Foil Packet Pork Chops with Apple
Chops, butter, and sliced apple sealed in foil and buried in coals. Camp cooking with no pan to scrub.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 69
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 45 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
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Pork chops | 4 | bone-in holds moisture better in foil |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 50 g | about 3.5 tbsp |
| Apple | 1 | a firm one; soft apples turn to sauce |
| Apple juice | 100 ml | a small juice box works |
| Onion | 2 | sliced thin |
| Dried mixed herbs | 25 g | |
| Breadcrumbs | 200 g | for the patty variation |
| Grated hard cheese | 200 g | for the patty variation |
| Eggs | 2 | for the patty variation |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Burn the fire down to coals. Flames scorch foil packets before the meat is done.
- Core the apple and cut it into thin slices. Slice the onions the same way.
- Tear a double layer of heavy foil per chop. Lay the chop down, dot it with butter, then pile on apple and onion.
- Season with the herbs, salt, and pepper. Pour about 25 ml of apple juice over each one.
- Fold the foil into a sealed packet with the seam on top so the juice stays in. Crimp every edge twice.
- Set the packets on the coals or a grate over them. Thirty minutes, turning once at the halfway mark.
- Open one packet away from your face and check the pork is cooked through. Give it another five minutes on the coals if it is not.
Foil is the whole method here. A sealed packet turns the coals into a small oven, and the apple juice steams the chop instead of letting the fire dry it out. The butter and rendered fat pool in the bottom of the packet, so the meat sits in its own sauce the entire time.
This is cooler food, not pack food. The apple and onion are doing more than flavor work: they hold the chop off the hot foil and keep the underside from charring. Bone-in chops are worth the extra weight because they forgive an extra five minutes on the fire. Serve straight from the foil and the only thing to clean is your fork.
Packing
Chops, butter, and cheese ride in the cooler. Slice the onions at home and bag them so you are not chopping in the dirt. Herbs go in a small jar. Bring more foil than you think you need.
Variations
- Turn the leftovers into patties: chop the cooked pork, mix with the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, and eggs, form into cakes, and fry them in a skillet the next morning.
- Swap the apple juice for cider or a splash of beer.
- No cooler space for butter? Olive oil in a dropper bottle does the same job.
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