Foil-Roasted Bouillon Onion
A whole onion stuffed with beef bouillon, buttered, wrapped in foil, and buried by the coals.
- calories
- 230
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 33
- protein
- 3 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 40 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
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Large white onion | 1 | whole, unpeeled until camp |
|---|---|---|
| Beef bouillon | 1 cube or single-serving packet | |
| Butter | 1 to 2 tbsp | pull from the block you already carry |
| Aluminum foil | 2 sheets | heavy duty if you have it |
Method
- Burn the fire down until you have a bed of coals. Flames will scorch the foil and leave the middle raw.
- Peel the onion and cut it in half through the equator. Dig a shallow hollow out of the center of one half with a knife tip or spoon.
- Drop the bouillon cube into the hollow and press the halves back together.
- Smear butter over the whole outside, then wrap twice in foil with the seams folded up so nothing leaks.
- Set the bundle in the coals, not the flames. Roughly 40 minutes, turning once. It is done when the onion gives easily under a squeeze with a stick.
- Open the packet away from your face. Split the halves and eat with a spoon, broth and all.
An onion is mostly water and sugar, and neither one goes anywhere inside sealed foil. It steams in its own juice, the sugars caramelize against the hot skin, and the bouillon dissolves into the liquid that collects at the center. What comes out is French onion soup without the pot, the stock, or the forty minutes of stirring.
This is not a lightweight meal. A large onion is close to half a pound of water you are carrying up the trail, which is why it belongs at a car campsite or a paddle-in site rather than in a thru-hiker’s food bag. Coals matter more than time here: open flame chars the outside long before the core softens. Double-wrap the foil, because a leak drains the broth into the fire and leaves you with a dry roasted onion.
Packing
Onion and bouillon share one zip bag. Butter travels with the rest of your fat. Pre-cut the foil at home and fold it flat.
Variations
- A slice of hard cheese laid over the halves right after unwrapping melts into the broth.
- Serve alongside a steak off the grate, or spoon it over instant potatoes to stretch it into a full meal.
- Swap the beef bouillon for a vegetable cube to make it vegetarian.
https://backpackerrecipes.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/a-campfire-recipe