Campfire Recipes: 16 Hearty Cabin Meals You Can Also Make in Your Own Kitchen

These campfire recipes bring the smoky, hearty taste of cabin cooking to your table, whether you cook over hot coals in the backyard or in your own oven. A YouTube video in which Max the Meat Guy rated every meal from the Outdoor Boys channel has passed 26 million views, and it is easy to see why. People love food that feels earned: simple ingredients, one heavy pan and a big appetite after a cold day outside. You do not need a cabin in Alaska to enjoy it. Every recipe below gives you an outdoor method and an easy kitchen method, so you can make it on a camping trip or on a snowy weeknight at home. Grab your cast iron skillet and let us get cooking..

Campfire Recipes Start Here: Skillet Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Biscuits and gravy was one of the meals rated in that famous video, and it is easy to see why it wins hearts. Fluffy biscuits bake right in a cast iron skillet, then get smothered in peppery sausage gravy. Over a fire, set the skillet on a grate above hot coals and cover it with a lid or foil so the tops brown. At home, bake the biscuits at 425 F and make the gravy on the stove. Breakfast or dinner, a pan of this never lasts long..

You will need: 2 cups self-rising flour, 1/2 cup cold butter cubed, 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1 lb breakfast sausage, 1/3 cup flour, 3 cups whole milk, 1 teaspoon black pepper, salt to taste.

How to make it: 1. Cut the butter into the self-rising flour, then stir in the buttermilk. 2. Pat out the dough, cut biscuits and set them in a greased skillet. 3. Bake at 425 F for 15 to 18 minutes, or cover and cook over hot coals about 20 minutes. 4. Brown the sausage in another pan. 5. Sprinkle in the flour and cook 1 minute. 6. Whisk in the milk and simmer until thick. 7. Season with pepper and spoon over the biscuits.

Bannock Style Pan Bread With No Yeast

Bannock is a simple pan bread with roots in Scotland and a long history in Indigenous and frontier cooking across Canada. It needs no yeast and no waiting, just flour, baking powder, salt, fat and water. Over a fire, cook it in an oiled cast iron pan above medium coals and flip it once. At home, a skillet on medium-low heat does the same job. Like most campfire recipes, it tastes best warm with butter and jam, or wrapped around a hot sausage.

You will need: 3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter or oil, about 1 1/4 cups water, oil for the pan.

How to make it: 1. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. 2. Stir in the butter and water to make a soft dough. 3. Pat it into a round about 1 inch thick. 4. Heat an oiled cast iron pan over medium coals or medium-low on the stove. 5. Cook 8 to 10 minutes per side until golden and cooked in the center. 6. Slice and serve warm.

Campfire Recipes for Meat Lovers: Garlic Butter Steak and Potatoes

A video of garlic butter steaks and campfire potatoes pulled in nearly 10 million views, and this is an easy version you can make anywhere. Par-cook the potatoes so they crisp fast, then sear the steak in a smoking hot skillet and baste it with butter, garlic and rosemary. Over a fire, use a sturdy grate above hot coals. At home, use your stovetop. How do you like your steak: A) rare, B) medium rare, C) medium or D) well done?

You will need: 2 ribeye or strip steaks (1 inch thick), 1 lb baby potatoes, 2 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons butter, 4 garlic cloves smashed, 2 sprigs rosemary, salt and pepper.

How to make it: 1. Boil the potatoes 10 minutes, drain and halve them. 2. Season the steaks well with salt and pepper. 3. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet until very hot. 4. Sear the steaks 3 to 4 minutes per side. 5. Add butter, garlic and rosemary and spoon it over the steaks. 6. Cook to at least 145 F, then rest the steaks while you crisp the potatoes in the same pan.

Foil Packet Lemon Herb Salmon

Foil packets are the easiest campfire recipes there are: fold, seal, cook and eat right out of the foil with almost no dishes to wash. Salmon is perfect because it cooks fast and stays moist inside its little steam pocket. Over a fire, set the packet on a grate above medium coals. At home, bake it on a sheet pan at 400 F. Add thinly sliced potatoes or zucchini to make it a full meal.

You will need: 4 salmon fillets, 2 lemons sliced, 4 sprigs thyme or dill, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 garlic cloves minced, salt and pepper, heavy-duty foil.

How to make it: 1. Lay each fillet on a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. 2. Season with salt, pepper and garlic. 3. Top with butter, lemon slices and herbs. 4. Fold the foil into a sealed packet. 5. Cook 12 to 15 minutes over medium coals or bake 15 minutes at 400 F, until the fish reaches 145 F. 6. Open carefully, because the steam is very hot.

Campfire Recipes Everyone Waits For: Dutch Oven Chili

Nothing feeds a cold, hungry crowd like a big pot of chili. A heavy Dutch oven holds steady heat, so the beans and beef simmer slowly without scorching. Set it on a sturdy grate above the coals, or simmer it on the stove at home for about an hour. Top each bowl with cheese, onions and sour cream. Beans or no beans in chili: what is the rule in your house?

You will need: 2 lb ground beef, 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 3 garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes, 2 cans (15 oz each) kidney beans drained, 1 cup beef broth, salt.

