Cooking on the Campfire

what we call campfire dinner ( a long running tradition in my family) is very similar toy the hobo/foil dinners mentioned. on a sheet of foil we lay a hamburger patty, sliced potatoes, sliced carrots, corn, onion and salt and pepper then wrap into a tight pouch. then wrap in wet newspaper then again in foil then put on coals or a rack and cook for 45-60 min away from direct flames. SOOO GOOD

Tom Trostel wrote:
The point of seasoning is to seal the cast iron surface with carbon. If the pores in the cast iron are "open", would it not rust every time it gets water on it?

Seal with hardened oil, me son, not carbon. Put brain in gear please. What is soap or soap products supposed to do, but break down oil and grease. Water alone don' do none o' dat, dat is unlessens youse let it soak in a water tub with an electrolysis rig.

'K

:W

I second the Boy Scout Hamburger Foil cooking. We called them Hobo Dinners. Best trick with it is to prepare it in such a way that the carrots and potatos are all around the outside so that is can be rotated and not burn the Hamburger. I also add a couple of good spoons full of Cream of Mushroom soup.

When I was in Boy Scouts I used to prepare mine a few days in advance and then freeze them. They made for a great ice pack to keep other things cool (like your lunch) in your back pack hiking for the first day, and then just toss the foil pack on the fire for dinner.

Don't know if it's right or wrong, but my grandmother and my mother always seasoned their cast iron. They washed it , rinsed then immediately turned a stove burner on and sat the pan on the burner. You could watch all the moisture evaporate away. After 30 seconds or so when pan dry they turned burner off. Let pan cool a few minutes and put it away. There pans were in wonderful condition and I am now retired and my mother is still using 1 of the frying pans she had when I was a kid.

The point of seasoning is to seal the cast iron surface with carbon. If the pores in the cast iron are "open", would it not rust every time it gets water on it?

Little Kopit wrote:
If you use cast iron cookware, you will not use soap. Cast iron cookware is seasoned by baking a thin coat of oil on all surfaces. If you use soap that goes into the pores of the iron and is bad news.

:C

Yup bad info....some people just don't know how to do things.

If you use cast iron cookware, you will not use soap. Cast iron cookware is seasoned by baking a thin coat of oil on all surfaces. If you use soap that goes into the pores of the iron and is bad news.

:C

naturist wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
We continued cooking over an open fire for a long time, but then one day realized we were sick and tired of trying to clean pots and pans and griddles and grates and wire supports, and tripods, and all of that soot and black and charred stuff. We went through cans and cans of spray oven cleaner over the years and realized eventually, the food was great, but the clean up was awful.

Ah, so I recon nobody ever shared "THE BIG SECRET" with you: pots and pans can be spared all that black soot and crud by simply coating the outside with dishwashing liquid before you put the food INSIDE. You put it on the campfire and do the cooking thing, the pots 'n' pans still get black and ugly on the outside, but . . . and here's the beauty of it . . . drop them in the dishwater and all the black simply falls off. No scouring, not even a gentle rub with a sponge. And no permanently black cookware.

The man as official dishwasher extraordinaire will be happy to know your method of cleaning;).

DutchmenSport wrote:
We continued cooking over an open fire for a long time, but then one day realized we were sick and tired of trying to clean pots and pans and griddles and grates and wire supports, and tripods, and all of that soot and black and charred stuff. We went through cans and cans of spray oven cleaner over the years and realized eventually, the food was great, but the clean up was awful.

Ah, so I recon nobody ever shared "THE BIG SECRET" with you: pots and pans can be spared all that black soot and crud by simply coating the outside with dishwashing liquid before you put the food INSIDE. You put it on the campfire and do the cooking thing, the pots 'n' pans still get black and ugly on the outside, but . . . and here's the beauty of it . . . drop them in the dishwater and all the black simply falls off. No scouring, not even a gentle rub with a sponge. And no permanently black cookware.

Photos look great! I don't normally do cuts of meat, just wrapped veggies and pots on the fire, use the BBQ but I will certainly adapt - looks soo tasty .. thanks everyone for your ideas :)