd probably get 8 or ten inch. 

 

[MAX Burner]

Just in from Amazon - our latest "nesting" MAGMA cook-set w/collander fits right above the cooktop:

jalapeños stuffed with Pepper Jack and beef chorizo sausage:

Dueling grills - meat on the skillet and veggie burgers/brats on the Coleman:

Yum!

'Ravel On!...

 

[SeaDawg]

I love my magma set, @MAX Burner, and use it often on the boat. I use felt separators between the nested pot, and wrap the whole set in a towel, close the bungee, and store it in a cloth shopping bag, wedged in a corner of the galley cupboard (boat), or closet (ollie) .

Great set. They'll surely last a coulpe lifetimes. I have extra handles.

[MAX Burner]

1 minute ago, SeaDawg said:

wrap the whole set in a towel, close the bungee, and store it in a cloth shopping bag, wedged in a corner of the galley cupboard (boat), or closet (ollie) .

AH!  We'll do the same - We like the cloth shopping bag, we do that for our Chemex too! HA!, Great minds, right?

[Steve Morris]

3 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

Have any of you used carbon steel on the campfire or grill?

I have not, either. But it sure seems to be overtaking cast iron on overloading type YouTube channels. And my younger daughter has used an old one from her grandmother for several years and seems to like it. We just have an assortment of what we didn't use in the kitchen and deeply discounted pots and pans from Marshall's.

[SeaDawg]

46 minutes ago, Steve Morris said:

We just have an assortment of what we didn't use in the kitchen and deeply discounted pots and pans from Marshall's.

I'm not big on sets, either. 

I do have a Magma set, because I got a great deal on a marine site, that stays mostly on the boat. Nesting / little used space makes complete sense there. 

At home , I have a big variety.  "Famous name" brands don't necessarily work better, or make you a better cook, imo. Many of my pots and pans at home are ikea 365, on sale, because they work on my induction range. When I bought the first few, I figured I'd need to replace them with something "better" in a year. Not so. Those "cheap" pans work as well as my expensive but not induction compatible  Calphalon did on a radiant range.

My fave skillet is a cheap one from tj Maxx or Ross, $20. And, my nordicware wok skillet, probably same price, costco. 

I have one small pot and one small  fry pan from tj Maxx in the trailer, for the last 16 seasons. Small, fit the space, makes enough for 2 to 4 people. A lid from a thrift store. 

I'm not very brand loyal, I guess, when it comes to cookware. More "functional" loyal.

I'm just intrigued by the idea of being able to use the same carbon steel skillet on the fire and the stove. Would be nice. 

[MAX Burner]

10 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

I'm just intrigued by the idea of being able to use the same carbon steel skillet on the fire and the stove. Would be nice. 

We tote around both a carbon steel Wok and Skillet we use on both the gas stove and campfire.  We season with oil to keep the rust from accumulating after each usage...  No biggie.

[SeaDawg]

4 minutes ago, MAX Burner said:

We tote around both a carbon steel Wok and Skillet we use on both the gas stove and campfire.  We season with oil to keep the rust from accumulating after each usage...  No biggie.

I've read in comments that it's important to keep the carbon steel oiled after cleaning, just like cast iron. 

So, how do you find the touted "nonstick" feature of carbon steel?  Similar to cast iron cookware?

Thanks!

[Mike and Carol]

The griddles on my Blackstones are steel.  I seasoned them and keep them oiled just like I do our cast iron pieces.  Nonstick on them is great, fried eggs are easy to flip, no sticking.  Mike

[MAX Burner]

3 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

So, how do you find the touted "nonstick" feature of carbon steel?  Similar to cast iron cookware?

The jury's still out, but so far, the carbon steel seasons a bit more difficultly than cast iron.  But once seasoned - we just wipe off with a sponge (or plastic scrapper) re-apply olive oil prior to storage.  We like cooking on the open campfire flame with the CS...

[Steve Morris]

17 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

We tote around both a carbon steel Wok

Oh, yea! I DO have a carbon steel cooking surface. I forgot about the Skottle we've been using for 6-7 years. It's a love hate relationship. It works great until something sticks, and then I end up scraping too much and lose the seasoning. As Art said, it doesn't season as well as cast iron, but easier to clean (unless you have one of those fancy cast iron skillets with a machined surface.) Overall, though, I'm a fan of the versatility. Mine has sockets for legs, but other brands are made for fire or gas.

Without legs in my Snow Peak Iron Grill Table kitchen setup.

 

[SeaDawg]

The "skottle" is a really  cool piece of gear. Does yours fit on a jet burner on a little bottle, if necessary? Love the concept.

When we van camped around Iceland several years back, I wish I'd known about it. Making dinner for two on a jet burner, and minimal nesting cooking gear (think take it on the plane) was an exercise in ingenuity. That would have just been great! (With a lid. The wind was often very strong.)

 

 

 

[Steve Morris]

Our Skottle came with a simple Coleman single burner stove and non-adjustable legs, and it was about $200 less than current cost. 
https://tembotusk.com/collections/cooking-and-accessories

I replaced the Coleman with a Kovea Scout isobutane burner for a wider, more even center hot spot, and added an old diffuser plate between the burner and the pan. That’s really helped. With adaptors, I can use butane, isobutane, or propane.

People make a wide assortment of meals on it, from grilling, steaming, baking, and more. I’ve both grilled and baked cinnamon rolls on it. I’ve seen steaks, popcorn, pizza, cookies, bread, stir fry, and more. It can definitely be a one pot dinner tool. 
 

[MAX Burner]

@Steve Morris:  Awesome cooking set-up, Steve!  

FYI, depending on our trip profiles, we find that we pack-up the kitchen kit accordingly.  Short trips/long weekends, etc., usually don't lend themselves for taking the entire Cook Set-up we've acquired over the years.  But, on the longer trips, we tend to haul most of the outside kitchen options because we like cooking so much!  Ha!

Try the "Bacon-wrapped stuffed Jalapeños (w/sausage and pepper jack) with BBQ sauce" - bet they'd be great on your Skottle!

Cheers, Brother!