Italian Sausage Foil Packets
Sausage, potatoes, peppers, and onion sealed in foil and buried in coals for half an hour.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 14 oz
- cal / oz
- 44
- protein
- 26 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
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Italian sausage links | 4 links | sweet or hot, cut into 1-inch pieces |
|---|---|---|
| Potatoes | 4 medium | cubed small so they finish with the sausage |
| Green bell peppers | 2 | cut into strips |
| Yellow onion | 1 large | cut into wedges |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic | 2 cloves, chopped | or 1 tsp granulated |
| Italian seasoning | 1 tsp | plus salt and pepper |
Method
- Burn a fire down to a bed of coals. Flames char the foil and leave the potatoes raw.
- Cut everything at camp or at home. Potato cubes should be no bigger than 1/2 inch or they will still be hard when the sausage is done.
- Toss sausage, potatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, oil, and seasoning together in a bowl or a large bag.
- Divide onto four doubled sheets of heavy foil. Fold the long edges over each other, then crimp the ends. Leave a little air inside so steam can move.
- Set the packets on the coals or a grate over them. Cook 30 minutes, flipping once at the halfway point.
- Open one packet away from your face and check a potato cube with a knife. If it resists, close it up and give it another five minutes.
This is a coal-bed recipe, not a stove recipe. Everything inside the packet steams in its own fat and moisture, which is why no water goes in. The sausage renders and that grease coats the potatoes; that is the whole mechanism.
The only real failure is undercooked potato. Sausage is done in twenty minutes, potato cubes take thirty or more, so the cut size is what keeps them on the same schedule. Small cubes, doubled foil, and a bed of coals rather than open flame. Raw pork means this one needs a cooler and a same-day cook, which is why it is car camping and not backpacking.
Packing
Cut the vegetables at home and pack them with the seasoning in one zip bag. Sausage stays in the cooler in its own bag, on ice, until it goes in the foil. Carry pre-cut foil sheets flat in a folder or they tear in the pack.
Variations
- Swap the potatoes for sweet potatoes; they cook faster, so cut them larger.
- Shelf-stable version: use a dry-cured hard sausage and a bag of dehydrated potato slices, add 1/4 cup water to each packet, and skip the cooler entirely.
- A splash of red wine vinegar over the packet after it opens cuts the fat.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/italian-sausage-in-foil