Foil Pack Meals

When to use this

After dinner fire has burned down to a hot bed of coals (no flames).

• Family dinner with picky eaters
• Cooking on coals while the fire dies down
• Minimal-cleanup nights

See it done

What you need

• Heavy-duty aluminum foil (12-inch wide)
• Sliced potatoes, sliced onion, baby carrots
• Protein: chicken thigh, ground beef, or kielbasa
• Olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika
• Long tongs

Step by step

1. 1.Tear off two squares of heavy-duty foil per person. Stack them, dull side up.
2. 2.In the center, layer thin-sliced potatoes, then onion, then carrots, then your protein.
3. 3.Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil and season generously. Add a tablespoon of water for steam.
4. 4.Bring the foil corners up over the food and fold the top edge down twice to seal. Roll the side edges inward to seal the ends.
5. 5.Place packs on a hot bed of coals (not flames). Cook 20–25 minutes, flipping once at the halfway point.
6. 6.Pull packs off with long tongs. Open carefully — steam burns are no joke.

Pro tips

• Cut potatoes thin (¼ inch) or they won’t cook through in the time it takes the meat to finish.
• Pre-assemble packs at home and freeze. They thaw in the cooler and go straight on the coals.

Common mistakes

• Cooking over flames instead of coals — the outside burns, the inside is raw.
• Skipping the water — the meal dries out.

Analog companion

Prefer the full landing page first? See the camp cooking conversion card.