CAR CAMPING

    My grandfather taught me how to cook in a kitchen, but scouting taught me how to cook on a grill. Nothing makes a campout more enjoyable than a good meal. There are two types of camp cooking - backpacking and car camping. Backpack cooking is more about nutrition and simplicity. Car camping is learning how to make great meals with buddies.

    When car camping (where the car is close to our campsite like at Joshua Tree or Red Rock) any recipe from a cookbook will work fine. The object is to learn how to control an open fire and how to prepare a meal. It is okay to pack the car up with gas stoves, wood, ice chests, iron skillets, dutch ovens, and special ingredients.

    Use the gas stove to boil water and cook pan items like pancakes, eggs, and the like. Dutch ovens are great for dessert and souffles. For beef, fish, and vegetables, there's nothing like the grill! (Scouts should stay away from bringing uncooked pork and chicken due to the health issues involved.)

    When at home cooking on the barbeque, many use the Indirect Method of grilling. Indirect is where a cover is used to create an oven effect, and a steak would be turned only to get grill marks.When camping, we almost always use the Direct Method of grilling. The Direct Method, similar to broiling, means the food is cooked directly over the heat source. One controls the heat simply by adding or subtracting the amount of wood to the fire. For even cooking, food is turned once halfway through the grilling time. Direct heat is also the only way to sear meats. Searing is where you use a high temperature to quickly brown the outside for 2 to 5 minutes per side and then finish cooking at a lower temperature. While searing does not "lock in juices" it does creates a wonderful crisp, caramelized texture, color, and flavor. It also adds nice grill marks (a good visual presentation of food always makes it taste better).

    What they mean when they say:

  • -Room Temperature means 65F degrees to 70F
  • -Refrigeration means 33F - 38F
  • -Freezing means below 32F degrees
  • -Deep Freezing means minus 10F degrees or below
  • -Water boils at 212F degrees. It takes longer to reach at higher elevations.
  • -Hot water for dishwashing is over 110F degrees (hot tubs are generally at 102F)
  • -When cooking, Low temperature is about 300F, Medium is 350F, High is 500F to 550F
  • -Beef cooked Medium rare (slightly pink in the middle) has an inside temperature of about 145F.
  • -Ground beef should always be cooked at medium or above. Medium here means 160F in the middle.
  • -Never, ever leave raw meat in the sun or near a heat source. This can encourage the growth of harmful bacteria.

    • BEEF

  • Hamburgers

    • To make a burger juicy start with 80% lean ground beef. Mom shouldn't freak because its 20% fat. The fact that you're grilling over an open cooking grate and not frying the burgers in a pan means they won't be stewing in their fat. Instead a great deal of the fat will drip out onto the flames, leaving flavor in its wake and adding even more smoky flavor as it sizzles away in the fire. The intense heat of the grill is going to release all those beefy juices, too, in a way that pan or griddle just can't.

    Another key to juicy burgers is to not overwork the meat as you blend in seasonings and shape it into patties before you leave on the trip. Rinse your hands in very cold water before you begin and work quickly to gently shape the beef into 3/4-inch-thick patties. Separate them with wax paper and refrigerate until they are ready for the grill. Turn the burgers only once, halfway through grilling time. Constant flipping, flopping and pressing down with a spatula wrings out all the juice. For safety, always grill burgers until medium done (160F degrees inside).

  • Steaks

    • The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspects and grades US beef. The inspection is to ensure food safety standards are upheld, but the grading is voluntary-producers don't have to participate. These grades, however, are the best indication of what you can expect in terms of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Grades are based on the animal's age (younger is better) as well as the amount and distribution of marbling, the tiny flecks of fat throughout the muscle tissue (more is better). There are eight grades for beef, but you'll probably only encounter three or four of them:

    • Prime- Only 2% of US cattle earn this title for their "slightly abundant" marbling. You can see the fine, evenly distributed flecks throughout the meat. Stores such as Whole Foods or butcher shops such as Taylor Meats in Sierra Madre carry prime.
    • Choice- the second best USDA grade. Choice beef has moderate or small amounts of marbling and the cattle are fairly young. Some say the difference between Prime and Choice is less significant than the difference between Choice and Select. For grilling, buy Choice when possible. It is carried in most stores and warehouse clubs such as Costco.
    • Select- the leanest, least expensive grade. The flavor within this grade can vary widely. It has only "slight" amounts of marbling and tenderness. Not the best grade for grilling. Marinate it first to boost its texture and flavor.
    • Certified Angus Beef- while not a USDA grade, it is a trademarked designation reserved for only 7 out of 100 cattle, which must meet strict standards for texture, firmness, and marbling.

      • Types of Steak for Grilling:

    • Porterhouse: Taken from the large end of the short loin, it's two stakes in one! One side of the T-shaped bone is the tenderloin (aka: Filet Mignon) and the other is the strip steak. Usually cut thick. Takes experience to cook.

