Sausage and Pepper Foil Packets
Sausage, peppers, and onion sealed in foil and buried in coals. One packet per person, no pot to wash.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 56
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 40 min
- total time
- 55 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
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Italian sausage links | 8 links | sliced on a long diagonal |
|---|---|---|
| Bell peppers | 4 | cut into strips, mixed colors |
| White onion | 1 medium | diced |
| Italian seasoning | 1 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Heavy-duty foil | 4 sheets | 12 inches square |
| Parchment paper | 4 sheets | 11 inches square, optional |
Method
- Toss the peppers, onion, seasoning, and oil together in a bowl until everything is coated. This part is easier at home.
- Lay out four squares of foil and set a square of parchment on each. The parchment keeps sausage fat from welding to the foil.
- Put two sliced sausage links on each square and pile a quarter of the pepper mix on top. Fold the foil into a sealed packet with the seam up so the juices stay in.
- Set the packets on a grill grate at medium-high, or on a bed of hot coals raked away from open flame. Flames scorch the foil before the sausage cooks.
- Cook about 40 minutes, flipping once halfway. The sausage is done when it is firm and no longer pink at the center of a slice.
- Pull the packets off and let them sit five minutes. The steam inside is hotter than it looks.
Foil packets solve the group dinner problem: everyone gets their own, nothing needs plating, and the cookware count is zero. Slicing the sausage on a diagonal is not decoration. It opens more surface to the heat so the links cook through in the same time the peppers soften, instead of leaving you with raw centers.
Seal the packets tight. The vegetables release a lot of water, and that trapped steam is what actually cooks the inside while the bottom browns against the coals. A packet that leaks dries out and burns. Fresh sausage and peppers need a cooler, so this is a first-or-second-night meal; the cured sausage variation is the version that keeps.
Packing
Toss the vegetables at home and carry them in a zip bag in the cooler. Sausage stays in its own bag so raw juices go nowhere. Pre-cut the foil and parchment and flatten them in the bin lid.
Variations
- Swap in a shelf-stable cured sausage like kielbasa or summer sausage if you are camping without a cooler. Cut the cook time to 25 minutes since it is already cooked.
- Add a halved small potato per packet, sliced thin, for a heavier dinner.
- Serve on hoagie rolls if you brought bread. That drops the gluten-free tag.
https://campfirefoodie.com/sausage-pepper-foil-packet-recipe