Perfect (med/rare) campfire roast

Step 1 Season the beast

Unroll some wax paper and plop the roast on to it. Don't be afraid to season it a lot. Some ideas might be to stuff some garlic inside some holes in the roast or just to rub some spice into it.

Comments

[l8nite]

that roast looks so............... good ! That really is a LOT of wax paper, is it for insulation purposes or for cooking? Have you considered or tried aluminum foil as the initial wrap

[combatbootboy]

It is a lot of paper but it helps seal the roast and it also burns while cooking. foil would work, however it wouldn't seem so cool, as one can cook pretty much anything with foil. :)

[l8nite]

lol.. that's true

[pmiller20]

Now I have done steak, burgers, & brats when camping, but whodda thunk you could do a roast this way? I love a good roast anyway and the smoky flavor of an open fire can only make it better! I didn't read ALL the comments so I hope this is not a duplicate question, but what cut did you use? This looks like a sirloin tip. I am guessing that would be a great cut to use for this. Thanks for sharing. ... it is on the menu for our next trip!

[combatbootboy]

Hey there, I used a cut of meat called eye of round. I use it because of the consistent size of the roast as well as the predictable cook time. You could however use any even sized roast and experiment with the time. Some people find eye of round to be a little tough due to it being so lean; you could also experiment with wrapping it in bacon first then cover it with the paper.
Let me know how your works out!

[unaffiliatedperson]

looks really good. ill do it in my alley way.

[fox212]

Awesome 'ible! I second the parchment idea though, just in case the wax does melt into the meat a little. Also, I add a layer or 2 of foil and use a few less layers of parchment. The foil retards heat better so there is less need for all that parchment 'insulation' to protect the meat. Your pic of the finished roast sliced open should be on the cover of a summer grilling magazine! Man that looks good...

[combatbootboy]

thanks for the comment! You've made me beam with pride when you mentioned the magazine cover thing! It is delicious!

I might experiment a little next year with the outer wrappings; see if it influences the cooking process.

[iminthebathroom]

interesting, I'm sure a little wax would be no big deal, but... have you thought of using parchment paper instead? Heat resistant to 450 and if you buy institutional grade like I have used in bakeries, it is good till 600 degrees

[combatbootboy]

that might be interesting, and I suppose I could also cook it in foil. I don't think parchment would burn at all and it seems to be a part of the concept. Something to try next year camping!

[iminthebathroom]

Cool, that's how we do a lot of camp cooking, wrap in parchment, then in foil. That way you get the benefits of foil type cooking with a no stick coating, you can cook scrambled eggs on a sheet of parchment. But keeping in mind, if aint broke... your idea seems to work just fine

[Lorddrake]

does all the wax evaporate off or does some of it soak into the meat?

[combatbootboy]

Good question; i'm not entirely sure how much if any get's absorbed by the meat. What I can say is that it looks like it gets mostly cooked off by the heat/fire, and that the meat does not taste like paraffin. I know that the paper helps protect from the direct contact with the coals, and that I have to remove a thin remaining coating of paper; I Imagine that catches most of it.

any scientists out there care to give their 2 cents on this?

[iolaniann]

Thia sounds like an old camping trick we used when I was a kid. (i have more) In answer -or sort of one-to a question asked.
you could use a brown paper bag wrapped with the newsprint, or alumiumn foil, or just about anything and it won't burn. The reason? When red meats are wrapped tightly the natural dampness and juice from the meat will keep the interior of the wrapping from catiching fire.. When wrapped the blood seeps out , or if you are wrapping before you thaw,,That moisture will keep the inner wrapping from burring. I might suggest that if using waxed papper you might concider wrapping the roast with a "plastic wrap" first. This would take the problem of wax away. Be sure take the time to make sure your wrapping you usecan be used in the microwave and that should protect it from melting in the heat.

[combatbootboy]

thanks for your detailed response! I would be afraid that plastic wrap would melt (but then I rarely use the stuff for more than wrapping cheese.
I am sure there is a world of plastic wrap out there for me to discover!

[TechDante]

what was the weight of teh joint before cooking

[combatbootboy]

not terribly sure; I've done it with various weighted eye of round roasts. (this was my 6th time doing this style roast) To give you some other ideas of how much this was...
-this looked like a 1/2 to a 1/3 of the whole cut of meat (If you've ever spotted the whole cut for sale)
-The length was about 8 inches and the diameter was about 3 1/2 inches

The diameter seems to be about the same on all the roasts i've used, hence why the cooking time is so consistent.

Hope these vague recollections help.

[sunshiine]

Nice ible! Thanks for sharing. Last year we made our entire thanksgiving dinner outside. It was amazing! Wished I made an ible while we did it. Maybe this year!

[combatbootboy]

That sounds like a delightful challenge! I think it ought to be recreated and documented... :)

[eldad.korah]

wow, this made me so hungry.

A wonderful instructable, :) the only thing I regret is not having one right now.
thanks, I will try on my next trip.

[combatbootboy]

thanks! enjoy