Beef Stuffed Onions in the DO (Dutch Oven)

I love these things and never think to make them at home....but I always crave them when camping. Kind of like eggs benedict.  I love those too but rarely make them at home.

Think I need to do a week of campfire meals in the back yard this winter. :)

These are basically meat loaf stuffed onions, sitting on a bed of potatoes, then plopped on the hot coals and baked til done. I start by using the biggest sweet onions I can find.
Place a good layer of cubed potatoes in the bottom of the dutch oven. 

I cut and measure the onions too see how many will fit. It depends on how big they are and which DO I'm using.

Then I scoop out all but two or three layers of onion. I save the rest of the onion for other meals. Place the halves on top of the cubed tatoes.

The meatloaf stuffing is just a mixture of ground beef, onion powder, beef bouillon, ketsup, seasoned salt, minced onion, 2 eggs, water and fresh bread crumbs.

I filled the onions...piled the filling high.

then sprinkled them with crushed dried seasoned bread crumbs...
( I kind of got carried away with them, could have used less)

Put about 2 cups of beef stock in the pot....almost covered the cubed potatoes.

Topped the DO with a lid, set it in the tire rim and put a small shovel of hot coals on the top.

I let them hang out for 45 minutes.  You can smell the onions and meat roasting, it's sooooooo nice. :)

After 45 minutes they were ready...

The tops have a nice little crunch from the seasoned bread crumbs... the meat is moist and the tatoes are tender from simmering in the beef stock.

These are so tasty, one of my favorite camp meals. They also are easy to wrap individually and freeze for a quick meal later.
It's 9:14 pm right now and my tummy is growling thinking about these. lol
  I might have to make a batch tonight. :)

Chasin' Pigs

Sometimes herding a pig can be as much fun as herding a cat. They definitely go where ever they want to go. 

....and off he goes...

into a weed patch (not a great time for me to wear shorts) ...

almost have him heading in the right direction...

ouch! no fun going in after him...

He knows what he's doing.
Knows I will get the treats out to coax him where I want him to go.

I break out some slices of bread and the Cap't Crunch Peanut Butter cereal (I love that stuff lol)

Leave a trail for him to follow....

 Right into the old stock trailer.

One of those evenings when I'm looking forward to a bubble bath.  lol

Simple Spareribs and Beans on the Fire

Another campfire cook at the lake. 
Sometimes the best tasting meals are the ones that take the least amount of fuss.  In the world of outdoor cooking, ribs have been treated in all manner of ways, brined, rubbed, trimmed, foiled, probably injected.  There's a lot to be said about the good ole "ribs meet fire" method. :)

After breakfast one morning I started a pot of pinto beans. I had soaked them overnight, drained them and added ham chunks, onions, garlic, a couple of bay leaves, red pepper flakes, a couple pinches of thyme, rosemary and marjoram. I let them simmer all day on the fire. (did add salt when they were tender)

About noon I slathered a rack of spareribs with bacon drippings, seasoned with salt and pepper and set them on the cool end side of the fire...

I let the ribs slow cook over the fire, flipping and rotating every once in awhile for even cooking. Also added a log to the fire when needed.

Had plenty of time for fishin' and "thinkin'" ... :)

I planned on letting them slow roast for about 6 hours. ( seems like they always take about 6 hours this way). I watched for the pull back on the bones.

gave the beans a stir once in awhile and added water when needed....

I was pretty hungry after smelling these roast all afternoon! 
Ended up giving them a quick brush with spicy Q sauce before removing from the heat.

I almost forgot to get a pic of them plated. They tasted pretty good at the time. Had a little tug like I like em.... not fall off the bone soft.

The evening was nice.  The air was crisp and cool so the campfire really felt good.

There's just something about a warm campfire and pretty stars....makes you forget about the rest of the world. :)

Probably my last camp out for the year but I'm getting geared up for deer season next. Can't wait!

Another favorite campfire breakfast :)

Chickenfried pork chops, fried potatoes, skillet gravy and eggs.... with a touch of campfire smoke, it's one of my favorites. :)

I start the wood burning on the tractor rim first, brine the pork chops in salt water until the fire is ready (about 45 minutes to an hour). 

seasoned the brined chops with pepper, dipped in an egg/milk bath and dredged in flour.

Started a skillet of fried potatoes and onions.... then started chickenfrying the chops...

It was a beautiful morning... :)

As the chops brown I set them on the low heat side of the fire to keep warm.

The chickenfried chops stay crisp and catch a bit of smoke while hanging out.

When the last of the chops are fried I make skillet gravy with the drippings...

I add flour, milk and seasonings... then simmer until thick and bubbly..

lastly I fry some eggs in a bit of melted butter....

This is one of those "stick to your ribs" breakfasts that will last all day. :)

I need to start cooking my breakfasts outside at home. They seem to taste so much better when cooked over a fire. Maybe it's just the fresh air and quiet.....and the pretty lake. :)