What are your favorite campsite meals?

[WoolyRunner]

I’ve been going easy route lately. I go to Safeway and buy a bunch of their pre-made dinners and just wrap em in foil and put em on the grill till hot. Quick and easy and good variety too.

[3nails]

 Pizza cooked over an alder fire is amazing. I look forward to that meal all year long.

[CarbonHunter]

My favorites are chili in the pot over the fire and steaks cooked over the grate on the fire, no bbq in elk camp for steaks if we can avoid it.

I have gone to the prepped and frozen meals as well and we typically put them in the oven or pot and they are ready in an hour but when there is time steaks, taters and chili is hard to beat. And the day after chili is chili dog night.

[Buckhunter24]

I mostly rotate brats, hotdogs and hot links 

[ganghis]

well, I rarely eat at my rig and when I do it's usually something like cold fried chicken, cheez-its, and beer.  But, in the field I gotta say there's a real pleasure in eating a dehydrated meal you've made yourself.  A couple I've done recently: elk chili mac, ethiopian elk stew w/ cous cous, and lentils & rice (definitely prefer the meat ones).  There's different ways of doing it, and mine definitely screws up the texture, but I tend to puree things a bit in a food processor before dehydrating. 

Sorry to screw up your car camping thread, but just a PSA you can still eat good over a camp stove in the backcountry without paying $12 a meal! 

[HereDuckyDucky]

Fresh elk tenderloin.

RW

[Rob]

Great ideas, appreciate the input!  However I don't appreciate the 10 pounds I have put on just by reading the replies...

I will be upping my game for sure with some of these ideas.  I think my key takeaway is, I don't do the pre-trip prep.  I tend to start everything right before I start cooking.  That will speed things up and increase quality and variety of food.

And backcountry ideas are NOT off the table so that does not screw the thread up. 

One time on a Mt. Baker climb one of our team members had put a whole large pizza in her pack.  Every time we stopped she pulled out a piece to eat.  By the time we figured it out she was half way thru the pizza!  She had to start being discrete from that point on as we were all quite jealous and not above stealing.

[NOCK NOCK]

Roast a mallow over fire, then squish between 2 reg tortilla chips.....tastes just like carmelcorn.

HOBO/foil wrap stew is always a winner.

Easy stroganoff....1# burger, 16z sour cream, 1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup, spice to taste. Brown burg. then add rest. serve over pasta.

How about quicky Swedish meatballs, similar to SOS (no balls made) just flavor it the same, serve over mashed taters, (little bags easiest)

[boneaddict]

I was treated to a simple delight one night from a fellow member that I believe has passed.   It was simple DintyMoore with fresh grouse breast cubed and added to it.   I was shocked how good it was.   Maybe it was the warming of the shot of Crown and the comradery, or the fact we just finished packing a moose out.  I'll never forget that meal.   

[Okanagan]

I was treated to a simple delight one night from a fellow member that I believe has passed.   It was simple DintyMoore with fresh grouse breast cubed and added to it.   I was shocked how good it was.   Maybe it was the warming of the shot of Crown and the comradery, or the fact we just finished packing a moose out.  I'll never forget that meal.   

Hadn't been paying attention to this thread but this Dinty Moore and grouse caught my eye.  One of our best ever campfire meals was when my then high school son and I loaded our Dutch oven with Dinty Moore, a few more carrots, onions and potatoes, and added diced up breasts from three grouse.  We set the Dutch oven on a bed of coals in the edge of the fire and went hunting in mid-afternoon.  We came back after dark in snow blowing sideways, all of the fire covered with snow except for the Dutch oven.  It was steaming hot when the lid came off, a fabulous mix of store bought and homemade stew with the delicious grouse chunks that had soaked up the other flavors.  Great memory!. 

[Longfield1]

My camping meals are whatever takes least amount of dishes and easy to cook. I usually bring just 1 cast iron pan and some oil and a burner. Usually forget even a spatula. My burgers and pepperoni sticks are always made from game that I've harvested.

Hot dogs
Burgers
Steaks


If the family is with me then its mostly different because my wife is cooking.

Bacon eggs pancakes hashbrowns for breakfast
sandwiches for lunch
stir fry, orange chicken, pasta, burgers

[Alchase]

I forgot home made Campfire Chili -
Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkt dry chili seasoning
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 tsp minced Garlic
1 small sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp liquid smoke
1 cup ketchup
1 15 oz can chili beans, undrained
1 15 oz can black beans, undrained
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream

Hand full of chili peppers

1. Brown ground beef in a Dutch oven or large pot.
2. Sprinkle packet of chili seasoning in with meat and stir well.
3. Add fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro, liquid smoke and ketchup.
4. Fold in chili beans and black beans. 
5. Add chili peppers to desired heat.
6. Stir well and cover. Simmer for at least one hour over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Add a little water if chili becomes too thick.
7. Top bowls of chili with grated cheddar, sour cream and chopped cilantro as a garnish.

There is just something satisfying about sitting around a campfire after a long day of hunting, eating a hot bowl of chili.

 

[Wingin it]

Steak and taters
Burgers
Brats/dogs
Chili
Soups
Philly steak sandwiches
Pastas (spaghetti, fettuccine Alfredo)

Breakfast is always a fend for yourself situation. Usually cereal or quick oatmeal packets.
Lunch varies from sandwiches, egg salad is a favorite, to whatever snacks are in my pack.

[Twispriver]

We have breakfast for supper about half of the time. Hashbrowns and eggs, pancakes, french toast and omelets are frequent dinner meals.

[CarbonHunter]

I forgot home made Campfire Chili -
Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkt dry chili seasoning
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 tsp minced Garlic
1 small sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp liquid smoke
1 cup ketchup
1 15 oz can chili beans, undrained
1 15 oz can black beans, undrained
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream

Hand full of chili peppers

1. Brown ground beef in a Dutch oven or large pot.
2. Sprinkle packet of chili seasoning in with meat and stir well.
3. Add fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro, liquid smoke and ketchup.
4. Fold in chili beans and black beans. 
5. Add chili peppers to desired heat.
6. Stir well and cover. Simmer for at least one hour over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Add a little water if chili becomes too thick.
7. Top bowls of chili with grated cheddar, sour cream and chopped cilantro as a garnish.

There is just something satisfying about sitting around a campfire after a long day of hunting, eating a hot bowl of chili.

 

Hard to beat anything cooked over the fire in a Dutch oven on a cold evening after a long day of hunting. Not much that you can’t cook this way.