Chimichurri Beef and Potatoes, Foil Packet
Steak tips and quartered potatoes on coals, with a shelf-stable chimichurri mixed at the trailhead.
- calories
- 560
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 62
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 55 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
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Dairy free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Beef sirloin or beef tips | 1.5 lb | cut into 1-inch cubes at home, frozen flat in a bag |
|---|---|---|
| Baby potatoes | 1 lb | quartered at home |
| Olive oil | 1/2 cup | divided between marinade and potatoes |
| Red wine vinegar | 2 tbsp + 2 tsp | |
| Garlic | 5 cloves | or 1.5 tsp granulated garlic if you would rather not carry cloves |
| Dried parsley | 3 tbsp | stands in for 1/2 cup fresh |
| Dried cilantro | 1.5 tbsp | stands in for 1/4 cup fresh |
| Ground cumin | 3 1/4 tsp | divided |
| Dried oregano | 1 tsp | |
| Crushed red pepper | 1 tsp | |
| Brown sugar | 2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1 3/4 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 2 1/4 tsp | |
| Heavy-duty foil | 4 large sheets |
Method
- At camp, mix the chimichurri: dried parsley, dried cilantro, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 2 tsp vinegar, and 1/4 cup oil. Let it sit twenty minutes so the dried herbs rehydrate in the oil.
- Toss the beef with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tbsp vinegar, half the garlic, and 1 tsp brown sugar. Leave it in the bag while the fire burns down.
- Toss the potatoes with the remaining garlic, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and the rest of the oil. Seal them in a double-layer foil packet.
- Set the potato packet on a grill grate over coals, or directly on the coals if you turn it every five minutes. Give them 25 minutes before the beef goes near heat.
- Build a second packet for the beef, leaving it loose so steam escapes. Cook 8 to 10 minutes over the same coals, shaking it once.
- Open both packets, dump the beef over the potatoes, and spoon the chimichurri on while everything is hot.
Chimichurri is normally a fresh-herb sauce, which does not survive a cooler in August. Dried parsley and cilantro bloomed in olive oil for twenty minutes get most of the way there. The vinegar and the crushed red pepper do the rest of the work, and both keep indefinitely.
Potatoes and beef want very different times on the fire, so they get separate packets. Twenty-five minutes for quartered potatoes, ten for cubed sirloin. Combine them only at the end, off the heat, so the sauce goes on warm rather than cooking down into the foil.
Packing
Cube the beef and quarter the potatoes at home. Freeze the beef flat in its marinade bag; it thaws over a day in the cooler and buys you cooler life. All the dry chimichurri components go in one small jar, oil and vinegar in dropper bottles.
Variations
- No cooler: swap the beef for two foil pouches of chicken and stir it in off the heat.
- Add a can of drained white beans to the potato packet for bulk.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/grilled-beef-tips-and-potatoes-with-chimichurri