Foil Packet Camp Meatloaf
Ground beef, crushed croutons, and pasta sauce sealed in foil and buried in coals.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 58
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 4, 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
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Lean ground beef | 1 lb | packed frozen, thawed in the cooler |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1/4, diced | dice at home and bag it |
| Croutons | 1/4 cup, crushed | stand in for breadcrumbs and bring their own seasoning |
| Tomato pasta sauce | 1 cup | half mixed in, half on top |
| Egg | 1 | carry in a hard case or use 1 tbsp powdered egg plus 2 tbsp water |
Method
- Build the fire early so you have a bed of coals, not flames. Coals cook this; flames burn the outside and leave the middle raw.
- In a gallon freezer bag, combine the beef, onion, crushed croutons, egg, and about half the sauce. Squeeze the bag until it is even, then wash your hands or eat with a fork.
- Tear four arm-length sheets of heavy-duty foil. Divide the mixture into four flattened loaves, one per sheet, about an inch and a half thick.
- Spoon the rest of the sauce over the loaves. Fold the foil over, crimp the long seam, then roll the ends in twice so nothing leaks.
- Set the packets on a grate over coals or directly on the coal bed. Cook 25 to 30 minutes, turning once at the halfway mark.
- Open one packet carefully and check the center. Beef should be grey through with no pink and the juices should run clear. Reseal and give it another 5 minutes if not.
This is car camp cooking, not pack cooking. It needs a cooler, an egg, and a real fire, so it stays at the trailhead. What it buys you is a dinner with no pot to scrub: the foil is the pan, and it goes in the trash bag when you are done.
Croutons instead of breadcrumbs is the useful swap. They are already dry, already salted, already seasoned, and they crush fine in the bag they came in. The egg is structural, not optional. Without it the loaf falls apart when you slide it out of the foil. Keep the packets thin and flat, because a thick loaf over coals chars before the center is safe.
Packing
Freeze the beef solid before the trip; it thaws over a day or two in the cooler and buys you cold storage at the same time. Onion, croutons, and sauce ride in one bag together. Bring heavy-duty foil, not the thin roll.
Variations
- Ground turkey or a half-and-half beef and pork mix both work. Turkey wants a little oil added.
- Lay baby carrots or thin sweet potato slices under the loaf so the packet becomes the whole dinner.
- Garlic powder and Italian seasoning, a teaspoon of each, if the sauce is plain.
https://campfirefoodie.com/foil-packet-hobo-meatloaf-recipe