31 Days of Kitchen Inspiration Day 18: Campfire Cooking

Plenty of cooking happened while I was at hunting camp.  I was supposed to make breakfast for 11 but ended up making it for 14.  Evening meals were group efforts with the main item being brought by yours truly.

Campfire Cooking – Chicken Packets

One night we did campfire cooking.  I don’t have it completely mastered but since this is my second year to try it, I’m starting to get some things figured out.

Since I was cooking for over 50 people I needed a large grate.  We had brought some hog panel fencing along and so we took 2 hog panels and tied them together for my “grill” trying to make the opening as small as possible so no food could slip through.  We then placed the grill over our coals but made sure it was supported on all sides by the rocks surrounding the campfire so as not to lay directly on the coals.

Campfire Cooking Tip

Be sure you start your fire early on and have a thick bed of coals.  We had really nice coals but there wasn’t enough of them which caused problems as they started to die out an hour later.  I would say make your bed of coals about 3-4″ thick.

My experience has been that the chicken/potatoes will need 1 to 1 1/2 hours to cook.  This time around our potatoes were not completely cooked so I recommend cutting any potatoes that are not very small in half.

Preparing the Chicken Packets

Earlier that afternoon, the ladies at camp all helped to assemble the chicken packets.

I had picked up some foil that had parchment paper on one side and foil on the other to wrap our chicken in but was disappointed in the product.  It didn’t seem to want to hold together as well as if you had bought parchment paper and foil separately.

I would definitely recommend using parchment paper so as to avoid having your food in contact with the aluminum foil.

• Cut the pieces of foil and parchment paper the size you need.
• Place your chicken on the paper and sprinkle both sides with your seasonings of choice.
• Place a small potato in with the chicken.  (If your potato is medium or large, you will need to cut it in half or thirds.)
• Wrap packet with the foil and keep cold until ready to cook.  Store in ice chest that has plenty of ice.
• Make ahead:  These steps can be completed before you leave for camping and will hold if kept very cold for 2-3 days before cooking.  (where we camp it gets to freezing every night, so if you were in a location that had warmer days and nights, you would want to cook them sooner)

People really seem to like the novelty of cooking over the campfire so this meal is a hit with most everyone.  Food can cool down fast when you’re out in the open air but with each meal served individually it stays piping hot until you decide to open it.

Cliff Notes for Campfire Cooking

Cut all medium-large sized potatoes that will be placed in the packets in half or thirds.

Start fire a few hours early so that the bed of coals is completely ready when starting to cook chicken.

Be sure the coals are 3-4″ deep.

Do not place the grill too high above the coals.  A few inches away is all that’s needed.

Cooking over the campfire is fun.  If you’ve never done it, try it sometime!