    • T-Bone: From the opposite side of the porterhouse, cut from the narrow end of the short loin. The T-bone is more pronounced than on the porterhouse. Usually not as thick, and easier to cook.

    • Strip Steak: Favored by many steak lovers, strip steaks are cut from the center of the top loin and sometimes have a long slice of bone along one side (actually the long bone of the T-Bone). Also known as New York strip, Kansas City strip, and top loin.

    • Sirloin: The term "sirloin steak" covers a lot of turf. The sirloin (which is also cut into roasts) is the section between the tender short loin and the tougher round. Steaks can be cut from the top or bottom portions of this section. Top sirloin steaks are more tender than bottom sirloin steaks.

    • Rib-Eye: Exceedingly tender and richly flavored, rib-eye is cut from the muscle behind the ribs. If it has a bone attached it's called rib steak.

    • Tri- Tip: Thick, lean, triangular cut from the bottom sirloin. Looks like a roast.

    • London Broil: Usually a flank steak but also a catchall name for any cut of meat that is broiled or grilled over Direct heat and then sliced across the grain.

    Cooking like a Pro When meat heats up on the grill, the juices inside rise to the surface. You can tell a steak's doneness by the color of the juices on top of it. For rare stakes, turn while the juices are red. For medium steaks, turn when the juices are pink. For well done, wait until they are clear. Note the time they've been cooking. After you turn them, wait the same number of minutes to pull then off the grill.

    FISH

    Just caught fish is, of course, fresh and tasty. For store bought, don't assume that fresh is fresher than "fresh-frozen" seafood, which is usually frozen on the ship just after being caught. You have to judge each piece on its own merit. First rule, do not buy fish too far in advance. Consume fresh fish and seafood within a day of purchase. Second rule is smell. If a restaurant or fish counter smells fishy, turn around and leave.

      Whole fish: Scaled and gutted fish are usually sold fresh. Look for clear eyes that are nicely rounded. Note how the fish is stored. Whole fish should be placed belly side down on a sloped bed of fresh ice so that any melting ice drains away. Look for firm and shiny flesh, and avoid fish with darkening edges or any discoloration. Gills should be bright red and free of any slime or film. Many specialty stores that cater to Oriental cooking (99 Ranch Market in Arcadia) sell whole fresh fish.

      Fresh fillets: Look for compact flesh with tight layers and bright color. When poked firmly with a finger, the flesh should spring back. (If it's in a case, have the person behind the counter do it. If they are not happy to oblige, move on.) Give it a whiff. If it smells fishy or like ammonia, it's starting to deteriorate.

      Frozen fillets: These are hardest to judge because you have to rely on your eyes. Again compact layers and good color are key (although a certain amount of dulling occurs with freezing). The FDA advises you to avoid packages that are torn, crushed, or stored above the frost line of the store's freezer. Once you've thawed them make sure the frozen fillets pass the tests for fresh ones.

    Finally, to avoid cross contamination, never buy cooked seafood that's been stored with raw fish.

    Fish is adequately cooked when it is just opaque throughout. Use a knife instead of a fork to test it. Carefully slide a sharp paring knife between the layers of the fish meat, then turn it slightly to get a good look inside. If the meat still looks translucent in the middle, give it another minute or two.

    If you are cooking whole fish (bones and all) the meat should come right off the bone. A campout is not a place to practice your Heimlich maneuver skills.

    Mom might have taught you to wrap your fish in foil before grilling, but you can save the foil for MacGyver stunts (exception: if you're grilling sole, grunion, or thin fish). In most cases, a coating of oil will do the trick-remember, the whole point of grilling is to get the benefit of the exposure to the flame. We're not talking about a major bath here, but a good coating of oil spray or a hearty stroke of the basting brush will do the trick. Remember, oil the food, not the grill.

    VEGETABLES

    Most Vegetables can be grilled. Grilling times may vary slightly depending on moisture and content. Vegetables need a little oil before grilling so they don't stick to the cooking grate or dry out. To minimize moisture loss during preparation, cut vegetables just before grilling.

    DESSERT

    Anything cry "Campout" more than the classic all-American campfire dessert called smores? Start with the basic recipe of a toasted large marshmallow and a piece of your favorite chocolate bar sandwiched between two graham cracker halves. Now go gourmet, you'll be the hit of camporee. For example:

  • Viennese Smores: Use cinnamon-sugar gram crackers instead of plain ones
  • Smores a la Menthe: Slip a fresh mint leaf or two under the chocolate
  • Euro-Smores: Spread one cracker with jam
  • Tin Roof Smores: Spread crunchy peanut butter on one cracker
  • German Chocolate Smores: Sprinkle sweetened coconut flakes over the chocolate.
  • Snap-Crackle-Smores: Roll the hot marshmallow in rice krispies before you add it to the sandwich.
  • Santa Smores: Roll the hot marshmallow in crushed peppermint candies.

    • - Rusty Watkins