What’s in a Camp Meal?

It has become customary that after a long day of fishing somewhere, I find myself standing at an open fire with a nagging hunger. Most of the places that I go to fish don’t have a local Waldorf Astoria to retreat to. Sometimes, even a Days Inn is an expectation too cosmopolitan. But even where hotels are available, campsites are cheaper and prettier.

While equally important, the shelter is an afterthought compared to the food. The evening appetite demands immediate attention. It may be tempting to satisfy that hunger with the extra ham sandwich left over in the cooler, but good camping food is worth the wait.

It begs the question, then: what’s in a good camp meal?

The options are endless, but it’s important to remember that the first thing a good camp meal should do is act as the appropriate fuel. I try to make sure that most meals have a good ratio of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. Having a well-balanced diet in the outdoors can make the recreation a much more sustainable affair.

Camp food can be complicated or grossly simple. I like it somewhere in between. The method of camping is often the primary limiting factor for cooking since it controls the amount of equipment at the disposal of the cook. As a dedicated car-camper, I leverage the drawer space in my converted camper-truck bed to store all the dry ingredients and cooking utensils I want. The other stuff goes in the cooler or dry box.

To earn favor with your fellow travelers, perhaps the most important thing about the camp meal is making it delicious. This part usually isn’t more complicated than the appropriate mix of salt, acid, and fat. The fun part, though, is figuring out exactly how that shakes down into a recipe.

An all-time favorite of mine is an augmented version of a recipe that I must credit to my brother-in-law:

Jonathan’s Fajitas

About 20” (or one pack) of smoked sausage (large-diameter Conecuh, if available), cut into ¼ inch rounds

1 green bell pepper, chopped lengthwise

1 small yellow onion, chopped lengthwise

1 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic (buying the pre-minced jar is easier for travelling, and you can just keep it in your cooler).

1 small green lime, quartered

2 cups tomato juice

1 pack yellow corn tortillas

Shredded cheese for topping

Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional: kale or spinach

Cooking methods: Cooking on a camp stove is probably easier, but a good campfire will do just fine. As far as this recipe goes, one skillet on medium-high heat suffices. Play around with it to get it right on the campfire. Open fire cooking takes trial and error. It’s all part of the fun.

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. If you only have smaller skillets, cook the recipe in batches. Add sausage, cooking until crispy with a substantial amount of rendered fat in the bottom of the pan. Remove the sausage and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but a couple teaspoons of fat into a jar and put it in the cooler. The excess fat can be saved for cooking eggs. Add chopped onion and bell pepper. Season with a small amount of salt and pepper. Stir often to avoid burning. Cook until tender, with noticeable char marks. Add sausage back in. Add garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant.

Add tomato juice and deglaze the skillet, scraping the fond off the bottom with your spatula or spoon. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. At this point, wrap a desired number of tortillas (if they’re the larger ones, three or four per person will probably do the trick) in aluminum foil and set on the far side of the campfire or edge of the stove to warm. Once the tomato juice turns 2 or 3 shades darker, remove from heat. Serve on warm tortillas and top with shredded cheese and lime juice.

Optional: to add more fiber to the dish, add a couple handfuls of kale or baby spinach at the same time as the tomato juice, cooking until the leaves are wilted.

Serves 4.