The Best Camp Food
Written By: Sarah Reish
Cooking and eating outdoors is one of the best experiences you can have. Something about the smokey campfire flavors and fresh air bring out the best in the dining experience. So, I am compiling all of the best camp foods we enjoy and working with the Wyoming Buffalo Company to kick it up with Wyoming flavors. If you have a favorite camping recipe send it our way!
#3 Cast Iron Chili
Chili is one of my favorite foods on the planet. Ir is super versatile, especially when camping. You can grab a bowl or throw it on a hot dog. At home you can make dips and casseroles with the left overs.
The Wyoming Buffalo Company carries everything you need to make amazing chili. Our favorite that can be found at WBC is the Chugwater Chili seasoning and it is fantastic! We keep our pantry stocked and our camp kitchen box. The second ingredient we get from Lisa is the wild game. WBC carries ground Venison and Bison that is frozen and ready for your culinary skills. The third winning ingredient carried at WBC is their amazing selection of hot sauce. We love hot sauce and like to find unique flavors to add to chili, tacos, and wings. Be sure to watch WBC’s samples so you can try them.
Here is how we make our cast iron chili. For small batches a large cast iron skillet is fine, but for larger batches will need a dutch oven.
1 LB Ground Meat
1 Small (or 1/2 Large) Dice Onion
I Packet Chugwater Chili
1 Can Preferred Beans (Black, Kidney, or Pinto) drained and rinsed.
1-2 Cans Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
1 Diced Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce
2 Table Spoons Brown Sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste
Crushed red Pepper to taste
Hot sauce to Taste
Add ins - Based on mood
I sometimes add bacon to the meat when cooking
I sometimes add corn
Heat the cast iron before starting any food. Add a large drizzle of oil and sauté onion and chipotle pepper for a couple of minutes and add ground meat. Add salt and pepper to the meat as it cooks and when browned add chili seasoning and crushed red pepper. Add the canned tomatoes and beans and stir. Once simmering add the brown sugar (this cuts the acidity and adds a slight hint of sweetness to the spices). As it simmers I also add a few shakes of my current favorite hot sauce.
#2 Campfire Steak Dinner
Nothing beats a steak dinner and how often do we actually cook our steaks in the great outdoors, patio grills don’t count. WBC has the Wild West Spice Company spice blends from right here in Wyoming. The Wyoming Steak Rub and the Sunset shaker on vegetables are both outstanding. We use the Prairie Potato blend almost every week. The camping photos show we grilled our steaks on a tailgate grill. That is due to the Wyoming wind and not wanting to start a campfire.
For this dinner we seasoned the steaks and let them rest before grilling to medium rare. The asparagus was drizzled with olive oil and seasoned before being placed on the grill.
#1 Campfire Trail Tacos
This is Laurel’s recipe and we love it. The ground wild game available at WBC is perfect for this camping dinner and you can find the amazing Hi Mountain Taco Seasoning there as well. All you need are your favorite fixings, a cast iron skillet, and the items in this recipe. Don’t forget to grab your salsa! WBC offers over a dozen varieties to choose from.
1 lb. ground elk (sub ground beef or shredded chicken if preferable)
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning by Hi Mountain Seasonings
1/2 cup of beer or water
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Salsa
10 street taco flour tortillas
Optional:
Cilantro
Lime
Hot sauce
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Once pan and oil are hot, add ground elk. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently until browned. Wrap tortillas in foil and place on campfire grate or rocks around campfire to warm. Flip halfway through warming. Add 2 Tbsp of Taco Seasoning and 1/2 can beer (we used Coors Light) to browned elk. Continue to stir and cook until fully cooked. Remove elk and tortillas from fire. Build each taco as desired and remember to add your favorite WBC hot sauce!
We Love Coffee
Our jet boil makes morning coffee super easy. Whether you want a pound of coffee or single pot packets. WBC offers the best Wyoming coffee! Mystic Monk Coffee comes from Carmelite Monks out of Meeteetse. We most definitely recommend this coffee for both home and the campsite.
What are you cooking?
Show us what you are cooking on social media or send in to us. On social media tag us @liveWYldMag and use #LiveWYld.