Taking a camping trip is something my husband and I have always wanted to do with our kids. We told ourselves that as soon as our little ones got a bit older and more independent we would take the plunge. Camping and diapers do not mix! So, this was the summer of our first family camping trip, and it was totally worth the wait. We heard really great things about the Kettle Moraine State Park southern unit, so we went ahead and booked #23 in the Pine Woods Campground. Awesome campsite!
If you have ever been camping, then you know it takes a lot of planning and organizing. Being that both my husband, Mike, and I are chef instructors, we had no problem with this task. We grabbed a piece of paper and pen, and wrote down every meal we would be eating around the campfire. We included every ingredient that would be needed, so the menus also served as our shopping list.
In addition to all of the food we packed in coolers, we couldn’t imagine leaving the house without our beloved Lodge cast iron pans (we brought two) and our Le Creuset griddle. These pans were definitely the key to our success.
Cast iron is absolutely the undisputed king of all cookware, and here’s why:
It’s inexpensive.
It conducts heat evenly.
It retains heat for a long time.
It’s versatile… you can bake, sear, sauté and fry in cast iron.
It’s sturdy and will last a lifetime.
You can use it at any temperature and over any heat source.
If seasoned properly you don’t need to use a lot of fat.
It’s easy to clean! Check out these cleaning and seasoning tips from Lodge.
Another key to our success was Mike’s stealthy fire-building skills. It’s all about the embers. Build a big fire, and then let it burn down to a pile of ultra-hot, glowing embers. I should also mention that we brought the grate from our backyard grill, which is also cast iron, and some bricks to prop it up. We wanted to have maximum cooking surface!
As it turns out, the first night we didn’t end up using any of the pans we brought, just the grill grate. But the meal is still worth mentioning because it was so good! We brought some bbq rub and seasoned up a couple slabs of ribs. We wrapped them in foil and nestled them in the hot embers. When they were tender we unwrapped them and put them on the grill grate to get crispy and crusty, then finished them with a thick glaze of BBQ sauce.
We also made hobo packages filled with potatoes and onions, and threw them on the hot embers, too. I brought some corn muffins from home that accompanied our feast that night.
The next morning was when our pans got some good action. After our fire was ready to go, we placed our cast iron pans on the grill grate and proceeded to cook up some breakfast sausage links and sunny side up eggs.
Even though it was pretty chilly that morning our breakfast stayed nice and warm thanks to the cast iron.
The next night we grilled some giant bone-in rib eye steaks right on the grill grate, but our canned black beans went into a cast iron pan and bubbled away until they were thick and creamy.
We sliced up the smoky, crusty steaks, and nestled the slices into warm corn tortillas. A spoonful of earthy beans and a drizzle of bright salsa verde made our tacos complete.
We went all out on our last morning around the camp fire. We set our Le Creuset griddle on the grill grate, and placed as many bacon strips on it as possible. We had a little space left on one end where we cracked our last 3 eggs. The two cast iron pans, which were heating up over on the other side of the fire pit, got a good dose of butter followed by dollops of pancake batter. Need I say more?
We really enjoyed the swimming and hiking activities during our trip, but what it comes down to for me are all the moments we spent together around the campfire cooking up delicious, hearty food. It’s around the table where the family comes together. It’s where we feel a sense of belonging. I look forward to making this an annual tradition, and a part of that camping tradition will always include friends, family, fun, memorable food and our beloved cast iron pans.
Do you want to get in on the cast iron action? Join us for Date Night: California Dreamin’ where we’ll grill pork on a Le Creuset grill pan. Or, come take The Chopping Block's Surf and Turf cooking class where we’ll use a cast iron pan to sear beef tenderloin steaks.
These classes are offered multiple times in August and September, so peruse our class calendars for the best fit for your schedule.