Campfire Beef and Bean Stew
Ground beef, onion, and a can of baked beans, cooked down in one pot over a fire.
- calories
- 430
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 39
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 5, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Ground beef | 1 lb | 80/20 renders enough fat to cook the onion |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow onion | 1 small | chopped at home to save a cutting board |
| Baked beans | 1 large can (28 oz) | do not drain, the sauce is the sauce |
| Green bell pepper | 1, optional | diced |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Set the pot on a grate over coals, not flames. Flames scorch the bean sugars before the beef is done.
This one is honest about what it is: a can of beans doing most of the work, with a pound of beef for protein and fat. The baked bean sauce is already sweet and thick, so it needs no thickener and no added water. Salt late, because the beans arrive salted.
The fire is the variable. Cook over coals with the pot on a grate, keep the beef moving until it browns rather than steams, and pour the fat off only if there is enough to pool. That rendered fat is what carries the onion and keeps the beans from tasting flat.
Packing
Beef rides frozen in the cooler and thaws by dinner on day one or two. Onion and pepper get chopped at home into a bag. The can needs no cooler space, but bring an opener.
Variations
- Swap the beef for two pouches of shelf-stable cooked ground beef or a can of corned beef and the whole meal leaves the cooler behind.
- A spoonful of chili powder and a splash of vinegar turns it into something closer to chili.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/campfire-stew