Camp Cookin!

[ezearln]

Okay friends! I propose our best (even if not favorite) campout culinary conquests be shared! What is your most memorable campout, deer camp, coon hunt meal that you personally have made or helped prepare? Share them here, shore lunch of freshly caught walleye? Roasted rack of Sheep ribs from your trophy hunt at 8000 feet? Broiled venison backstrap over mesquite livewood coals in a sendaro deer camp or perhaps mauled muskrat over bisquits? Whatever they are post them and I'll go through them and repost those I believe are in the best tradition of the "Back Country" experience and compile them for further voting, then I can make us up the first official G&G cookbook that I'll send out for the price of postage paper and ink alone. Hey would be a spiffy thing to have our very own cookout cookbook. Tell me what ya'll think!

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by ezearln

Okay friends! I propose our best (even if not favorite) campout culinary conquests be shared! What is your most memorable campout, deer camp, coon hunt meal that you personally have made or helped prepare? Share them here, shore lunch of freshly caught walleye? Roasted rack of Sheep ribs from your trophy hunt at 8000 feet? Broiled venison backstrap over mesquite livewood coals in a sendaro deer camp or perhaps mauled muskrat over bisquits? Whatever they are post them and I'll go through them and repost those I believe are in the best tradition of the "Back Country" experience and compile them for further voting, then I can make us up the first official G&G cookbook that I'll send out for the price of postage paper and ink alone. Hey would be a spiffy thing to have our very own cookout cookbook. Tell me what ya'll think!

Well, my most memorable camp cookout was about as simple as they come. I had just slaughtered most of the ducks that were overruning my back yard and ponds one year when I lived in Tujunga, and went hiking up the Devil's Slide above Idyllwild with my brother. We each carried two pieces of frozen young duck wrapped in tinfoil and paper towels, zipped into baggies, and rolled into our sleeping bags.

When we dug the pieces out that evening they were thawed but still cold. We dusted them with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then we pan-fried them in their own fat over the fire, in a small cast-iron pan I always tied to my backpack when hiking.

It smelled so good we both burned our chins and lips with dribbling juices, when we bit into the sizzling duck instead of waiting for it to cool.

Not much of a recipe, is it? But Gawd it was good...of course, we were also starving, from hiking up the mountain all day in the crisp air. After we injured ourselves on the first two pieces, we let the second two cool while we sliced potatoes into the duck fat and fried them up. And for dessert, we passed a pint of Southern Comfort back and forth while we swapped lies. Even when there are only two guys around the campfire, the old rule still holds: the first liar doesn't stand a chance.

You'll notice I didn't believe in travelling light on a one-or-two-day hike. My serious backpacker friends all considered me a heretic for not carrying freeze-dried food and thin aluminum cookware. But they'd line up and wait for me to be done with that little skillet, anyway...

[tlarkin]

I haven't done this often or a lot, but whenever I am out camping I typically fish. Catch the fish, typically a trout, clean it, fillet it. Then lightly butter the fillets, put some lemon pepper, dash of cayenne powder, chili pepper, and a bit of cumin. Wrap in tin foil and toss them on the open fire, usually on a rock that is in the fire pit. Let it cook for a few minutes and flip it, repeat. Never had any complaints, but then again every time we resorted to catching and eating fish we were typically really hungry. Most my time spent camping was drinking beer and whiskey and partying.

[ezearln]

That is a wonderful recipe as well as a terrific memory ... Now dang it that's what I am looking for, I just hope more people respond Troy!

Shore lunches work fine as fine can be tlarkin

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by tlarkin

I haven't done this often or a lot, but whenever I am out camping I typically fish. Catch the fish, typically a trout, clean it, fillet it. Then lightly butter the fillets, put some lemon pepper, dash of cayenne powder, chili pepper, and a bit of cumin. Wrap in tin foil and toss them on the open fire, usually on a rock that is in the fire pit. Let it cook for a few minutes and flip it, repeat. Never had any complaints, but then again every time we resorted to catching and eating fish we were typically really hungry. Most my time spent camping was drinking beer and whiskey and partying.

In Florida I used to do something like that with smaller Dolphin fish (what they call Mahi-Mahi in Hawaii, and Dorado in California). I'd wrap them in foil with salt, butter and pepper, throw them on the gas BBQ, then squeeze lemon juice over them after I unwrapped them.

Here's a simple one for trout that comes out like it's been steamed: have a pot of water already simmering before you clean the fish, with a few spoonfuls of vinegar or lemon juice in it. Clean the fish with the head still on. Then immediately drop it into the water, slap a lid on it, pull the pot off the fire and let it set for a few minutes. The fish's eyeballs turn white when it's done. Oh--and use a fresh pot of water for each fish.

Remember: you have to do it as soon as you're done gutting the fish, before the coating on the skin turns to slime. Otherwise it'll get waterlogged, and just be boiled fish.

[bigbuddy21]

my fav. meal is when we are at the beachhouse and we get in from deepsea fishing
and put some of the fish that was swimming an hour or two earlier on the grill.
and i always use blackening powder on them.

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by bigbuddy21

my fav. meal is when we are at the beachhouse and we get in from deepsea fishing
and put some of the fish that was swimming an hour or two earlier on the grill.
and i always use blackening powder on them.

Do you buy a blackening powder, or mix your own?