How to make it: 1. Brown the beef in the Dutch oven to 160 F and drain the extra fat. 2. Add the onion and pepper and cook 5 minutes. 3. Stir in the garlic, chili powder and cumin. 4. Add the tomatoes, beans and broth. 5. Simmer 45 to 60 minutes, stirring now and then. 6. Season with salt and serve with toppings.

Orange Marinated Beef Tacos on the Griddle

The ratings video included tacos made with beef marinated in orange soda, and the idea is smart: citrus makes cheaper cuts of beef tender and bright. This version uses fresh orange juice. Marinate thin slices for at least an hour, then sear them fast on a hot griddle over the coals or in a cast iron pan on the stove. Warm the tortillas in the same pan. Corn or flour tortillas for you?

You will need: 1 1/2 lb flank or skirt steak thinly sliced, 1/2 cup orange juice, juice of 1 lime, 3 garlic cloves minced, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 2 tablespoons oil, 12 corn tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro, lime wedges.

How to make it: 1. Mix the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, spices and oil. 2. Marinate the beef 1 to 4 hours in the fridge or a cold cooler. 3. Heat a griddle or cast iron pan until very hot. 4. Sear the beef 2 to 3 minutes per side. 5. Warm the tortillas. 6. Fill with beef, onion and cilantro and squeeze lime on top.

Campfire Recipes for a Crowd: Cast Iron Roast Chicken

A whole roast chicken is a feast for very little money. Spatchcock it, which means cutting out the backbone so it lies flat, and it cooks evenly and fast. Outdoors, roast it in a covered Dutch oven with coals underneath and on the lid. At home, roast it at 425 F on a bed of onions and carrots. The crispy skin is the best part. Who gets the drumstick at your table?

You will need: 1 whole chicken (about 4 lb), 2 tablespoons oil or soft butter, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 lemon, 2 onions and 3 carrots cut in chunks.

How to make it: 1. Cut out the backbone with kitchen shears and press the chicken flat. 2. Rub it with oil and the seasonings. 3. Lay the vegetables in a cast iron pan or Dutch oven and set the chicken on top. 4. Roast at 425 F for 40 to 50 minutes, or cook covered with coals under and on the lid about 1 hour. 5. Check that the thickest part reaches 165 F. 6. Rest 10 minutes and squeeze lemon over it.

Skillet Soda Bread for the Cabin Table

If you have flour, baking soda and buttermilk, you can have fresh bread in under an hour. Soda bread needs no yeast and no kneading, which is why cabin cooks love it. Bake it in a cast iron skillet in a 400 F oven, or in a lidded Dutch oven with coals underneath and on top. Slice it thick for chili or stew. For more cozy one-pan ideas, see our cast iron skillet recipes from the pan grandma never washed with soap.

You will need: 4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, 1 tablespoon butter for the pan.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 400 F and butter a cast iron skillet. 2. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. 3. Stir in the buttermilk until a shaggy dough forms. 4. Shape it into a round and set it in the skillet. 5. Cut a deep cross on top. 6. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until it sounds hollow when tapped.

Campfire Recipes for the Morning: Camp Stove Breakfast Skillet

The smell of bacon and eggs in cold morning air is half the fun of camping. Start the bacon, then fry diced potatoes in the drippings and crack the eggs right on top. A small camp stove, a grate over coals or your kitchen stove all work. Serve it straight from the pan with hot coffee. Quick poll: A) runny yolks, B) jammy, C) hard or D) scrambled?

You will need: 6 slices bacon, 3 cups diced potatoes or frozen hash browns, 1/2 onion, 1/2 bell pepper, 6 eggs, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, salt, pepper, hot sauce.

How to make it: 1. Cook the bacon in a cast iron skillet until crisp, then set it aside. 2. Fry the potatoes in the drippings 10 to 12 minutes until golden. 3. Add the onion and pepper and cook 3 minutes. 4. Make 6 wells and crack in the eggs. 5. Cover and cook until the eggs are done the way you like. 6. Top with cheese and crumbled bacon.

Dutch Oven Berry Cobbler

Dutch oven cobbler is a campground legend for a reason: add fruit, top it with a quick batter and let the heat do the rest. Outdoors, set the lidded pot on a few coals and pile more coals on the lid so it bakes from above. At home, bake it in a cast iron pan at 375 F. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. Peach, berry or apple: which would you pick?

You will need: 6 cups mixed berries (fresh or frozen), 1/2 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup for the batter, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 6 tablespoons melted butter.

How to make it: 1. Toss the berries with 1/2 cup sugar and the cornstarch and spread them in the pot or pan. 2. Mix the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt. 3. Stir in the milk and melted butter. 4. Drop spoonfuls of batter over the fruit. 5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 375 F, or cover and cook with coals under and on the lid about 40 minutes. 6. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Classic S’mores and Easy Oven S’mores

S’mores are the sweet ending every fireside night needs. Toast a marshmallow over glowing coals until it is golden, then squeeze it between graham crackers with a square of chocolate. No fire tonight? Lay graham crackers on a sheet pan, top them with chocolate and marshmallows and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely. Are you a slow golden toaster or a burn-it-black person?

