Campfire Cooking

Just a quick recap of my camping weekend - it was cold! Friday night was down to 28 degrees. Saturday was warmer... 39.

I think most people go camping and eat things like hot dogs and hamburgers. However, my buddies and I do something a little different. When we go camping, a lot of people are surprised at our "menu." We have made chili, steak, foil packets (this past time we used bison meat), cherry cobbler, breakfast tacos, etc.

However, this weekend, we were challenged with something new: Pork Roast!

Jason was in charge of the shopping. So when he told us that he bought a roast for Saturday night's dinner, both David and I were a little perplexed. How were we going to cook it? Well, our solution is the subject of this blog.

As you've read in a previous post, I really enjoy cooking pork roast. So, I took this "challenge" with great enthusiasm.

The first thing I did was to prepare the roast. When I opened it up, it divided into 2 pieces. We decided to season both of the pieces differently. While I cut the slices and stuffed the slits with peppers and onions, the marinade would be altered for each piece of meat.

Not only that, we decided to cook them with different methods. For the piece that is wrapped in foil, I seasoned it with a marinade Jason found for chicken and pork. It looked a little like Italian salad dressing.

For the piece that I placed in the bowl, it was marinated with V8 and picante sauce. It was more "tomatoey," which is another way to cook pork. Notice I placed it in the bowl. We decided to see if that would be better with sealing in the heat and juices.

While I was getting the meat ready, David and Jason were busy building the "oven." We decided that the best way to cook our roast was to model it after Hawaiians: think "Luao."

Yes, we dug a hole!

The hole was about 2 feet deep. We lined it with aluminum foil. We then heated up rocks in our fire and lined the bottom of the hole with them.

After placing the roasts into the hole, we covered it up with hot coals from a fire that had been going for several hours. Due to the temperature, we kept a fire going all day... so the coals were pretty dang hot!

We then covered the hole with dirt and let the roast cook in our improvised oven. During that time, you could see steam coming up from the dirt. Not only that, it dried all of the dirt around the hole. Ha!

Four hours later, we dug it out.

So, what were the results? The one that we cooked in just foil was the good. It was cooked all the way through, and I think most people would have been pleased with the results.

However, the one cooked in the bowl was even better! It was cooked to perfection! How do I know? One "test" for any roast is if it melts off the fork.... literally shredding! We took the foil one and threw it into the fire to cook a little longer, but then ate the other one for our dinner... along with twiced baked potatoes!

Mmm... Mmm... Good!!

If you want to see more pictures from this, those that know my web site address can view them there...

Cooking: Spicy Slow-Cooked Pork Roast

It may surprise some people, but I'm one mean cook! I enjoy coming up with new ideas/spins on dishes... or just perfecting a tried and true. Usually this comes around during the holidays... so, one of the recipes that I'm known for in my family is my Pork Roast.

Typically the night before Thanksgiving or Christmas, I'm slaving away in the kitchen preparing a pork roast that will cook for several hours. However, there are times throughout the year that I just say, "Screw it! I want a pork roast and I don't want to worry about it cooking all day." Enter, the crock pot!

I received a new crock pot over Christmas. It's great - large, oval shaped, and it has a timer. I've cooked several things in it already, including my own version of Chicken Noodle Soup.

Anyway, I wanted to share an easy crock pot recipe that anyone can make. In fact, it's very quick - which comes in handy when you don't have a lot of time.

The first thing is to make sure you have a thawed-out piece of meat. Last night I soaked the roast in hot water, then left it in the refrigerator all night. This morning, I unwrapped it and placed it in a serving dish.

Next, I cut up my peppers and onions. I use both red and green Bell Peppers. I also chop 2 Jalepeno peppers. I then cut slits in the roast and stuff it with the jalepenos. I take chopped garlic (out of the jar) and rub it into the slices as well. Salt and pepper the roast, making sure to rub it into the slits. You can also use Greek Seasoning. I then cut up one onion - I like yellow onions because they aren't as strong and have a sweeter taste.

After everything has been cut up, I put the roast into the crock pot. I added a can of Cream of Mushroom soup and a can of Cream of Chicken soup, as well as 1 can of water. I then added the peppers and onions. I threw in a small bag of baby carrots, and more garlic. Covered it up, and set the timer for 9 hours.

That took less than 20 minutes.

So, when I get home, I'll have a nice pork roast ready for dinner. The only tasks left will be to cook up some garlic potatoes (Green Giant, frozen) and rice, and I'll be eating high on the hog... literally!

Bon Apetite!