Camp Cooking and Trail Recipes

Hey Mike

On that Tri-Tip thing Coming from California to Tennessee, one thing I have found is that people west of the rockies do not have any idea what a tri-tip is unless they have been out west.

Though the tri-tip is indeed cut from the bottom sirloin the top sirloin is NOT a good substitute. It's dry and papery where the tri-tip is moist and flavorful and quite tender when properly cooked.

We have tried all sorts of cuts and tried to explain to several butchers in Tennessee what we want. We even took a tri-tip in to a local butcher and they can not/will not do it. Most claim that the tri-tip is missing from the meat when they get it or that... *sigh* they have no idea how to cut it. We downloaded and printed the instructions, gave them the name and phone number of our butcher out west and...well.. the excuses are many and still no tri-tip.

As far as taste and texture I would guess that the closest you could get would be an eye of chuck. That is IF you could get something large enough and with a nice layer of fat on it for a slow roast.

If you have better luck with the meat cutters in your area that's great! I think my biggest disappointment in TN is the complete lack of customer service. If they don't have it, they have never heard of it and they don't give a sh*t if they get it for you or not. We have even had one of the butchers pull out the whole slab and ask us where it's cut from.. hell I'm not a butcher, it's the bottom sirloin, then they STILL get it wrong.. beats me.

So, we just import ours. When we go out west we buy about 30 roasts or if someone comes to visitwe have them bring some to us. It's a real pain in the neck.

Recently we were at the local Sams Club talking to the butcher there. He says that he MIGHT be able to order them a case at a time. That would be about $200 a pop but I really don't care so long as we can get them.

Ok, hope you can find some! They are as rare as hen's teeth out here!

KJK

Kate - You are correct on its hard to find a suitable substitute cut.

Suggestion. Check your local area and or nearest city for a butcher or meat market. Someone who specializes in just meat. Call and ask them. It used to be hard to get out where I am, and I started bitching at the local butchers in the grocery store. All the local stores now carry them. Not cheap, but they carry them. Occasionally I find it on sale, and the last time I did bought nearly 60 lbs of tri tip to spit between myself, my sister and her husband, and a friend and his GF (can you tell we eat it all the time?).

If you have a Costco where you are, ask the butchers there about it. All the Costco's that I know of (granted all on the west coast) carry that cut.

You can bbq (grill or fire) or you can broil it in the oven. I often do it in the oven on a broiler pan when its too wet to stand outside at the bbq.

By the way, this also tastes very good on lamb chunks too.

I am sorry that I don't have any good set amounts, but this is how my mom gave me the recipe.

Tri-Tip and Lamb Marinade cut meat to grilling size before marinating (if not using tri-tip) use balsamic vinegar ONLY drizzle over some olive oil add garlic that has been minced very fine or thru a garlic press add cut up FRESH rosemary marinate meat for at least 1 hour a side.

What I do: Take a tri-tip, fresh or still frozen, put it in a large plastic ziplock. Add approx

1-2 cups of balsamic vinegar, depending on the size of the tri-tip to the bag with the meat. Add approx 1/2-3/4 cups olive oil to the bag. Balsamic vinegar - any type is fine. Olive oil, any type/flavor of olive oil is fine, but do NOT substitute a different type of oil. Add as much garlic as you think you would like to the bag. You can use granulated garlic, fresh garlic, or the stuff in a jar. Must be chopped up fine. Chop up 2-5 sprigs of FRESH Rosemary. Personally I like more Rosemary. It does not need to be chopped fine, and I leave the stem in there too usually. You just want it bruised and or cut so that it will release the oils.

Shake bag well. Take bag and refrigerate several hours or several days. Turn bag over approx 1/2 way thru so that it soaks in well on both sides. (I have been known to take a frozen tri tip, make up the marinade, put them in the same bag and then put them back in the freezer until the day we decide to cook it on the trail. Just get it out that morning, turn it 1/2 way thru the day, grill it that night.

Grill or broil approx 10-30 minutes a side, depending on thickness, how you like your meat, and if it is frozen or not. A fresh tri-tip served very rare is usually about

10 minutes or so on a medium heat. You will have to experiment to get it just the way you like it.

Take the meat off the fire with a spatula or some grabbers. Do NOT poke a fork or a knife in it. After you take the meat off of the fire, you need to let it sit undisturbed (don't poke any holes in it or slice it) for at least 10 minutes. If you do not do this, it will bleed out the juices and be dry. Letting it set for about 15 minutes or so will lock in the juices and make it really nice and juicy and tender. Cut meat into slices across the grain.

I warn you, this will be inhaled when done well. We usually figure 2-3 people per tri tip depending on size and how much other food we have with it. An average tri-tip feeds 3 for dinner if you have plenty of sides. Otherwise it feeds 2 larger appetites. Last time I did this in camp we had 7 of us and I used 3 med tri-tips and had barely enough left over for lunch.

Oh, and the marinade can be cooked up in a pot and then poured over the meat (kinda like a gravy). I like it over pasta and also over potatoes as a side dish with the meat.

-jenn

Good make ahead trail snack food. Its just enough batter to hold the dates and the nuts together.

