Campfire Cooking Recipes - Camping Chili and Rice

Campfire cooking and campfire recipes using your cast iron cookware is a big part of any outdoor camping trip, and camp cooks are always looking for easy recipes that will leave them more time to kick back in their folding camping chairs and enjoy the experience they came for.

Whether you are using an open campfire, Coleman camping stove, or just a gas cooker, these easy hamburger main dish recipes will make the cook's job easier, and still have the campers raving about your talents.

Campfire Chili and Rice tastes best when cooked in a cast iron skillet or Dutch Oven over an open campfire, but can also be cooked on Coleman camping stoves, or any camping gas cooker.

Serves: 4 - 8 - *can be doubled for more campers

Cook time: 25 - 30 minutes - *leaves more time in the folding camping chair

Note: a loaf of Crusty pull-apart bread from your local grocery or bakery goes really well with this dish. Just wrap it in foil and set it on top of your skillet or Dutch oven to warm during the cooking stage of the camp meal preparation. ps. don't forget the butter if you use bread.

Camping cooking equipment needed:

• Cast iron skillet with lid, or Dutch Oven
• Spatula
• Lg. serving spoon
• Lg. Knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cup

Main ingrediants:

• 1 lb ground meat - hamburger or meat of your choice - *use 11/2 lbs. for meatier dish
• 4 cups Minute rice
• 1 lg. Spanish onion, chopped - *yellow or red onions will do, but the large Spanish onions are best
• 1 lg. Green Bell pepper, diced
• 2 cans, Kidney beans, (14-16oz each), drained
• 1 can Stewed tomatoes*, (14.5oz), undrained
• 1 can Diced tomatoes, chili-seasoned, (14.5oz), undrained
• 1 pkg. Chili seasoning mix
• 1 tbsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Black pepper
• 2 cups, (1 pkg.), Shredded Monteray Jack or cheddar cheese
• 3 cups Water

Optional: Spice it to taste - you can add 1 tbsp dry crushed red pepper flakes or 2 chopped Jalapeno peppers. Omit Kidney beans for No-bean Chili.

Campfire Cooking Directions:

1. Chop and dice onion and green pepper, (and jalapeno if used), set aside
2. Brown ground meat oven hot heat, drain and remove from skillet, set aside
3. Add to skillet: rice, water, Chili seasoning, salt & pepper(s), - bring to boil over high heat
4. Move skillet to coals or lower heat, add: ground meat, tomatoes, kidney beans, and chopped and diced veggies and cover tightly
   
5. Cook over coals or low heat for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent sticking
6. Remove from heat, sprinkle cheese over top of everything - recover and let sit for 5 minutes for cheese to melt and mixture to thicken

You are done - ring the dinner bell and watch them eat it up.

Use these Smart Campfire Cooking Tips to make this camping food recipe easier and quicker. You can pick and choose which tips to use to lighten the load of the camp cook when these campfire recipes are made.

1. Do the veggie chopping and dicing at home and put everything in a freezer Zip-Loc bag.
2. Combine all spices and Chili seasoning into i Zip-Loc sandwich baggie for a quick "open and dump" at camp. No need for measuring spoons or bulk spice containers in camping gear load.
3. Freeze the Veggie Zip-loc before you leave, this will help save ice space in your camp coolers, and it is ok to add them to the recipe frozen or semi-frozen.
   
4. The tomatoes and beans can be poured into a gallon-size freezer Zip-Loc at home so you don't have to open and dispose of cans at camp.
   
5. If not for your first day's meal, these can also be frozen to help save ice space and weight in your coolers. It will be properly thawed by your second camping day meal.

More Outdoor Camping and Cast Iron Cookware Resources you might like:

• Campfire Cooking with a Dutch Oven
• Cooking with Cast Iron Skillets
• Dutch Oven Heating Chart and Cooking Tips
  
• How to Build a Key-hole Campfire for Cooking
• Buy Cast Iron Skillets, Griddles, Cookware Sets
• Buy a Dutch Oven Lid Lifter Online
• Best Prices for Cast Iron Cookware on ebay Now!

GA Anderson has been outdoor camping and campfire cooking for over 35 years. You can see more of his camping articles, camping checklists, and campfire cooking tips at his outdoor camping blog: Camping with Gus

Appletreedeals is the eCommerce ID for G.A. Anderson

You can see more of his articles on Hubpages.

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