Backwoods cooking

[Buckshot]

Similar thread to others I know but...

The cubs and scouts are doing a backwoods cooking evening this week and I'm trying to think of ideas.

It's going to be cooked over a disposable BBQ so not strictley backwoods.
I was planning on doing bannock, trout and perhaps some nettle soup for the kids to try. I'm looking for ideas that the kids can do and wrap in foil to cook on the embers
Things like a bannana and chocolate wraped in foil.

Any other ideas???

Cheers

Mark

 

[Ranger Bob]

Something we tried at a previous East Anglia moot that worked well, was a baked potato with an egg inside...both cooked to perfection.

Cut the top (about 1/5 to 1/4 of the way down) off the potato and scoop out a cavitylarge enought for the egg leaving at least a quater of an inch of the potato. (we used a spoon knife for this part.)

Crack an egg into the cavity, and with your finger, wipe the rim of the potato with some egg white to help seal it. Then replace the top to act as a lid.

Wrap it in foil and place it with the lid at the top, cover it well with embers and leave for approx' 40-45 mins.

The only problem with this is, you do need alot of embers. The potato need to be at least 2/3 covered with embers.

I think there are pictures in the EA thread from when we tried it.

Hope this is of use.

 

[Ranger Bob]

Yup...here we go, posts #3 and 4.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=5262&page=8&pp=10

 

[andyn]

Blimey htis brings back memories.

I was always a fan of oranges with dark chocolate in rather than bananas.

The other thing we used to do was a rather odd variation to the normal S'mores following on from a discussion on "This is what we have left to eat, what should we do with it?...." . Think they are called Mexican S'mores and was an idea from one of the Venture Scouts....very weird ingrediants but they became camp favourites

Get a tortilla wrap and spread peanut butter it, sprinkle with chocolate flakes and marshmallow pieces, then roll the tortilla and wrap in foil. Place it on the grill over your fire/embers for just over 5 minutes and then upwrap it and tuck in. You could always leave out the peanut butter if your scouts aren't the most adventurous.


Oh and to go with the trout, perhaps foil wrap some wild or mixed mushrooms and red or mildly flavoured onions with a knob of butter. Should complement the trout perfectly.

Good luck and would love to hear how you got on and what you tried in the end.

 

[KIMBOKO]

If you are demonstrating then you can be camplicated as you wish. But if the Cubs and Scouts are cooking they need something quick and easy, with a good success rate. Sausages always spring to mind, but I always think the German type Bratwust from Lidls or I think Eiseman or similar sausages are preferable. As they are precooked they only need to take on some colour on the outside rather than needing cooking all the way through. How many Scouts have cooked English sausages black on the outside and raw on the inside. They could also be put onto sticks to cook.

If you can trust them not to ***** their fingers then they can make their own Kebabs on sticks. Prepare a selection of vegetable (tomatoe, mushroom , onion, very thin raw potatoe or precooked/tinned potatoe, squash, baby corn on the cob, etc) and meat (hotdog sausage pieces, salami, bacon, bacon slice,etc).

The whole meal in a paper bag is said to be good but I havn't got a link and I havn't tried it myself.
But basically egg, bacon, etc. in a paper bag put on the Bar B Q.
A stiff bannock mix can be placed direct on the grill.
Have to do some work but I'll think on it some more.

 

[andyn]

The whole meal in a paper bag is said to be good but I havn't got a link and I havn't tried it myself.
But basically egg, bacon, etc. in a paper bag put on the Bar B Q.

I take it you mean foil bag?

Think the paper might catch fire Could be more fun though I suppose.

 

[Buckshot]

Great thanks everyone...

Is the orange scooped out a little and the chocolate chunks put into the hole?

I'll try the egg in the potato thing !

I think the S'mores might be a little excessive for this lot, good idea though.

I've heard of the breakfast in a paper bag as well, but can't see how this would work Is the broken into the bag or left in the shell?
I suppose the water content of the food will stop the bag burning underneath the food and the paper above it doesn't matter becasue it's not keeping anything inside.
I tried boiling some water in a paper bag once but the bag wasn't sealed properly so it just leaked all over the fire and put it out !

Cheers

Mark

 

[Ed]

I take it you mean foil bag?

Think the paper might catch fire Could be more fun though I suppose.

Nope.... a paper bag.... thats what we do with our groups

Make sure you bag is suspended above the coals (if it touches then it will catch)

As long as the fire has burned down to coals you will be fine. The fat and the grease from the bacon / sausages will seal the brown paper bag and raise the ignition point of the paper (the fat will need to boil well before igniting)...... works a treat, you can do a full english breakfast and do your toast on a separate stick. Just make sure there are no flames or your bag will catch fire!!!


