Campfire Potatoes?

[Razors Edge ★]

We'll be camping in a couple days, and with the weather expected to be autumnal we plan to stick with warmer foods and think a few potatoes cooked in the fire coals would be nice.

Any thoughts, tips, ideas? 

I think we have generally used "wash the potato, hit it with salt, pepper, & butter, poke some holes, wrap in foil, and set in the coals and cover with coals for about an hour - checking periodically for softness."

[Kirby]

I don't cook and I don't camp, so I don't really have any idea.  But a quick internet search suggests that some other people cut them and add cheese, bacon and/or onions.

[maddmaxx ★]

That's the same as a couch potato eating marsh mellows except the seating is less comfortable.

[MickinMD ★]

1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

We'll be camping in a couple days, and with the weather expected to be autumnal we plan to stick with warmer foods and think a few potatoes cooked in the fire coals would be nice.

Any thoughts, tips, ideas? 

I think we have generally used "wash the potato, hit it with salt, pepper, & butter, poke some holes, wrap in foil, and set in the coals and cover with coals for about an hour - checking periodically for softness."

Sounds about right.  We didn't do anything but wrap the washed potatoes in foil, but sometimes they'd be a little dry and powdery so the butter sounds like a good idea.  Another option is moist toppings: baked beans, etc.

Something I've been meaning to try: A big thing in British pubs and homes, which I learned from watching the BBC situation comedy "As Time Goes By" is the "Jacket Potato."  It's something that could be done as a campfire potato.

They basically use a washed, unpeeled potato and pierce it in several places with a fork and let it bake at 350F for 60-75 minutes, resulting in a powdery potato and crispy skin, into which a slot all along the top half or an "X" cut on the top half, spread open, and topped with baked beans, sour cream, butter, fried onions, bacon, cheddar cheese or whatever turns you on.

Jacket Potato (https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/baked-jacket-potatoes/f7f45471-ed48-4cc7-b07b-d1de5a161403):

[jsharr ★]

I would do what we call Hobo Dinners.  Get whatever meat and veggies you like,  Dice them up and wrap them in a foil packet to cook in the coals.  Add spices, sauces etc,  You know what you like.

https://boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/hobo_dinner-193.asp

[maddmaxx ★]

8 minutes ago, jsharr said:

I would do what we call Hobo Dinners.  Get whatever meat and veggies you like,  Dice them up and wrap them in a foil packet to cook in the coals.  Add spices, sauces etc,  You know what you like.

https://boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/hobo_dinner-193.asp

You may also do this by cooking them wedged against the exhaust manifold of the tow truck on the way to the races for a cheap lunch for the crew.  We also used the same method to heat up the 90 wt oil cans so it would pour into the engine on cold days.

[Page Turner]

1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

We'll be camping in a couple days, and with the weather expected to be autumnal we plan to stick with warmer foods and think a few potatoes cooked in the fire coals would be nice.

Any thoughts, tips, ideas? 

I think we have generally used "wash the potato, hit it with salt, pepper, & butter, poke some holes, wrap in foil, and set in the coals and cover with coals for about an hour - checking periodically for softness."

...I think you should go camping over in the area around Old Rag Mountain, which is lovely for hiking.

[Razors Edge ★]

5 minutes ago, Page Turner said:

...I think you should go camping over in the area around Old Rag Mountain, which is lovely for hiking.

We usually (and this time) are at Mathews Arm.  Big Meadows is closer to the Old Rag trails, but we usually don't camp there unless Mathews Arm is closed for the season or want to be by the showers.

[donkpow]

[Razors Edge ★]

1 minute ago, donkpow said:

SHOW ME THE BEEF!!!

[Page Turner]

...as I recall, the bears used to be outrageous at Big Meadows.  I can remember a couple of times when a regular visitor bear came in in the evening, knocked over a series of trash cans (going in a line from can to can), inspected the contents, finally found some sack of garbage meeting his personal preferences, then marched away dragging it in his mouth so he could eat in peace, without the crowd that had gathered around.

I never camped there, this was just a stop for showers, hiking on through.  I imagine they fixed that by now, before someone got killed.

[Parr8hed]

Slice them.  Put them in a touch of oil and some butter in your cast iron skillet.  Cover in foil or use the lid to the skillet if you have one.  Add bacon, cheese, chives, bourbon, whatever you would generally add.  We do this often.

[Razors Edge ★]

Just now, Page Turner said:

...as I recall, the bears used to be outrageous at Big Meadows.  I can remember a couple of times when a regular visitor bear came in in the evening, knocked over a series of trash cans (going in a line from can to can), inspected the contents, finally found some sack of garbage meeting his personal preferences, then marched away dragging it in his mouth so he could eat in peace, without the crowd that had gathered around.

I never camped there, this was just a stop for showers, hiking on through.  I imagine they fixed that by now, before someone got killed.

I can't remember ever seeing "trash cans" in National Parks (or state parks) with any sort of bear activity.  Around here, we're slowly getting more and more bear boxes for food at each campsite (the west seems to have that covered already), and trash is pretty much "big ass bear proof dumpsters by the bathrooms".

The past few years, they have you acknowledging AND signing a proper storage of food and trash or risk of fine form.

[Kzoo]

14 minutes ago, donkpow said:

You may also do this by cooking them wedged against the exhaust manifold of the tow truck on the way to the races for a cheap lunch for the crew.  Dingy Moore stew - 90 wt oil, same think.

 

One place I worked we had a heated trichloroethylene degreasing station.  The operator had a can of this stuff on the heating unit just about every day.

 

[ChrisL]

1 hour ago, maddmaxx said:

You may also do this by cooking them wedged against the exhaust manifold of the tow truck on the way to the races for a cheap lunch for the crew.  We also used the same method to heat up the 90 wt oil cans so it would pour into the engine on cold days.

That’s an old soldier trick too but the new MRE packs come with a heating element.  

[donkpow]

The trick I learned as a wee lad running wild through the jungle was to dent the side of a can of pork and beans. When the can heated sufficiently to straighten the side of the can, it was time to eat.

[Kzoo]

2 hours ago, donkpow said:

The trick I learned as a wee lad running wild through the jungle was to dent the side of a can of pork and beans. When the can heated sufficiently to straighten the side of the can, it was time to eat.

Right before they explode.  An old Boy Scout camping trick.