Need Ideas Kids...For a contest

[SixSix210]

I'm going to camp in a few weeks, taking my scout troop. I was recently informed that the camp we are going to holds a campfire cooking challenge for the scoutmasters. I need ideas. I want a real show stopper with basic ingredients that's fast and easy. Maybe easy is not the right word for it... I'm experienced so it can be technical, I just want to make sure it doesn't require TONS of advanced preperation.

[college_cook]

If it's on the campfire, the really easy answer would be bratwurst with peppers and onions... now since this is a boy scout expedition i'm not really sure if it would be appropriate to bring beer to cook with- that's your call. Slice your onions and Green peppers, toss in EVOO, S+P, and toss on the grill to cook. For the brats, I like to braise them on the grill in a cheapy aluminum foil pan with onions, and beer to cover. Toast some buns on the grill to serve.


Another super easy one that's a go-to recipe for me is teriyaki pork. Marinate boneless country style pork ribs in equal parts soy and brown sugar, and then add garlic and ginger powder to taste (i've recently been adding a little lemon zest + juice to this, which I like). Marinate for maybe an hour, and then straight to the grill. The sugars in this marinade really help you get some great caramelization from the hot grill.

If you're very daring you can grill some fish- something I love to do. I like to do tuna and salmon on the grill, in all of their myriad preparations. Another fun one, if you can afford it, is grilled scallops.

Another great one to do for camping is chili. If you know how to make mole, use that as your base instead of tomato for a very different take on chili. I also prefer to use diced beef when I use mole, rather than ground beef.

[Uncle Bob]

Who does the judging?

[love2"Q"]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Who does the judging?

beat me to it ...

[jkath]

how cool! IRON CHEF in the woods!

[Michael in FtW]

Fried rattlesnake with smashed potatoes (potatoes wrapped in foil and baked in the coals then smashed) and Dutch oven biscuits with milk cream gravy. This would certainly win a scouting cooking contest ... but the prep work could be a problem - especially catching, skinning and gutting the little critters!

Some less dangerous options:

1 - Shrimp and okra gumbo served over rice (you can get pre-made dark roux in a jar) and to kick up the flavor you can make a stock from the shells from the shrimp - otherwise use chicken stock, not water like most recipes call for.

2 - Shrimp Creole served over pasta (angel hair, spaghetti, fettuccine, or linguine) - or rice.

3 - Crawfish Etouffee served over rice - if you can find fresh or frozen crawfish tails.

4 - Smoked sausage Jambalaya

You could also go with ...

Pork pot roast with a packaged onion or mushroom gravy with baked sweet potatoes and DO cornbread.

Braised country style pork ribs with sweet-n-sour red cabbage, onions and apples.

Chicken-fried steak with smashed potatoes and gravy ...

Oh - and a DO peach cobbler for dessert!

This doesn't include the obvious beef pot roast with onions, carrots and potatoes; beef stew, chili, slum gullion, fried/grilled on a stick catfish, etc.

I know that all of these can be cooked over a campfire .... I did it when I was a kid in scouts.

[Bigjim68]

There is a site called cowboy chuckwagon with very good basic information, and a few good recipes. A few minutes googling chuckwagon, campfire or outdoor cooking would probably come up with several world class recipes.

[Jeff G.]

Something my friends have me make every canoe trip. simple and FANTASTIC tasting.

Start a charcoal fire-- a big one!

lay out two layers of HEAVY aluminum foil. On top, place a pork loin. Around the loin place potatoes that have been halved(you don't need to peel them). Along with the potatoes, lay carrots, lots of them(fantastic when they are done). Along with those veggies, take onions and quarter. Place them around the meat. Over the top of everything pour a jar(or two if you have a whole loin) of red pepper relish(something like this..Amazon.com: Sweet Spicy Red Pepper Relish: Gourmet Food )
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and wrap up everything tightly. Add more foil if needed.

Lay this directly on the coals. Do not touch it for 1 1/2 hours. At that point, flip it over. Let it cook another hour. You can then cut a slit and see if the carrots are tender. If the carrots are tender, it's done.
Don't worry about the stuff getting dark and sticking to the foil.. that's the best part!!

[hbjul4]

If you're going for a visual...there's nothing like cooking salmon like the Indians do. Using long spears and skwering the salmon in them, then cooking at an angle over the fire. You can season them any way you desire, and they will attract a crowd!

[Goodweed of the North]

So you want a showstopper. Take one 15 lb. turley and truss the leggs to a stout stick, by the ends. Sew the neck flap shut around some cooked rice, mixed with sage, onion, chicken soup base, and celery. Light your fire in a controllable ring. make a reflector out of a simple lean-to with aluminium foil hanging down vertically from the top to the ground. Place this on one side of the fire. Make a tripod out of stout sticks, lashed together at the top. Tie stout cord from the tip of the tripod to the center of another stout sord attached to either end of the turssing stick that is attached to the turkey leg ends. Place the turkey so that it is hanging close to, but not directly over the fire. Give it a spin and let the radient heat from the cooking fire do the work. Occasionally baste with a honey/water, or honey/mustard sauce. Use a meat thermometer to determine when the bird is done (155' F. in the thickest part of the breast, near the leg/body joint). Remove to a platter and let rest for 15 to twenty minutes before carving.

For this to work, you fire needs to be fairly hot (lots of coals), preferably with glowing logs raised to nealy the level of the roasting turkey. You can also heat clean stones in the fire and place them into the bird cavity to speed cooking time.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North