Recipes
Barbecues are fun! But if you are on the road, hiking, canoeing or climbing, you get tired of meat or dehydrated meals. This page has tips, tricks and recipes for the traveler with limited ingredients. Feel free to add your own suggestions!
Tips
1. Carry spices. They are lightweight, but can make the difference between bland and baddabing!
2. Meat in dodgy countries can often be, well, dodgy. Remember that rare or medium steaks are still an option as the bacterium only affects the outside of meat. Be sure to cook the hell out of poultry, fish and pork. The most accessible meat tenderizer is Coke - boil in a can of coke for a couple of minutes before BBQ.
If you have time, marinade in Coke for 24 hours. This results in a sweeter taste, just add lemon to counter.
3. If using coals or wood, make a space for cooking and a burning space for creating new coals. Be careful when using damp rocks which may explode in the fire.
4. Pots and pans get dirtier in the fire. Fine sand (river, beach, and desert) makes an excellent pot scourer.
5. Don't use pots and pans with plastic handles as they melt easily.
6. Foil gives you an almost unfair advantage and increases your options tenfold.
Campfire Bread
Easy to make and you will always have fresh bread. Just mix 2 cups of flour, a teaspoon of salt and about a half a cup pf water (quantity will decrease with increased humidity).Make a soft bread dough that does not stick to the hands. Roll out into flat rounds (use a cup or glass) and throw directly onto the coals. Turn when bubbling.
Variations
The North American Indians use the same recipe for bread called Bannock. Instead of rounds, they wrap it around a stick like a hot dog and hold it over the fire.
Australians make a similar bread, except they put the whole lot in a pot and cook it on the fire with the lid on (add onions, cheese and tomatoes for flavor).
I strongly recommend you add some yeast (if you have time and a warm place) or baking powder for lighter bread.
For breakfast, add fruit like raisins or apples to the dough. Cinnamon is a yummy addition if you have it.
You can make a tasty ‘pig in a blanket’ by wrapping the dough around a hot dog or sausage and cooking it on a stick over the fire.
You can also add onions, cheese and tomatoes to the dough to make a ‘pizza’.
Pasta
If you cover the dough in flour and use a glass to roll it really thin, you can slice it into lengths, dry and boil as pasta!
Use the cup to cut out round shapes and fill with mince, chicken or cheese. Seal by squeezing sides together. Boil and use as ravioli.
You can cook this as pasta and make a simple sauce out of fried onions and tomatoes. Add chilies for flavour if you have them.
Foil Pockets
You can make an envelope out of foil to cook just about anything. The most successful recipes use potatoes, onions and tomatoes. Slice or dice, make a foil envelope, put on coals - but only leave on for about 10 min. This cooks surprisingly quickly.
Think you're a pro? Take a sheet of foil. Turn up the edges to make a foil 'dish’. Place bacon on the bottom of the envelope. Break egg over bacon (be careful not to break yolk). Add sliced onion or tomato or cheese (feel free to use all of the above) place another sheet of foil on top and pinch edges together. Be careful - it’s a tricky transition to the fire. A spatula helps. Leave for a spell until the eggs are done. Enjoy. If you can pull this off, consider yourself a BBQ superhero!
Fish
This works well with a whole fish thingy (must be cleaned) or fillets. Place on a bed of foil. Make small cuts in the flesh which you can fill with onion, garlic, herbs (Basil, Rosemary, Dill, and Cilantro) or spices (Fish Marsala, Chili, Turmeric, Paprika or Coriander). Cover with foil. Cook on each side for 20 min for a whole fish (no matter the size) and 10 min for fillets. When done, open foil and cover with salt and lemon or lime. Enjoy.
PS: The essential ingredients are fish, salt and lemon. Add herbs and spices according to availability. Use only herbs or spices - not both.
