Foil Packet Sausage and Vegetables
Sausage, canned vegetables, and cheese wrapped in foil and buried in coals.
- calories
- 780
- weight
- 16 oz
- cal / oz
- 49
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 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
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Loose pork sausage or ground beef | 1 lb | sausage brings its own fat and seasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Canned corn | 1 can (15 oz) | drained |
| Canned green beans | 1 can (15 oz) | drained |
| Canned sliced potatoes | 1 can (15 oz) | drained |
| Onion | 1/2, sliced | |
| Hard cheese | 4 oz | cheddar, sliced or shredded |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Burn the fire down to a bed of coals. Flames will scorch the foil before the meat cooks.
- Tear two arm-length sheets of heavy foil and stack them crosswise. Thin foil tears on the coals.
- Break the raw meat into small pieces across the center of the foil. Small pieces cook faster and more evenly than one slab.
- Drain the cans well and pile the corn, green beans, potatoes, and onion on top. Salt and pepper the layers.
- Lay the cheese over everything, then fold the foil into a sealed packet with a double-folded seam on top.
- Set the packet on coals for about 25 minutes, turning once halfway. Open a corner and check that the meat is cooked through with no pink left before serving.
This is a car-camping dinner, not a trail one. Canned vegetables and a pound of raw meat weigh close to four pounds, and the meat needs a cooler until it hits the fire. What you get for that weight is a real dinner with no pot and no dishes.
The layering is the part that matters. Meat on the bottom sits closest to the coals and gets the most heat, which it needs, while the canned vegetables are already cooked and only have to warm through. Drain the cans hard or the packet steams into soup. The cheese goes on last so it melts down through everything instead of burning against the foil.
Packing
Cans and a chilled tube of sausage ride in the cooler. Bring more foil than you think you need; one torn packet ends the meal.
Variations
- Swap in canned carrots, mushrooms, or whatever else is in the cupboard. The method does not care.
- Make individual packets instead of one large one so everyone gets their own vegetables and nobody waits.
- Vegetarian version: drop the meat, double the potatoes, and add a tablespoon of oil so it does not dry out.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/foil-baby