You will need: 8 graham cracker sheets broken in half, 8 large marshmallows, 2 milk chocolate bars broken into squares, roasting sticks.

How to make it: 1. Lay out half the crackers and top each with chocolate. 2. Toast the marshmallows on a stick over hot coals, turning slowly. 3. Slide a marshmallow onto the chocolate. 4. Top with a second cracker and press gently. 5. Oven way: broil cracker, chocolate and marshmallow open-faced 1 to 2 minutes. 6. Add the top cracker and serve.

Campfire Recipes to Sip: Big Batch Hot Cocoa

A pot of real hot cocoa warms cold hands faster than anything. Make it with cocoa powder and milk instead of a packet and it tastes rich without being too sweet. Heat it slowly in a pot on a camp stove, over coals or on the kitchen stove, and keep it warm for refills. Top it with marshmallows or whipped cream. Do you go for marshmallows or whipped cream?

You will need: 6 cups whole milk, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup sugar, pinch of salt, 1/2 cup chopped chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, marshmallows.

How to make it: 1. Whisk the cocoa, sugar and salt with 1 cup of the milk until smooth. 2. Add the rest of the milk. 3. Heat gently, stirring, until steaming. 4. Stir in the chopped chocolate until melted. 5. Add the vanilla. 6. Ladle into mugs and top with marshmallows.

Grilled Corn on the Cob With Chili Lime Butter

Corn on the cob belongs on every list of campfire recipes. Grill it right on the grate over the coals until the kernels char in spots, then brush it with chili lime butter. You can also roast it in the husk, which steams the corn inside. At home, use a grill pan or broil it on high. It costs very little and makes every plate look like summer, even in the middle of winter.

You will need: 6 ears corn husked, 4 tablespoons soft butter, zest and juice of 1 lime, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese (optional).

How to make it: 1. Mix the butter, lime, chili powder and salt. 2. Grill the corn over medium-hot coals 10 to 12 minutes, turning often. 3. Or broil it at home 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. 4. Brush with the chili lime butter. 5. Sprinkle with cilantro and cotija. 6. Serve hot.

Campfire Recipes Low and Slow: Dutch Oven Beef Stew

Beef stew is the ultimate cabin supper: brown the meat, add vegetables and let it bubble gently for a couple of hours while you do other things. A Dutch oven over steady coals is perfect, and so is a 325 F oven at home. Cheap chuck roast turns soft and tender with time. Serve it with the soda bread or bannock from earlier in this list. What is your favorite stew vegetable?

You will need: 2 1/2 lb beef chuck in 1 1/2 inch cubes, 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 4 cups beef broth, 1 lb potatoes, 4 carrots, 2 celery ribs, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper.

How to make it: 1. Toss the beef with flour, salt and pepper. 2. Brown it in the oil in batches. 3. Cook the onion, garlic and tomato paste 3 minutes. 4. Add the broth, thyme, bay leaves and beef. 5. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours over steady coals or in a 325 F oven. 6. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery and cook 45 minutes more until tender.

Cast Iron Skillet Nachos

Skillet nachos may be the easiest crowd-pleaser of all these campfire recipes. Layer chips, seasoned beef, beans and cheese in a cast iron pan, cover it and let the cheese melt over the coals or in a 400 F oven. Pile on salsa, jalapenos and sour cream and set the whole pan in the middle of the table so everyone can dig in. Which topping is a must for you?

You will need: 1 bag (11 oz) tortilla chips, 1 lb ground beef, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, 1 can (15 oz) black or pinto beans drained, 2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend, salsa, jalapenos, sour cream, green onions.

How to make it: 1. Brown the beef to 160 F, drain and stir in the taco seasoning with a splash of water. 2. Layer half the chips in a cast iron skillet. 3. Add half the beef, beans and cheese. 4. Repeat the layers. 5. Cover and heat over coals 5 to 8 minutes, or bake at 400 F for 10 minutes, until melted. 6. Add the toppings and serve hot.

Campfire Recipes to Finish: Chicken Veggie Skewers and Safety Tips

Skewers are fun for kids to build and quick to cook. Thread chicken, peppers, onion and zucchini, then grill them over medium coals or under the broiler at home. A few simple rules keep fireside cooking safe: cook over glowing coals instead of tall flames, keep a bucket of water close, watch children near the fire and use a food thermometer: 165 F for chicken, 160 F for ground beef and 145 F for steaks and fish. Which recipe will you try first?

You will need: 1 1/2 lb boneless chicken in 1 inch cubes, 2 bell peppers, 1 red onion, 2 zucchini, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 garlic cloves minced, 1 teaspoon oregano, salt and pepper, skewers (soak wooden ones 30 minutes).

How to make it: 1. Mix the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. 2. Toss the chicken and vegetables in the mix. 3. Thread them onto skewers. 4. Grill over medium coals 10 to 12 minutes, turning often, or broil 12 to 14 minutes. 5. Check that the chicken reaches 165 F. 6. Serve with rice or warm bread.