Date Nut Squares

Beat 2 eggs, add 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add 1/2 c flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix in 1 cup walnuts (or pecans) and 2 cups chopped dates. Spread in an 8" pan.

Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes.

-jenn

Something else to use all that garlic and rosemary in:

Rosemary And Garlic Hash Brown Potatoes

2 large Potatoes, grated 2 1/2 Tablespoons Oil 1 small Onion, minced 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced 3/4 teaspoon Rosemary Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Mix together the potatoes, onion, garlic and rosemary. Check the seasonings. Add the mixture to the pan. Press down with a spatula. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lid. Flip the mixture and brown the other side (uncovered) for 15 minutes longer. Serve warm.

-jenn

Man!... when are you guys planning you next camp/ride? I would come all the way north just for the food!

Cowboy Potatoes

Enough potatoes feed the gang chopped up for frying (7-8 large)

7-12 slices of bacon chopped 1 med onion chopped. 1/3 c. oil

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, toss the bacon in the pan with the oil and let it cook until it just barely begins to brown, throw in the onions, cook long enough that they start to turn clear then toss the potatoes in and cook them until they are golden and yummy.

Variation: Add about half a dozen cloves of garlic that has been chopped up nice and fine.

Here's a cool link for BBQing chicken. Every spring a fellow from Spencerville shows up with a huge charcoal BBQ and broils half chickens with the Fire department for charity, in my home town of Richmond. He does it pretty well the same as on this site

and man! it's so good you could eat the b> I figured it was best to start an unattached thread for camp cooking

"BFE"... LOL

Sorry that just made me laugh! ;-)

Heh heh heh... good!

KJK

Wow, what a wonderful start, I'm starving! Mr.H. had more teeth pulled (Norton 850 Commando 30 years ago) and we're on mushy food until tomorrow, ackk!

Seahag

Make him some garlic mashed potatoes and some steamed zucchini with a meatloaf, all not so chewey and would be pretty good!

Ok ok, now I have to go cook supper.

: > My wife likes coming along camping and we always believed : > we should eat : > good while out in the bush, so we do. 25+ years later, my : > wife still : > comes camping with me. :-) : >

: > I have more than a few recipes, this duck one is for a : > lazy afternoon : > around camp when you have lots of firewood like we do in : > the Canadian : > Bush. A covered BBQ can work too. : >

: > This is a marinade for spit roasting a duck. I would : > double or triple : > the volume as needed for more than one duck. : >

: > 1 Cup red wine vinegar. : > 1/4 cup olive oil or other vegetable oil will work. : > Juice from 1 lemon or liquid lemon juice equivalent. : > 1 Cup brown sugar. : > 1 med onion diced. : > 2 cloves of garlic pressed and chopped. : > 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Darker will make darker skin. : > 1/4 tsp. of Oregano. : > 1/4 tsp. of black pepper. : >

: > I mix this up and marinade the duck in it overnight. : >

: > I get a nice bed of coals going and usually manage to set : > up a wind : > break with chunks of logs or sticks set in with 'tin' foil : > or like last : > summer, big slabs of bark. I use a green stick wrapped in : > foil as a : > spit and use foil or a cookie sheet as a drip tray. : >

: > I keep the duck at a point where a steady drip of fat is : > running off it : > for at least 6 hours. The skin will go dark, but still : > tastes great and : > the meat just falls apart. 7 hours is usual. It is done : > when the skin : > starts to sizzle and darken and it stops dripping fat. : >

: > This can be cooked in an oven or covered BBQ on low. It : > then takes : > about 3-4 hours but the skin needs a couple strips of : > bacon on top for : > the last half hour or more to help crisp it up. : >

: > Billy Ray has started a Camp Cooking photo site which has : > the last : > duck's photos and an oven chicken I made traditionally, : > stuffed and : > baked in Steve and Jo's Coleman oven. I now have a : > Coleman oven I got : > for xmas and have some recipes for that too, but this is : > the first one. : >

: >

>

: > If others feel like adding more I will add a few more for : > sure. : >

: > I am really interested in the 'tri tip' idea. We don't : > find that cut in : > Canada, but if I ask I bet I can get one. We get the top : > sirloins, not : > the bottom for some reason and I'll bet a top sirloin : > would work too. I : > can get nice ones of those I bring on runs. We have some : > day trips : > where everyone chips in and I have put together steak, : > escargot, potato : > salad and garlic bread lunches.... I think one of the : > last ones ended : > up at $6.00 or so each. : >

: > Mike : > 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in : > '00 : > 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's : > Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still : > view! : > Jan/06 : >

> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page): :

Garlic-lemon-thyme roast chicken, mashed taters, and corn-so-you-know-you-ate tonight!

Seahag

"KJ.Kate" wrote:

You are such a nut!

: > Ok ok, now I have to go cook supper. : >

: >

: > "Seahag" wrote: : > : Wow, what a wonderful start, I'm starving! Mr.H. had : > more : > : teeth pulled (Norton 850 Commando 30 years ago) and : > we're on : > : mushy food until tomorrow, ackk! : :

Mornings after the night before I've been known to murmur: Eggs'nbacon'ntoast'njam'nhashbrowns'ncoffee...... Sometimes it works and Mr.H gets up and cooks breakfast!

Seahag

"L.W. ("ßill") Hughes III" wrote: