1mediumpotato sliced ⅛-inch thick (peeling is optional)
1largecarrotsliced ⅛-inch thick (peeling is optional)
½largeonionsliced or chopped
4ounces proteinGround beef, ground chicken, boneless chicken pieces, sausage, vegetarian alternatives (DO NOT PRECOOK ANYTHING)
½cupCream of Mushroom Soup Any Cream of… soup will work fine. (We really like Cream of Celery)
salt & pepperSeason as desired
Instructions
Put all foil stew ingredients in the middle of a large rectangle of heavy duty aluminum foil.Bring the foil up so that the ingredients are resting inside in a slightly elongated pile.
Fold the top edges down together about 1 inch and crease. Fold over and do it again, and then once again. It helps to hold the foil stew up as you do this, because this allows you to keep some extra space in the packet, which helps in the cooking process. In other words, the folds themselves need to be very tight, but the foil stew inside should have a little wiggle room.
Push the two ends down so that your foil stew is safely in the middle of the packet.
Fold or roll the ends tightly.
Get a second piece of foil and repeat steps A-D. Ready for the fire.
To bake over an open fire, simply place your prepared foil stew on a bed of coals for 25-50 minutes, turning every 10-15 minutes. Check stew after 30 minutes, or 5 minutes after you begin to smell it cooking. See Cooking Time in NOTES below for more information.
Notes
Cooking time depends upon the size of your foil stew, how hot your coals are, how cold it is outside, etc. It will start to sizzle after awhile. I usually check my stew after about 30 minutes. The trick is to take it off when the vegetables have started to caramelize, but before they start to burn. This is where the double wrapping helps immensely – when you think it is done, carefully open the packet at check. If it needs more time, simply wrap it back up and pop it back on the coals.If you don’t have a camping trip planned any time soon (or you are simply not a camper), you can also bake your foil stew over prepared briquettes, on top of a BBQ, inside a Dutch oven, or in your oven at home 375°F | 190°C.