Walking Chili Dogs
Chili, cheese, and sliced hot dogs spooned straight into a bag of onion rings.
- calories
- 780
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 71
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 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
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Single-serving bags of Funyuns onion rings | 4 bags | the small snack size, one per person |
|---|---|---|
| Canned chili with beans | 1 large can (about 15 oz) | |
| Velveeta | 4 oz, cubed | melts without splitting and keeps unrefrigerated until opened |
| All-beef hot dogs | 4 | sliced into coins, then halved |
| Shredded Tex-Mex cheese | 1/2 cup | |
| Sour cream | 4 tbsp | cooler item, skip it if you are not carrying one |
| Salsa | 1/2 cup | |
| Green onions | 2 stalks, chopped |
Method
- Set a skillet on the grate over a medium fire, or on a stove turned low. Dump in the chili, the cubed Velveeta, and the sliced dogs.
- Stir now and then for about eight minutes, until the cheese has disappeared into the chili and the dogs are hot through. Pull it off before the bottom scorches.
- Open each bag of onion rings, squeeze once to break them up, and roll the top edge down so the bag stands on its own.
- Spoon the hot chili into each bag. Top with shredded cheese, then sour cream, salsa, and green onion.
- Eat it out of the bag with a fork. Pack the empty bags out.
This one is built around the bag, not the pot. The onion rings are the bun, the bowl, and the crunch, so nothing gets soggy and there are no plates to wash — you scrape one skillet and you are done. That makes it a good move for a group at a car campsite when the fire is already going.
Velveeta is doing the structural work. Real shredded cheese breaks into grease and strings when it sits over a fire, while processed cheese melts into the chili and stays there, which is what lets the mixture sit warm at the edge of the grate while people fill their bags. The sour cream is the only thing here that needs a cooler; drop it and the rest holds at ambient temperature until the can is opened.
Packing
Chili can, Velveeta, and dogs ride in the cooler; the snack bags go on top of everything else in the food bin or they arrive as crumbs. Chop the green onion at home and bag it.
Variations
- Fritos or plain potato chips work the same way if onion rings are not your thing.
- Skip the sour cream and the whole thing becomes cooler-optional in cold weather.
- Hot chili or a spoonful of pickled jalapeño gets it past mild.
https://campfirefoodie.com/walking-chili-dogs-recipe