[AKHunter]

I have a few examples, the most recent was last summer, my wife and I usualy take a 4-6 day canoe in the Kenai natl. wildlife refuge. We canoe a series of lakes and portages. Great trout fishing along the way. I always take some foil, butter, salt and pepper and lemon pepper along for the fish and some times fresh water clams. I always make a point to leave room in our packs for Fosters oil cans, we share 1 each day.I season the trout with the above, pour a little beer in the foil, seal it up and toss the fish in the coals for 5-10 minutes. Desert is bite size snickers, Knob Creek bourbon and Jiffy pop.

This doesnt quite qualify as camping but it is the ultimate way to eat shell fish. When I was commercial fishing on a shrimp trawl, we ate from the sea. In a trawl you catch everything on the bottom that isnt fast enough to get out unless they are too greedy and eating all the shrimp etc in the net. So if ever you are on the salt an have a pot and fresh shell fish, crab is REALLY good this way. Dip the pot in the ocean and boil the crab. Once cooked, PIG OUT. there is no better tasting shell fish than that cooked in ocean water right after being caught.

Speaking of blacken fish, once I went fishing with a neighbor years back. We were fishing for coho, (silver) salmon. A friend of his brought along a cast iron skillet, a mix of imported paprikas and a few lbs of butter. I caught a salmon in the afternoon. the friend of my neighbor fired up the coals, clairfyed the butter and coated the salmon filets with the paprikas. Then he brought the skillet to red hot temp and proceeeded to blacken the salmon. MAN WAS THAT INCREDIBLE .

The dutch oven cornish game hens and the homemade cookies I posted on another thread rank in there also !

Camp cookin Mmmm Mm.

[bigbuddy21]

Originally Posted by troy2000

Do you buy a blackening powder, or mix your own?

i use tones [brand name] cajun seasoning.
it's the best blackening powder i have found.

[SwedeSteve]

My Father never missed Opening Weekend for deer. It was a Right of Passage in my family to make your first deer camp. I vividly remember my first breakfast in camp. My Dad threw together a simple hash of potatos, deer meat and onion. It smelled heavenly! While this was sizzling away over the small end of a keyhole fire, Dad whipped up some bannock dough consisting of flour, water and a pinch of salt. We wound this around a stick and cooked it over the large end of the fire (this kept us busy while the hash was cooking)! Just before the hash was finished, he cracked 3 eggs on top of it! I can smell and taste this as I sit here typing, LOL! I still carry on this tradition, and always get teary-eyed doing so.

[ArkansasHunter]

Steve I smell it too ! and thanks for shareing your story with your Dad.
I miss my Dad he was my hero !!!

[SwedeSteve]

As was mine AH, as was mine. Unrelated to this thread, but I was in the gun shop yesterday and a man and his young son came in. He was looking for parts to a Dillion press he bought for $50!!! While they looked for the parts, the kid was looking at loose brass in bins and then asking his Dad what caliber do you think this is? His Dad got 13 in a row correct! The kid saw me watching and said, "My Dad Knows Pretty Much Everything About Guns!!!!" I leaned down to him and said, "Boy!! He sure does!! You better learn from him good!!!" The boy nodded in agreement. What he didn't realize was the clear containers were marked by caliber! LOL! Pretty smart DAD!

[ezearln]

Cmon folks share your memories, the cookbook won't just be recipes but excepts about where they were cooked and all the history making not just a cookbook but also a story of all the contributors to it!

[Dookiebutt]

Flounder. Caught that morning. Cleaned and wrapped in foil with a pat of butter and some lemon-pepper seasoning. Put it in the coals and wait 10 or 15 minutes. A few cold ones while you wait.

[irish murphy]

I am almost like my dog in one way.Im very food orientated.I love being out camping on a fishing/hunting trip and having fresh damper or scones cooked in the fire with real butter and vegemite or strawb jam.Then the camp spuds are good too.Spuds cored and stuffed with a bit of ham cheese and tomato or a prawn wrapped in bacon.

[bigbuddy21]

when i was a kid we used to go camping all the time, and one thing that my mom
made was for breakfest. she would fry potatoes in bacon grease in an old iron skillet
and just before they were done she would pour in scrambled eggs, and shredded cheese. man that was one good breakfest. also coffee made in a metal perc. on the side of the fire.

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by bigbuddy21

when i was a kid we used to go camping all the time, and one thing that my mom
made was for breakfest. she would fry potatoes in bacon grease in an old iron skillet
and just before they were done she would pour in scrambled eggs, and shredded cheese. man that was one good breakfest. also coffee made in a metal perc. on the side of the fire.

Reminds me of what some people call German Farmer's Breakfast: fry up bacon cut into chunks. Cut up cold boiled potatoes and fry them with chopped onions. Stir the bacon chunks back into the potatoes and onions, crack eggs over the top of it, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and slap a lid on the pan until the eggs are done.

[ezearln]

Well friends seems like this will turn out to be the thinnest cookbook in history! LOL I had hoped there'd be a more enthusiastic response. Oh well.

[tlarkin]

I can share some more simple recipies, I just don't always cook while I camp. My friends and I are more about partying when we go camping than anything else. However, I do love to cook and will gladly post some more recipies when I get more time.

I do love to cook a lot.

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by ezearln

Well friends seems like this will turn out to be the thinnest cookbook in history! LOL I had hoped there'd be a more enthusiastic response. Oh well.

Now you know why my BBQ thread is in the Powder Keg, Earl.

This cooking forum isn't really very visible.