Foil Packet Beef and Potatoes
Ground beef, sliced potato, and onion sealed in foil and buried in coals for half an hour.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 56
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 40 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
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Ground beef | 1/4 lb | keep it cold until it goes in the foil |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium | sliced thin, about 1/8 inch |
| Onion | 1 small | cut into wedges |
| Ketchup | 2 tbsp | packets from the glovebox work |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Seasoning of your choice | 1 tsp | garlic powder or a steak rub |
| Heavy-duty foil | 2 large sheets |
Method
- Burn the fire down to a bed of coals. You want steady heat, not flames.
- Lay out a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Pile on the potato slices first, then the onion wedges, then the beef broken into small chunks.
- Add the ketchup, salt, pepper, and seasoning. Fold the foil over and crimp the edges tight on all three sides so no juice escapes. Wrap a second sheet around the whole thing.
- Set the packet on the coals, not in the flames. Ten minutes, then flip it with sticks or tongs. Flip again at twenty. Thirty minutes total.
- Pull it off and let it sit two minutes. Open it away from your face; the steam inside is hot enough to burn.
- Check that the potato slices are soft all the way through and the beef has no pink left. If not, close it up and give it another five minutes.
Foil packets work because the sealed pouch steams and roasts at the same time. The potato and onion release water, the fat from the beef renders down into it, and none of it escapes. That is why the crimp matters more than the fire does. A loose seam leaks the liquid onto the coals and you get a scorched packet with raw potato in the middle.
Thin potato slices are the other half of it. Potato takes longer than ground beef, so cutting it to about an eighth of an inch is what makes thirty minutes enough for both. The double foil layer is insurance: coals are uneven and a single sheet tears when you flip it. This one needs a cooler, so it belongs at the truck. The corned beef version below carries without one.
Packing
Slice the potato and onion at home and bag them together with a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar so they do not brown. Beef stays in the cooler in a sealed bag. Pre-cut the foil sheets and fold them flat.
Variations
- Swap the ground beef for a can of corned beef and it becomes shelf-stable, no cooler needed.
- A spoonful of oil or a pat of butter on top keeps the potatoes from sticking to the foil.
- Barbecue sauce in place of the ketchup, or both.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/foiled-up