Wormy Apples
A cored apple with a sausage jammed into it, buried in coals until both give up.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 8 oz
- cal / oz
- 41
- protein
- 10 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 30 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
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Apple | 1 whole | a firm one — Granny Smith or Honeycrisp holds shape |
|---|---|---|
| Precooked sausage link | 1 | already cooked, so you are only heating it through |
| Aluminum foil | 1 sheet | heavy duty, about 12 inches square |
Method
- Build a fire early and let it burn down. You want coals, not flames.
- Core the apple from the top, all the way through. A knife tip worked in a circle does it.
- Push the sausage down into the hole. Trim the end flush if it stands proud.
- Wrap the apple in foil, seams folded over twice so nothing leaks.
- Set the packet directly in the coals and rake a few over the top. 20 to 30 minutes.
- Pull it out with a stick, open the foil away from your face, and let the steam go before you eat.
This one is Scout-camp cooking, and it works because the apple is its own pot. Foil plus a wet fruit means the inside steams rather than burns, so the coals can be hotter than you would risk with anything else. The sausage is already cooked — the fire is only heating it and letting the fat run down into the softening apple.
Coals matter more than time. Open flame scorches the foil and leaves the core raw; a bed of glowing coals cooks evenly from all sides. Firm apples are worth the trouble too, because a soft variety collapses into sauce around the sausage and there is nothing left to hold.
Packing
Apples travel loose in a pack side pocket. Precooked sausage keeps a couple of days out of a cooler in cool weather, but on a warm trip it rides in the cooler. Pre-cut and fold your foil sheets at home so you are not wrestling a roll in the dark.
Variations
- Cinnamon and brown sugar in the cored hole alongside the sausage, if you want it to lean sweet.
- Vegetarian: swap the sausage for a plug of dried fruit and nuts and cut the cook time to 15 minutes.
- No fire: the same packet works on a grill grate over a canister stove on low, turned every few minutes.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/wormy_apples-1734.asp