We recently took a back-woods camping trip. We were hoping for more of a back-country experience, but it was decidedly much more back-woods.
Our adventure took place in the Nez Perce National Forest at a location in which we were lead to believe was more remote and secluded than it truly was. The lack of cell service is what drew us to the area to begin with. We were looking for solitude and time for our family to unplug. We did that. The regular 4-wheeler traffic was a big surprise, not only because it is remote, but because there was no place to go. Back and forth, forth and back, went the same 4-wheelers from dusk until dawn. There were some nice homes out there, 10-14 miles down a dirt forest service road. This behavior led to some interesting campfire stories of speculation as to what kind of under-the-table goings on were going on out there. It was a unique location at best.
We had two coolers for the week. One packed with meat and other items that required a cooler environment and another with produce and items not requiring such a frigid atmosphere. My friend Tanya would be impressed, we actually had a meal plan. I know, freaky! Anyone who knows me, knows that I Live in the Moment and refrain from making such a plan because I like to cook eat what sounds good at the time. That drives some crazy, but it works for me!
I prepped meals ahead of time which made cooking on a campfire somewhat delightful. For this meal I froze the meat and blended the spices a head of time. The rest of the ingredients were a snap to pull together on site, provide you remember your can opener and a knife to chop the onion, which I did.
Saute a large chopped onion in a large dutch oven. A dutch oven is necessary due to the heaviness of the pot will help prevent burning over an ever changing camp fire. I would suggest using a cast iron dutch oven, not a Le Crueset, but mine was a second and the finish is no longer fully in tact, and I do not have a “campfire” dutch-oven so I brought what I had along.
For cooking equipment I brought: a dutch oven, 12-inch cast iron pan, a kettle to boil water, my awesome and cheap carbon-steel wok, and an aluminum half-sheet pan. That is it. We ate 2-3 meals a day, for a week, with only these items and wanted for nothing more.
Saute until soft and translucent, add the meat and saute until browning.
Once the meat is browned add the spices and garlic. Cook another minute or two until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, broth and/or beer and cover to cook for a couple hours over a cooler part of the fire. When the flavors have developed, add the beans. If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid and allow to simmer and reduce to your liking.
Tortilla chips are one of my favorite accompaniments, but in a pinch salt and pepper chips were delicious!
Enjoy! We used up the left-overs a couple days later as filling for tacos, for breakfast no less 
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
You can take the girl and her Le Creuset dutch oven out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the girl and her Le Creuset dutch oven. This looks fantastic, Kristen! People have lost their will to try and do real cooking when they’re outdoors, so most camp food tends to consist of hot dogs and hamburgers on paper plates. Making stews, soups, or chili takes confidence in your ability to actually cook, and gets back to the root of campfire cooking.
Love your recipe, as it differs from mine. Will definitely give this one a try. Mexican oregano – nice touch.
Ha Ha Phil! We did not have a hamburger or hotdog all week. I would have been bored out of my gourd if we ate uninspiring food. I am also lucky that my family likes it that way too!
I found some great heavy-duty recycled plates and utensils that we washed in the river
YUM looks amazing!
you took your le creuset camping???
the chili looks great, i’ll have to try it in my kitchen! looks like you need to go to our cabin, it would have been way more quiet and no noise.
Did the boertjie make a braai for you??
Most of the time. But sometimes I beat him to it
miss you x
yes, I also thought the le creuset pot added something special to this campfire meal. The chili looks yummy!
I would have taken a standard cast iron dutch oven if I had one! But it worked like a charm and cleaned up nicely, albeit with a little elbow grease.
Love this! Campfire cooking has got to be among the best ways of cooking food. The few times I’ve done it the food has been amazing. A whole new layer of flavors.
What a great evening you all must have had! Cooking with a lovely Creuset pot above an open fire! Well, yeah!!!
Your chili looks amazing & mighty tasty too! Yum!
This chilli could not look more delicious and comforting. Wish I had a big bowl of it right now,
We’ve been on a LOT of camping trips over the years, and done our fair share of campfire cooking. Not a single ONE included lugging around a Le Creuset pot. I assume the big German was told to stick that in HIS backpack. Well done, Kristen.