The Boy Scout Planning Guide suggests a  Special Cooking Troop Program Feature for June 2013.  This cooking program feature offers the opportunity to explore cooking with special equipment and techniques, including Dutch oven cooking, foil packs, and camp stoves.

The plans for the Special Cooking  troop program feature can be found in  Volume 3 of Troop Program Features from BSA:

Here is a program feature for a troop that has gone beyond cooking basics. Scouts will learn how to use the Dutch oven and reflector oven and practice cooking with camp stoves, charcoal, and aluminum foil. Since good meals are so important in camp, your patrol leaders’ council will want to use this feature as soon as most Scouts have mastered the basics of cooking.

Special Cooking Programs

Younger scouts can work on their early rank requirements, including menus and cooking, fire safety, and camp stoves.  Older scouts can earn the Cooking merit badge.

The featured activity for this month is a camp banquet where Scouts can share all of the dishes they created using special cooking techniques.

Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Scouting

Many campers know that if you want a meal with little cleanup, you can cook it in a foil pack. The most typical foil pack ingredients are ground beef, potatoes, carrots, and onions. But don’t get stuck in a rut! Try some new combinations.

Most foil packs contain some type of meat (beef, chicken, ham, etc.), a starch (potatoes or rice), and fruits or vegetables (carrots, apples, peppers, pineapple. You can add a little moisture with some condensed soup, ketchup, gravy, BBQ sauce, or something similar. I stay away from cheese in the pack itself, but sometimes I sprinkle some on the finished product.

Don’t be afraid to try something different in your foil pack dinners. I’ve seen a recipe for an omelet in a foil pack which I am going to try soon.  Here are a couple of ideas for you:

After assembling your ingredients, follow the directions below to seal and cook your pack.

How to Make a Foil Pack (Hobo) Meal

Equipment

• Heavy duty aluminum foil
• Charcoal fire – charcoal should be in a single layer

Instructions

1. Tear off a piece of foil about four times the size of the food you want to cook.
2. Fold the foil in half.
3. Place the food in the middle of the foil.
4. Bring the opposite sides of the foil together.
5. Fold the sides over, one half inch at a time, crimping the foil together as you go.
6. Fold the open edges toward the center, crimping together.
7. Place the foil packet on the charcoal
8. Cook until packet puffs up with steam – usually about 30 to 45 minutes.
9. Open carefully! You don’t want a steam burn.

When sealing up the foil, the idea is to form an airtight seal, so the steam can’t escape. If the steam gets out, you might scorch your food. You are essentially making a small pressure cooker.
If you are not using heavy duty foil, use two pieces of foil to make a double layer. You don’t want your dinner to end up in the fire.

Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Scouting

Are you  stuck in a rut making foil packets? This variation of the hobo meal features ham and sweet potatoes. Perfect for a fall campout!

Cut the sweet potato into small enough pieces that it will cook through. This will be the ingredient which determines how long you have to cook it. Don’t cook it too long or hot or you will burn the sugar.

The brown sugar is optional. Some people like their sweet potato dishes very sweet while others prefer them with little or no sugar.

Ham and Sweet Potato Packets

Equipment:

• Charcoal fire
• Heavy duty foil
• Knife and cutting board

Ingredients

• 1 ham steak or piece of boneless ham
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• ½ cup brown sugar (or less if you don’t want it too sweet)
• 2 Tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Prepare your charcoal fire.
2. Cut the ham into bite sized chunks.
3. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into cubes.
4. Core the apple and cut into pieces.
5. Prepare the foil for four foil packs. (See below).
6. Place ¼ of the ingredients on each piece of foil.
7. Seal and cook.

For instructions for sealing and cooking the pack, see How to Make a Foil Pack (Hobo) Meal.

Serves 4

Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Scouting

Foil packs are great for camp, but sometimes we get tired of having burger, potatoes, and carrots every time. Here is a different twist on the hobo dinner.

Since you are cooking chicken, make sure you give it enough time to cook. You might want to open one just a little and cut into the chicken to make sure it is cooked before you take all of them off of the fire.

Foil Pack Hawaiian Chicken and Rice Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups Minute Rice
• 3 cups water
• 6 small boneless chicken breasts
• 1 can chunk pineapple
• 1 bell peppers – cut into pieces
• ½ cup mild BBQ sauce

Instructions

1. Mix the rice and water.
2. Spoon the rice mixture into the center of 6 pieces of foil
3. Put a chicken breast on top of the rice.
4. Top chicken with pineapple and pepper
5. Drizzle with a little BBQ Sauce
6. Seal and cook.

For the instructions for sealing and cooking, see  How to Make a Foil Pack (Hobo) Meal

Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Scouting