A Family Recipe: Campfire Foil Packets

July 31, 2019 | by ashlynn reynolds-dyk

Over the past few months, I’ve offered a number of my favorite recipes (reluctantly, at times and sometimes being scolded by family members for sharing some of our “secret” recipes). If you have followed along, you will notice many of them were for the smoker grill or function as a side or a dessert to go with said smoker meals. With that in mind, I thought it might be time that I switch gears to a favorite recipe from the campfire (although I’m pretty sure that anything from the campfire is automatically delicious, no?). Campfire foil packets are kind of a lazy person’s kabob and are comparable to those “everything but the kitchen sink” breakfast platters you often see on menus. Like the kabob or the kitchen sink platters, foil packets can take on many varieties, and it often depends on what ingredients you have on hand. So, here is our campfire foil packet recipe with a few different options you can try to see what you like and do not like:

Campfire Foil Packets

Ingredients:

(This will make about 6 servings)

• 3-4 baking potatoes, cut into small ½ inch cubes (honestly, any kind of potato will work—red, golden, etc.)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2-3 large carrots, sliced
• Various other vegetables (you can use squash, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, and even jalapenos, etc.—it just depends on what you want to get rid of in the refrigerator and what your tastes are)
• 1 lb ground beef (often elk in our case) or cubed beef
• Salt and pepper and/or your favorite seasoning
• Note 1: We usually like garlic salt and a peppery steak mix seasoning (e.g. McCormick’s Montreal Seasoning or Weber’s Chicago Steak Seasoning)
• Note 2: Some people like to use a couple packets of onion soup mix—my husband really likes it this way
• Butter (or avocado oil if you want a healthier alternative)

Preparation: 

1. Get the campfire going so that there is a small flame with good, hot coals (not a raging fire - about like you would want for making s’mores, burgers, steaks, etc. over the fire)
2. In a large bowl, combine first four/five ingredients - some people like to pull apart and mix the burger (or cubes) in with all the ingredients (me! I’m some people!) while others like to make them into individual patties topping the patties with the veggie mixture - either way works
3. Season generously and mix
4. Tear aluminum foil into 6, 12x12 sheets
5. Divide the full mixture into six servings (Honestly, you can tailor this to your family… we have two adults and three small kids so we portion the mixture out accordingly)
6. Place the divided portions of the mixture onto each foil sheet
7. Add a couple of thin slices of butter to each sheet or drizzle a tablespoon of oil over each sheet
8. If there is leftover juice from the vegetables and meat in the bowl, evenly disperse onto each sheet so the mixture can steam/cook in its own juices
9. Wrap the sides of the sheets of foil around each individual mixture to make little meal packets like an enclosed container—ensure there are no openings—these will steam/cook in the foil packets (note: you may need to add an additional layer of foil if your packets are overly full so you do not lose all your juice)
10. Place the foil meal packets on a fire safe rack over the fire about 10 inches above the hot coals and flame
11. Allow the meal packets to cook for 45-60 minutes (you may have to open them and stick a fork in the potatoes to see if they are soft to ensure the meal packets are ready)
12. Once ready, pull off the fire and allow the foil to cool for a few minutes—once the foil has cooled, you can place the packets on plates and eat right out of the foil—be cautious of the steam when you open each packet!

related articles: