Camping Meat and Potatoes - Layered - Two Styles

Meat and Potatoes. It is a simple meal. Two ingredients. It is a meal that lends itself to being a great camping meal that can be easily carried, prepared, and cooked. In this Instructable, I will show you two different ways to make layered meat and potatoes, skewered and wrapped in aluminum foil.

Step 1: Ingredients and Tools

The two ingredients are meat and potatoes. For the meat I like to use a summer sausage. It keeps without refrigeration, and is high in fat and calories for the energy you need when backpacking. I find that the spices and juices mix well with the potato. Most summer sausages have a casing that is not edible, so you want to peal it off before cooking them.

The tools needed are a knife big enough to cut the potato and the summer sausage, and a cutting board to cut them on. A skewer (I think mine is 16" long) for the skewered version and some aluminum foil for the wrapped version. I find that the skewer packs well with my tent poles. Something to clean your hands, like hand sanitizer. Gloves are handy (pun intended) to protect your hands, from the heat, while turning the layered meat and potatoes.

Step 2: Build a Fire and Make Some Coals

You will need a good hot bed of coals. I make a fire using medium sticks so that the coals will form quickly. While the sticks are burning down to coals, I start preparing the meat and potatoes.

Step 3: Prep Work.

The prep work consists of slicing the meat and potatoes. For the skewered version, I like to slice the potatoes about 1/4" thick and the summer sausage about 1/8" thick. Most summer sausages have a casing that is not edible, so you want to peal it off before cooking them. I then skewer them in alternating layers onto the skewer.

Step 4: Prep for the Foil Wrapped Version

Prep for the foil wrapped version is similar, but I like to make the slices of the potato about 1/2" thick. Place the potato and summer sausage slices in alternating layers onto the aluminum foil and wrap them up tight. The foil will keep all the juices in and help the potato layers soak up the flavors.

Step 5: Bed of Coals

By now your fire should have burned down to a nice bed of coals. I make sure there are two rocks, that will support both ends of the skewer, about two inches above the coals. I use a stick to rake the coals in between these two rocks. I keep the coals near the front of the fire ring, so I can keep feeding the fire, at the back, to make fresh coals, during the cooking process.

Step 6: Cook Your Meat and Potatoes

I place the ends of the skewer on the two rocks beside the coals. I then place the foil wrapped meat and potato directly on the coals. Depending on the heat of your coals, it should take about 30 to 45 minutes to cook both meat and potatoes. You can tell when they are done by gently squeezing them. If they are firm, they need to cook longer. Once they are a little squishy, they are ready.

Step 7: Time to Eat!

Now that you have been smelling the aroma of the cooking meat and potatoes, It is time to eat. I usually slide the meat and potatoes off the skewer into a plate. The potato and meat slices can be picked up and eaten with your hands or a fork. If the outside edges of the sausage and potato slices are charred, you can break them in half and eat the center while throwing the thin charred outer edges into the fire. The foil wrapped version potato slices will be soft and fluffy and you can spoon them directly out of the foil.

Cleanup is easy. Just carefully ball the foil up and pack it out, wipe the skewer off and you are ready to go. If you brought fixings for smores you have a nice bed of coals ready to cook dessert on.