Cooking Outdoors Grilling, Camp and Dutch oven Cooking! » 2010

Grilled Meatloaf on a Cedar plank!

Here is another guest article from my good friend the “Oshawa Ogre”:

Watching a YouTube video I saw someone make a meatloaf on the grill using a Cedar Plank, having never tried using a Cedar plank before I wanted to give it a try. I had also never tried coating meat with mash potatoes like that except for Sheppard’s pie.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
2 lbs ground pork
4 tbs Worchester sauce
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
3 tbs BBQ sauce
Cedar plank
Parmesan mashed potatoes
paprika
parsley

Preparation

Cook indirect at 350 for 30 minutes (on refection I should have cooked this a little longer). remove from the grill. Then cover with Parmesan cheese mashed potatoes sprinkled with paprika and parsley.

Place back on grill and cook for 2 1/2 more hours till the internal temp reaches 160 F. Rest for 10 minutes and dig in!

Having cooked this there are a couple of changes I would do for next time. For this recipe the loaf was too large and took too long to get the internal temp up to 160°F, which caused the mashed potatoes to get a little over cooked I would cut down to at least 1 1/2 lbs. of the pork and beef or maybe even just 1 lb. of each. Also I would add some shredded cheese to the center of the loaf.

Remember folks with outdoor cooking it is a lot of trial and error, our mistakes today will make us better cooks tomorrow.

Wilfred Reinke aka OshawaOgre

Blog http://oshawaogre.wordpress.com/

Twiter http://twitter.com/OshawaOgre

Wow, another huge feast from the OshawaQgre! Thank my friend for sharing more of your grilling skills with us. If your interested in sharing your culinary Outdoor Cooking experiences here on Cooking-Outdoors, just send me an email and I’ll get it published.

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Steps to Great Foil Cooking

Foil cooking is one of the best options when Cooking Outdoors. It is very economical and very convenient. Since some cooking methods need a lot of equipment such as tripods, racks or even a Dutch oven, with foil cooking you can just cook it anywhere without having the hassles of bringing in so much equipment. All you need is a heavy duty aluminium foil and you are ready to go.

Using aluminium foil has different functions. It can be used to protect your food if you are directly placing it in the fire. In doing so, you are able to maintain the moisture of the food, allowing the food to be very tender and moist. It can also serve as a package for your cooked food. If your aiming for food that does not have grill marks or if you don’t want your food to caramelize, then this is the cooking method for you.

Steps in Foil Cooking

a) You need a heavy duty aluminium foil which is thick and does not tear easily. In case heavy duty aluminium foil is not available, you might want to consider wrapping your food twice or even thrice to avoid your food from burning.

b) Place your food in a large torn piece of aluminium foil. You may cook your favourite vegetables combined with some meat or chicken. Add in seasonings such as salt and pepper. If you want to have a very aromatic dish, you may put a dash of rosemary, thyme or bay leaf. This is a very good combination since the steam will lock in all the moisture and flavour in to your food.

c) When you have combined all of your ingredients, ensure to fold the sides tight to make sure that the liquid does not drip off. The liquid from your food is bursting with so much flavour and aroma you don’t want to waste any.

d) When your fire is ready, place the foil packet close enough to the fire or on a bed of coals. You will observe that in a few minutes you will hear a soft sizzle. This means that your food is starting to cook. Keep in mind that it is not safe to place the foil directly into the fire or it will have the tendency to be brittle or worse, the foil will burn.

e) Since you have incorporated different types of food, some food will cook longer. This goes for beef or pork. As for chicken, fish and vegetables, this will cook faster. You may slightly open your foil pack to check if your food is cooked already. It’s ok to go high tech and use a thermometer here.

For those of us who love Cooking Outdoors, this cooking method is very easy. As mentioned, it is very economical and convenient. The best part of it is that you don’t need to bring in heavy cooking equipment. After cooking and eating, you can just easily toss up the used foil in the re-cycle bin.

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

Campfire Cooking Ideas.

Campfire cooking is fun and exciting for everybody. It never fails to appeal either to the young or old. There are many recipes and techniques to try in your next Outdoor Cooking adventure. Of course, not all of us know the basics of starting a campfire or even know the true essence of campfire cooking. I thought I would perhaps show you some of the different ways to have fun with Campfire cooking.

Remember to keep it simple – basic ingredients, as few pieces of equipment as possible, innovation and creativity will work wonders! It’s not a chore its some of the best eating you’ll ever have.

Different Types of Campfire Cooking

a) Cook directly on Charcoals

Yes. You read it right. Cook directly on charcoals. You may apply this method when you intend not to use any pots or other cooking equipments. They say that it is best to use hardwood coals because it holds its heat better and add a nicer flavour than softwoods which are full of smelly sap. Always remember that placing food directly to coals cook very rapidly.

b) Use Large Coffee Cans for Cooking

Another innovative idea is using your old 44oz. Coffee cans instead of pans or pots. Using this way of Campfire cooking is very easy and economical. All you need to do is to layer the food (e.g. vegetables, some meat, seasonings) inside the can. Seal the top of the can with a heavy-duty aluminium foil. Place some hot coals on top of the foil then place the can on top of the coals. Since cooking time varies, the minimum cooking time using this method is about 30-45 minutes.

c) Cook using Paper

This sounds quite odd when you say that you can cook food in paper. Almost everybody would think that as soon as paper touches fire or hot coals, it will definitely burn. In order to use this type of cooking method, you must not use waxed paper and that the paper is wet. The wax will melt and will go in to your food. Fish works very well in this type of method. You can even boil water using a paper cup or even heat milk from its carton. Just make sure that the carton is not waxed or else it will not work.

d) Use Leaves

Large cabbage and lettuce leaves can be used in cooking meats. As soon as you place the leaf on top of the coals, you should expect that the leaf might look wilted and parched. This is a normal reaction and but underneath the leaf, it is still moist and cold. When you notice that that the meat is almost cooked, take out the leaf then turn the meat over. Place it back on the coal until it is completely cooked.

Endless possibilities can be done when you are Cooking Outdoors. It is nice to know that camping gives families and friends a chance to catch up and be bonded once again.

Next time we will talk a little about Foil Cooking Outdoors.