The key to getting new people鈥攌ids and adults alike鈥攅xcited about going camping is to have them participate听as much as possible.听One surefire way to ensure that everyone plays a role听is to incorporate听each person into the听meal prep and cooking.听Here鈥檚 an easy, affordable, tasty dinner that combines cooking over the听fire听with good food safety听and plenty of hands-on experience.
Supplies You鈥檒l Need
- A pot with a lid
- Water
- Tongs
- A camp stove and fuel
- A lighter
- Fire starters
- Firewood
- A wood-processing tool you know how to use (an ax, a saw, a large knife, or something similar)
- Some sticks
- A pocketknife
- The highest-quality sausages you can find (this recipe is perfect for hot Italian pork sausages, but any variety will work)
- A few bell peppers
- An onion
- Buns (I prefer pretzel)
- Mustard (I love听a quality Dijon or whole-grain mustard)
- Paper towels
- A shovel
Getting Started
Task a member of your group with building a fire inside an existing fire ring. If they don鈥檛 know how, show them, but let them go through the entire process themselves. Ask them to be responsible for feeding the fire to keep it going.
Fill your听pot with water until it鈥檚 nearly half full, and bring it to a boil. Once there, add your听sausages, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for ten minutes. (This step ensures the sausages are safely cooked through, and it helps make them a little less greasy.)听Remove the sausages to a plate, cutting board, or tray. Pour out the water.
Note that you should never prick or slice open quality sausages before cooking them. You want that skin to remain intact so their听moisture stays inside.
Slice听the peppers and onion, and set them aside.
If your campers are of an appropriate age, have them harvest a few sticks that are mostly straight, as thick as a pencil, and two to three feet long. Green (live) sticks work best, because they won鈥檛 burn as easily, but if you鈥檙e on public land, damaging live trees is inappropriate, so either get them from dead trees, or bring along some sticks from home. Instruct your minions to remove any extraneous branches, and sharpen one end of each stick with a pocketknife.
Carefully insert the sharpened end of a stick into one听end of a sausage听until it is securely impaled. Hand one听to each person, so they can cook their own sausage听themselves.
Cooking Over the Fire
Because the sausages were already safely cooked through in the pot, all you鈥檙e looking for is a browned, crispy exterior. There鈥檚 room for different approaches to this, so no need to closely supervise anyone鈥檚 work. Just point them toward听the fire, and try to make sure no one burns their sausage听entirely to ash. (Bring some extras, in case they do.)
Meanwhile, add a splash of olive oil to your pot, set it over medium heat, and saut茅 the peppers and onions until they just start to soften.
You can toast your buns over the fire if you鈥檇 like, but it鈥檚 not necessary.
Serving Dinner
As the sausages听start to come off the fire, hand each camper a bun, and have them use it to pull their sausage off their stick.
Top with the peppers and onions, add some mustard, and enjoy.
Cleaning Up
Use your cooking sticks for s鈥檓ores, or go ahead and throw them in the fire. Bring some water to boil in the same pot you鈥檝e been using. Wipe any excess food off your tongs, cutting board, and knife, then dunk them in the boiling water for a minute or two to sterilize them. When听the听pot has cooled, wipe out any remaining grease with a paper towel and burn that. Camp dishes really can be that simple.
Before it鈥檚 time for bed, show your campers how to properly extinguish the听fire, and have them perform the work themselves. Just double-check to make sure it鈥檚 fully out before turning in yourself.