Foil Packet Meatloaf and Potatoes
Seasoned beef, potatoes, and onion sealed in heavy foil and buried in coals. The packet is also the plate.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 14 oz
- cal / oz
- 51
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 50 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
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Ground beef | 1/2 lb | 80/20; leaner dries out in foil |
|---|---|---|
| Breadcrumbs | 1/4 cup | |
| Egg | 1 | |
| Montreal steak seasoning | 1 tsp | |
| Red potatoes | 2 medium | halved, skin on |
| Onion | 1/2 | thick slices |
| Garlic | 1 clove | minced |
| Barbecue or mop sauce | 2 tbsp | |
| Heavy duty foil | 2 large sheets |
Method
- Burn the fire down to a solid bed of coals. Flames will scorch the foil and cook nothing through.
- Mix the beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, and seasoning like meatloaf. Shape it into one flat patty about an inch thick.
- Lay the patty in the center of a doubled sheet of heavy foil. Ring it with the potato halves and onion, then spoon the sauce over everything.
- Fold the foil into a sealed packet with a double crimp on every seam. Loose seams leak fat into the coals.
- Set the packet directly on the coals for about 30 to 35 minutes, turning once halfway.
- Open a corner and stab a potato. Soft all the way through means done; the beef will be past 160°F by then. Cut the top open and eat out of the packet.
The foil packet is a small oven with no moving parts. Fat from the beef renders into the potatoes and steams them, which is why the whole thing needs no added water and why lean ground beef makes it worse. The breadcrumbs and egg are structural: they hold the patty together so it cooks as one piece instead of falling apart into loose crumbles.
Doneness is judged by the potatoes, not the meat. Potatoes take longer, so when they give to a knife the beef is well past safe. Cut them into even halves or the packet finishes at two different times. Coals, not flame — flame chars the outside of the foil while the inside is still cold.
Packing
Mix the meatloaf base at home and freeze it flat in a zip bag. It thaws over the drive and keeps the cooler cold on the way. Potatoes, onion, and sauce ride separately.
Variations
- Swap in a couple of brats or a length of smoked sausage instead of the beef mixture. Both are already cooked, so you are only waiting on the potatoes.
- Carrots and celery hold up in the packet. Add them with the potatoes, cut the same size.
- Skip raw chicken. The packet cooks unevenly and there is no good way to check the middle without opening it.
https://www.huntingpa.com/threads/favorite-camping-dish.275