Camping is one of the most awesome and fulfilling outdoor activities you can engage in. The only way to make that even better, is to grill while camping.
For most of their existence humans have had a deep connection with nature – for obvious reasons. And even after we have become ‘domesticated’ and built huge cities and settled in houses and apartments, we still feel that urge to go out and connect with mother nature from time to time.
Even just a short trip to the nearest nature reserve will ‘recharge your batteries’ and lets you feel that lost connection again.
For those not wanting to go full caveman, car camping is an option to get the best of both worlds. Not only will it make for a much more relaxed outdoor experience, but it will let your stay in the outdoors be that little bit more comfortable.
One of the possibilities it provides you with, is the ability to take a grill with you. And that is a huge plus in our book. Anyone who has ever been on camping trips knows that some of the best and most memorable moments of camping are sitting down together (or even on your own) and having a barbecue in the outdoors.
Sure, some people are fine with just eating snacks or nutrition bars all day long. But we are looking at something more fulfilling here at BBQChiefs. Something that will make you look forward to every chance to go out camping.
Even if you take people with you that don’t enjoy physical activities during the trip, even they will undoubtedly appreciate a well-cooked breakfast, lunch or dinner after a long day.
All you are going to need for this is a portable grill and doing some preparations at home. Just ask anyone who has ever been on a camping trip in case you haven’t; food never tastes better than during your time in the outdoors.
There is something unexplainable to being under wide open skies, away from all the hustle of the city that makes your taste buds appreciate good food even more. Especially if you engaged in some straining physical activity like hiking during the day.
The whole experience is so profound that some people go camping just for the sake of cooking and enjoying food outdoors!
Now, let’s take a look at what dishes you can enjoy while exploring the outdoors and what equipment will help you the most on your camping trip.
Preparations
Before you go out into the wilds, you should get some preparations done at home. There is nothing worse than travelling to wherever you want to go camping, only to realize that you’ve forgotten something back at home.
You might be a long way out from the nearest store! And even if not – it’s still an inconvenient interruption of your trip. So, to avoid that you should put some time aside and get those pesky preparations done at least one day before your trip.
If you plan on taking a lot of non-perishable goods, just put them in a single box and put that next to the door so you will basically fall over it when leaving. Done.
Also, you will need a durable container in which to put the food you want to bring with you. In case you are going with a group of people, just make it a couple of containers. Organize what goes where so that you won’t get confused and leave something behind.
You will need plates, utensils and cups in terms of portable dinnerware. Grab a couple of spare ones of each, just in case anything might get damaged during the trip. A tea kettle is also a must for any good camping trip (hot water!).
And most importantly, don’t forget tin foil. You will need a lot of it for both grilling and packing leftover food.
Looking for more ideas on good grill accessories to take? Check out our recommendations!
What To Cook While Camping?
You would be surprised about the variety of food you can take on your camping trip. And there is a large number of snacks and meals that don’t even require cooking. If you are camping at a site that allows visitors to start a fire however, that opens up a whole world of possibilities to you.
I you fancy a bit of nostalgia, cook some marshmallows over the fire and toss some sausages wrapped in tin foil into the remains of the fire, or even cook potatoes in it. Oh, you want more details? Well, ok then…
Sweet Potatoes
The best thing about camping foods is the taste and simplicity. So, what better way to combine both of it than with some grilled sweet potatoes. All you need is to wash and dry some potatoes and cut them up into strips.
The sizes can vary and mostly depend on your preferences, but we would suggest aiming for a standard french fries size. Try to stay more or less consistent with the length and width, to ensure all of the potato strips will be done cooking at the same time.
Once you are done preparing the sweet potatoes, put them on a sheet pan covered by a layer of tin foil. When grilling, turning them over once or twice while cooking should get the job done.
Sausages
You may also want some sausages with the sweet potatoes. They are easy to cook, no matter the circumstances – in the comfort of your kitchen or in the middle of nowhere.
There are many kinds and half a dozen ways to cut them up, but in the end, that’s nitpicking. Just make incisions down the length of the links and don’t leave the inner part undercooked. Without the incisions, you might burn the sausages before they are grilled all the way through.
Vegetables
Vegetable kebabs are a fun, easy and healthy dish to make for an outdoors cookout. Sure, you can eat your veggies raw, but why waste a perfectly good opportunity to enhance their flavor while using that grill of yours.
Mushrooms, peppers and onions make for a terrific combination. Top that off with a bit of vinegar.
By the way, you are by no means limited in your choice of vegetables. Go for what you love. Same goes for condiments. Grilled veggies will go lovely in combination with the previous two dishes.
If you want to expand on vegetarian dishes, here is some more ‘food for thought’ (pun intended).
Burgers
If you’ve ever cooked a burger on a barbecue in your backyard, you are fit to prepare a burger on your camping trip. All you need for that are the components you prepared at home, a grill and some tin foil.
You can also get some fried eggs and cheese in there to mix things up. Heat some buns and put them around all of that deliciousness. After doing some hiking and preparing your burgers, sit back, grab a cold one and enjoy the scenery.
How does that sound? Life can’t get better than this.
Looking for more ideas? We have some simple yet great recipes over here.
What Is The Best Grill For Camping?
There is a myriad of options available in the camping grills section. The main difference between all of them is, as always, about what fuel they use (propane, charcoal, or wood), how big they are and how much they cost. Since we are looking for one to use on a camping trip, let’s find the ones that are easiest to transport.
Blackstone Portable Camping Grill Top
The Blackstone Portable Tabletop Grill (click to check current price on Amazon) is a dream come true for everyone barbecuing on a budget. It’s simple design and size make it the perfect portable gas grill.
However, don’t be fooled; the low price does not mean low quality. This grill is ideal for beginners and people who don’t need anything fancy to throw their meat on. It is easy to take care of and its weight makes it easy to transport.
Mr. Steak 1-Burner Infrared Portable Grill
If you are ready to make an investment that will pay off and if you are looking for something relatively easy to carry around in a car of almost any size, then the Mr. Steak 1-Burner Infrared Portable Grill may be what you are looking for.
It’s dimensions are relatively small, but it does have some weight to it. However, it delivers a punch that you won’t expect from a grill of this size. It’s a propane-powered grill that can achieve a pretty high temperature in a matter of minutes; and we are talking about a temperature of over 500 degrees here.
Coleman RoadTrip 285 Portable Stand-Up Propane Grill
As the name implies, this is a grill that is designed with camping in mind. Coleman is known for providing quality grills for prices lower than their competitors.
The Coleman RoadTrip 285 Portable Stand-Up Propane Grill (click to check current price on Amazon) is a propane-fueled grill that will give you 285 inches of grilling space. The perfect size for a camping trip with your family or a group of friends. Or even friends and family at the same time. Also, this grill is ideal for beginners, both in camping and grilling.
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