Ed

 

[KIMBOKO]

Having Gin Gang Googled I found the following :-
http://www.e-scoutcraft.com/activities/fun_cooking.html
which explains bags and kebabs better than I.
Pineapple and Gammon kebabs mmmmmmmmmmmmmmh.

 

[andyn]

Is the orange scooped out a little and the chocolate chunks put into the hole?

Cheers

Mark

Yep just scoop out a tiny amount from each half and slightly slit into the the orange and put the chunks in the gap and put the "lid" on so that when the chocolate melts in seeps into the orange rather than leak out.

 

[Buckshot]

That sounds luvly Andy.
And that link is good too Kim

I'll have to try the paper bag idea....

Cheers all

Mark

 

[Ed]

I've heard of the breakfast in a paper bag as well, but can't see how this would work Is the broken into the bag or left in the shell?

You can either pierce the egg with a pin and add a little water to the bag to steam it (though mine always end up hard boiled) or just crack it in on top of everthing else...... though the yoke (if its not already hard) normally breaks when trying to get everyhting out the paper bag

Ed

 

[Buckshot]

Thanks Ed
Just realised I forgot to put the word 'egg' in that sentance Good job you knew what I was talking about...

Apart from not the waxy kind, does the paper have to be anything specific?
I have some brown paper (the kind you wrap parcels with) which I could probably fold into a sort of box...

Cheers

Mark

 

[Ed]

I just use small brown paper grocery bags ..... we get our apples in them at the local shop.

Ed

 

[MalIrl]

Hi Buckshot,

Sausages are always good fun, lots of sticks waving over the fire and getting in each other's way. To get around the "black on the outside raw on the inside" problem mentioned by Kimboko, you boil the sausages in advance. Then the cubs/scouts can concentrate on that even tan, and you don't need to worry about e-coli etc. Our Cub section leader always boils first even when he's frying up on camp: it's a very good way to get through 80-100 bangers safely and quickly when you've only a couple of gas rings. And for the health-conscious amongst us (hey, I'm not getting any younger!), boiling takes out a good proportion of the fat!

Avoid marshmallows on sticks: once the pyrotechnic properties of a hot marshmallow are discovered, the whole thing descends into chaos. Smores of one sort or another are the answer.

Slán,
Mal

 

[Buckshot]

Avoid marshmallows on sticks: once the pyrotechnic properties of a hot marshmallow are discovered, the whole thing descends into chaos.
Slán,
Mal

LOL thanks Mal

Mark

 

[leon-1]

moduser did a very good one at the Dartmoor meet, he cored some apples, filled them with a mix of sultanas/raisins, sugar, cinamon and honey (In the ones we had we also had a little cider). They were wrapped in foil and cooked over embers.

I don't eat sweets normally, but I made an exception for these and well worth it they were too

 

[Ed]

Thats sounds lovely, I'm going to have to try that

Ed

 

[Big John]

Doesn't anyone do twists/dampers anymore? It was always a favourate when I was doing cubs.

Make up a stiff flour/water mix, get the kids to make long thin sausage shapes from it and then twist it around a stick to form a continuous layer on the outside of the stick. Cook by holding over the embers until well done - when you get a good hollow sound on knocking it, then take it in the palm of your hand and twist the cooked dough off the stick - fill the resulting hole with jam and eat!

They can take a while to cook, especially if the 'sausage' is too thick, but the kids like making and cooking them and inevitablely a couple will catch fire - that's part of the fun!

We also do eggs in oranges - as described for the potatoes above, corn on the cob in tin foil is good to go with a meal (leave the leaves on whilst cooking as well to make it lovely and juicy). Toasted cheese sandwiches are a great after campfire treat, make up a cheese sandwich, butter the outside of it and wrap in foil, cook in the embers for a while - lovely and warming, goes nicely with a beer watching the fire!

 

[leon-1]

Doesn't anyone do twists/dampers anymore? It was always a favourate when I was doing cubs.

Make up a stiff flour/water mix, get the kids to make long thin sausage shapes from it and then twist it around a stick to form a continuous layer on the outside of the stick. Cook by holding over the embers until well done - when you get a good hollow sound on knocking it, then take it in the palm of your hand and twist the cooked dough off the stick - fill the resulting hole with jam and eat!

Yep people still do these, Neil1 has a line in Garlic bread that he does like this or you can add bits of fruit and make like a bread/fruit stick from them.