Cooking outdoors always tastes better than cooking at home

At any given time during a one and a half week period in mid July, the Sams family had 22 people hanging out at their campsite in the Indiana Dunes State Park, lounging by the fire, chatting and eating.

Because when you’re camping, well, you also have to eat.

Whether by campfire or on charcoal grills brought from home, campers find enjoying the great outdoors also means throwing together simple yet delicious fare.

“Our favorite is packets,” Mandy Sams said, while family members cooked hotdogs and turkey burgers over the campfire for lunch. “It’s smoked sausage, potatoes, green peppers and onion. You just cut it in cubes, throw it in foil and put it in the fire.”

Four generations of the Crown Point family gathered for the campout, which required some advance planning of menus and who would bring what.

Because the sheer number of people is more than a typical campfire can be expected to serve, the family also brought some charcoal grills.

Other family favorites include kabobs, skillet breakfasts of bacon and eggs, and “pudgie pies,” a metal contraption on a stick for toasting sandwiches.

Toasted peanut butter and jelly, as well as sandwiches made with pizza ingredients, also rank high.

Cooking outdoors provides a different flavor than cooking at home.

“It tastes so much better, the wood and the charcoal and the smokiness,” Sams said. “It’s just being outside with everybody.”

At another campsite, Eileen Craige cut up watermelon while her husband, Rick, manned a charcoal grill. The couple, from Montrose, Penn., came to camp at the dunes for a reunion with family from Chicago.

“We enjoy cooking and what’s nice is, when you’re camping, you have a little more time,” Eileen said.

They use the campfire, the grill and a camp stove to satisfy their culinary interests.

One night, the family made homemade salsa together. Rick spent eight hours slow-cooking three racks of ribs on the charcoal grill one day — rather than being with the rest of the family at the beach. Rick also likes making pancakes from scratch in a cast iron skillet on the fire.

“It’s fun to cook when you’re camping,” Eileen said.

Brad Bumgardner, an interpretive naturalist with the state park who leads programs on campfire cooking, offered a few tips and ideas.

Campfires, are less predictable than camp stoves, or the stove at home.

“You have to learn the fire, the conditions, and when the fire’s right,” he said.

Toward that end, campers want to wait for the flames to die down so they can use the remaining coals to cook.

It’s also important to have the right utensils, since campers may find the handles on their home skillets burn off. Cast iron pans get very hot and stay hot, and are heavy as well.

Bumgardner prefers foil for what he calls “hobo dinners.” The foil cools quickly and can double as a plate on the table, making for easy cleanup.

“I use that more than anything, and I’ve had great fish and hamburger dishes out of that,” he said.

To break the s’more rut — Bumgardner admitted he’s not a fan of the ubiquitous campfire treat — he recommended dipping a roasted marshmallow in chocolate syrup and rolling it in either crushed peanuts or flaked coconut.

Foil Breakfast

– Hash brown potatoes

– Eggs

– Sausage

– Spices to taste

– Aluminum foil

Place potatoes, scrambled eggs (uncooked), sausage and spices in aluminum foil. Wrap securely. Place on coals for about 15 minutes. Turn and rotate as needed.

Bacon and Egg

Serving: 1

– 3 thick slices of bacon

– 1 egg

– 1 paper lunch bag

– 1 stick

Place bacon in bottom of bag, covering bottom.

Crack egg and put in bag on top of bacon. Fold top of bag down securely. Poke a hole through top of bag for stick. Hold over hot coals until contents are cooked.

Foil Dinner

– 1⁄4 pound ground beef

– 1 carrot, sliced

– 1 potato, sliced

– Small onion, diced

– Seasonings

– Butter

– Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Layer all ingredients in center of a piece of aluminum foil. Season to taste. Top with butter. Fold foil and secure tightly. Leave room for expansion. Place packet on hot coals for about 20 to 30 minutes. Turn and rotate often.

Camper’s Pizza

– Bread

– Butter

– Mozzarella cheese

– Pizza sauce

– Pepperoni, sliced

Butter one side of two slices of bread. Place one slice of bread on pie iron with buttered side down. Top with 11⁄2 tablespoons pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni. Place other slice of bread on top with buttered side out. Place pie iron on hot coals. Turn often until bread is toasted.

Kabobs

– 1 pound of sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes

– Marinade seasonings (Italian dressing, barbecue sauce, etc.)

– Assorted vegetables, sliced

– Sealable plastic bag

Place marinade in zippered plastic bag, then add beef.

Mix together well. Refrigerate meat for several hours or overnight to develop maximum flavor.

Alternate beef and vegetables on metal or wooden skewers. (Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before using.) Grill over hot coals for 10 to 15 minutes until cooked. Turn and rotate often.

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