When it comes to campfire cooking, most people associate that with grilling or cast iron. These can be hard or costly, especially if you don’t know how to or own the equipment to do so. There is, however, a simpler and cheaper option to campfire cooking: foil pack meals.

 

Foil packs are exactly what it sounds like, a packet of food cooked in foil. The only tools necessary are aluminum foil to wrap the food in, metal tongs or fire gloves to place and remove the foil pack, and coals or a grill to cook on. This might sound like a very limiting way to cook, but there are plenty of different recipes that can be done in this method. Everything from breakfast to dessert is possible.

 

Regardless of what kind of food you are cooking, the process is roughly the same. You simply prepare a sheet of foil, follow the recipes instructions for your ingredients, fold your foil around the ingredients to make a packet and then cook over your heat of choice. Different recipes might tell you different ways of folding your packets with some even calling for additional layers of foil around the base layer. How long to cook them and if they need to be flipped depends on what you cook your packs on and what kind of food you cook.

 

To help start your journey with foil packs, here are some sample recipes for you to try. This first recipe is a great starting point for learning foil packs because most of the ingredients are up to you. 

 

Recipe 1: Grilled Nachos
Ingredients:

  • Chips

  • Cheese

  • Salsa

  • Extras

    • Ingredients that you want to be warm such as proteins, beans, jalapenos, etc

  • Toppings

    • Cold ingredients that are added after cooking such as cilantro and avocado

Equipment:

  • Aluminum foil

  • Tongs or gloves

Steps:

  • Lay down a sheet of aluminum foil 18 inches long.

  • Build a mound of chips in the center of your foil with about a 2 inch edge all the way around for folding.

  • Pile on the ingredients you want to warm.

  • Put a second piece of foil on top and crimp the edges of the two pieces together to create a tight seal.

  • Place the foil pack over indirect medium heat, whether that is a propane grill, coals or over the fire. It doesn’t need to be flipped and should take roughly 8-10 minutes, slightly longer if cooked over coals.

  • After giving it time to cook, carefully remove it from the heat and check if it is done. If it isn't, just reseal it and place it back.

  • Once it is done, add your toppings and enjoy!

 

If nachos aren’t meeting your needs and you want something more traditional to camping, this recipe is the one for you. Even though this one isn’t as simple, the effort will be worth it for smoked sausage and potatoes. 

 

Recipe 2: Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of kielbasa sausage

  • 6 small red potatoes

  • 2 ears yellow corn shucked

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  • ½ cup colby-jack cheese shredded 

Equipment:

  • Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Steps:

  • Get your fire going or grill preheating to a medium-high heat

  • Cut two squares from your aluminum foil big enough to each hold half of the ingredients.

  • Keep cutting by chopping the sausage and potatoes into 1-inch pieces and each of the ears of corn into 3 pieces.

  • Divide the sausage and veggies evenly between the two squares.

  • Top them with the butter, black pepper and salt.

  • Close the packets by folding one side over the ingredients and the opposite side back over the top. Seal the open ends by folding them twice.

  • Place the packets seam side up to cook on the grill for 10 to 12 minutes. If you're using a fire, they may take slightly longer.

  • Flip them and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes.

  • Open the packets by first cutting a capital I shape into the foil.

  • Carefully pull back the foil on each side. Watch out for hot steam rising out of the opening!

  • Add your colby-jack cheese on top and let it melt.

  • Enjoy!

 

Note: There is enough food to get 4 servings from 2 packets.

 

S'mores are by far the most iconic camping dessert, but isn’t it about time to try something new? Foil packs aren’t limited to just making main meals. They can provide sweet treats too, just like this banana split recipe!

 

Recipe 3: Campfire Banana Splits
Ingredients:

  • Banana 

    • The best type is one that is uniformly yellow

  • Chocolate Bar of choice

  • Mini Marshmallows (optional)

    • They aren’t normally part of a banana split, but they fit right in here

  • Whipped Cream

    • This is the “ice cream” of the banana split. Bringing ice cream on your camping trip isn’t nearly as practical as bringing a can of whipped cream. The extra creamy kind will give a more similar experience to ice cream.

  • Cherries

Equipment:

  • Aluminum Foil

  • Long Handled Tongs

    • The easiest and safest way to place and adjust your bananas on the fire.

Steps:

  • Use a knife to cut a small notch into the banana peel near the top.

  • Peel away a narrow strip of the banana peel using the notch you just made.

  • Carefully cut a line down the center of the exposed banana. This cut should go all the way through the banana but not go through the peel in the back.

  • Gently compress the banana to flex open the cut line.

  • Break your chocolate bar into chunks and stuff them along with marshmallows (if you want them) into the banana. Overstuffing is fine because the chocolate will uniformly fill the crack as it melts.

  • Once you fill the banana as full as you want, it’s time to wrap it up. Simply take a piece of your aluminum foil and wrap it around your banana. The stem can stay unwrapped.

  • Place the wrapped banana on its back in a bed of hot embers or coals using your tongs. Make sure it stays on its back to avoid any chance of the chocolate and marshmallows melting out.

  • Let it roast for 4 to 6 minutes.

  • Pull it out and let it cool down for a few minutes before unwrapping.

  • Add whipped cream, top it with a few cherries and dig in!