Campfire Cooking with Larry: Easy Camping Meals
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Short answer
The easiest camping meals use one pan, few ingredients and food that forgives uneven heat. Sausage and peppers in a cast-iron skillet, foil-packet sausage and potatoes, and campfire pasta with jarred sauce all cook over coals, need little cleanup and feed a group. Prep vegetables at home to save time at camp.
Watch Larry cook at camp
Camping with Larry is the episode where Larry takes the kitchen outdoors. The full video, transcript and the recipes it inspired live on the Camping with Larry page — start there if you want to see the campfire method before you pack.
Five easy camping dinner ideas
1. Campfire sausage and peppers — sliced peppers and onions in a cast-iron skillet over coals, Italian sausage added once they soften, cooked to 160°F (71°C) and piled into rolls.
2. Foil-packet sausage and potatoes — thin-sliced potatoes, onion, sliced cooked sausage, olive oil and salt sealed in heavy foil and set on the coals for about 20 to 30 minutes, turned once.
3. One-pot campfire pasta — boil short pasta, drain most of the water, stir in jarred sauce and sliced cooked sausage, finish with grated cheese.
4. Grilled sausage sandwiches — links on a grate over medium coals, turned often, served with peppers from the skillet.
5. Breakfast skillet — leftover sausage and peppers warmed with eggs cracked straight into the pan.
Prep at home, cook at camp
Slice peppers and onions at home and pack them in a sealed bag. Pre-mix oil and seasoning in a small jar. Keep raw sausage in its own sealed container at the bottom of a well-iced cooler, away from ready-to-eat food.
Cooking over a fire without burning everything
Cook over glowing coals, not flames. Build the fire early and let it burn down, then rake coals into a hotter zone and a cooler zone so you can move the pan. Cast iron holds heat evenly and survives the fire; bring a thick glove and a thermometer.
Gear that actually helps
A 12-inch cast-iron skillet, long tongs, heat-resistant gloves, heavy-duty foil and an instant-read thermometer cover almost every recipe on this page. Larry’s Gear page lists the pieces he uses.
Common questions
- What is the easiest meal to cook while camping?
- Foil packets and one-skillet meals are the easiest: few ingredients, forgiving heat and almost no cleanup. Sausage and peppers in cast iron is a reliable crowd-feeder.
- How do you cook sausage over a campfire?
- Cook over medium coals rather than open flame, turn the links often, and check the center reaches 160°F (71°C) with an instant-read thermometer before serving.
- Can you make sausage and peppers over a campfire?
- Yes. Soften sliced peppers and onions in a cast-iron skillet over coals, add the sausage, cover briefly with foil, then uncover to brown. Larry’s Camping with Larry episode shows the outdoor setting.
- What should I prep at home before camping?
- Slice vegetables, mix seasonings and portion sauce at home. Keep raw meat sealed and cold in a separate cooler zone.
- What pan is best for campfire cooking?
- Cast iron. It holds heat evenly over uneven coals and tolerates direct fire better than nonstick or thin pans.
Make it
More straight answers
Cite this guide: “Campfire Cooking with Larry: Easy Camping Meals” — Uncle Larry Adventures, https://unclelarryadventures.com/guides/campfire-cooking-with-larry
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Quick answer
How do you cook sausage and peppers?
Larry and Sally’s filmed method starts with sliced peppers and onions in a hot skillet. The Italian sausage goes in next, the pan is covered briefly to finish cooking, and Sally brings the skillet home before the browned sausage and tender vegetables are plated with fresh herbs.