Camping is a wonderful way to explore the natural world around you. Whether it’s via tent or glamping in a top-line RV, it’s an experience that shouldn’t be passed up. That’s why approximately 40 million people partook in it throughout 2019.
A great thing to do when camping is sitting around a campfire. It allows you not only to enjoy each other’s company but to also prepare some fine meals as well. Plus, it can be done outside of tents at a nearby campsite or while staying in Gatlinburg cabin rentals at Smoky Mountain locations like the Elk Springs Resort.
Photo by Maria Orlova from Pexels
Here are the 6 meals you can make over an open campfire with your loved ones:
1. S’mores
S’mores are one of the simplest and most popular desserts to make over a campfire. It requires three ingredients — graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. The secret is to get the right consistency.
What cooks over the fire is the marshmallow. You want it soft and warm enough to help melt the chocolate between two graham crackers. If it’s undone or overcooked it doesn’t work. It takes some trial and error to get the perfect s’more.
2. Hot Dogs With Bean Salad
Hot dogs and beans are a campfire tradition. It’s thanks to the simplicity of the recipe. In this take, you’re not boiling baked beans from a can. Instead, you cook them in an iron skillet.
Place a cooking grate on top of the fire. In addition to the hot dogs and buns add a medium-sized iron skillet. Heat olive oil and onions for three minutes. Add beans, several types work, with tomatoes, garlic, and molasses. Move to indirect heat and stir for 15 minutes before serving.
3. Campfire Nachos
The way campfire nachos are cooked on a campfire differs slightly from home preparation. You won’t heat the nachos first, add the ingredients, then place them on an open plate to heat in the oven. Everything needs to be done in aluminum foil.
Add all the ingredients — meat, beans, olives, jalapenos, and cheese, among others — in a bowl. Next, tear off several sheets of foil. Add chips and a portion of the nacho mixture to one side. Fold the other side over, seal, and place on a cooking grate for approximately 10 minutes.
4. Kebabs
Grilled kebabs are another popular item to cook over an open campfire. They don’t have to be the typical mix of meat and vegetables. You can create a kebab from practically everything, except perhaps dairy.
What makes a kebab more than food on a stick is the marinade. This can be your favorite store-bought sauce or something homemade. Prior to cooking, marinate your meat and/or vegetables for approximately 15 minutes. Next, thread these items onto skewers. Cook for about 10 minutes or until everything feels tender.
5. Shrimp Scampi
Fresh seafood on the campfire is one of the greatest dining experiences. It’s the fact you cleaned and prepared the items yourself that adds to its deliciousness. One of the easier seafood recipes to make on the campfire is shrimp scampi.
Shell, devein, and clean approximately one pound of shrimp. Combine it in a bowl with butter, thyme, lemon zest & juice, and salt & pepper to taste. Prepare several one-square-foot pieces of foil and divide the shrimp scampi mixture onto them. Fold and seal the foil, and thoroughly cook between 10-12 minutes.
6. Campfire Pizza
It doesn’t matter if the nearest pizza parlor is dozens of miles away. You can still have a cheesy slice courtesy of your campfire. You need a few simple ingredients and a cooking surface. While a cast-iron skillet works well, any flat, heat-tolerant surface is fine.
Take refrigerated or frozen pizza dough, let it defrost, and roll it out on a heated surface until the bottom is brown. Remove it from the fire, flip it over, and add sauce, cheese, and any toppings. Place it back on the heat until the crust turns brown and the cheese is melted.
There are plenty of meals you can make over an open campfire than the six provided here. Experimentation is welcomed and encouraged. If you have any favorite recipes you cook at home consider trying them out over the campfire. You’ll be wonderfully satisfied with the results.
