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8 Doable Boondocking Meals

by | Nov 21, 2022 | RV Lifestyle & Tips

Delicious Boondocking Meals to Try

Off-grid RV camping has grown popular in recent years. Commonly known as boondocking, off-grid camping refers to a truly unplugged trip – though solar power is sometimes used. While off-grid camping can be particularly refreshing for many campers, it presents additional challenges to be tackled. One of these obstacles is figuring out how to cook without a full-hookup RV site. These delicious boondocking meals provide tasty solutions to boondockers who don’t want to sacrifice a fresh meal.

Dutch Oven Roast Lamb

A Dutch oven is a must-have for RVers and tent campers. They’re especially useful when it comes to boondocking meals. This Dutch oven roast lamb recipe from Bush Cooking is a warm, flavorful one-pot lamb dinner cooked over the campfire. This recipe includes a leg of lamb, of course, with garlic, rosemary, potatoes, carrots, onions and pumpkin. The ingredients are mixed together and seasoned before being roasted over a campfire for a deliciously hearty dinner.

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Chicken grilled over a campfire is a common base for boondocking meals. In this chicken fajita recipe, you’ll also need a cast iron pan for simmering your chicken and veggies in sauce. After your chicken is browned, chop it up with bell peppers and onion. Mix the ingredients together in your family’s preferred simmer sauce and seasoning mix. Scoop your ingredients into a warm tortilla and top it off with a squeeze of fresh lime.

Seafood Combo Foil Pack

Fans of fish, shrimp, mussels and clams will love this seafood combo foil pack recipe. Foil pack recipes are a campground classic and a popular type of boondocking meals. This foil pack recipe calls for halibut, but you can replace with your fish of choice – or your camp catch of the day! The seafood is seasoned, wrapped with a clove of garlic and cooked over the fire. This is an especially easy recipe if you prefer to remove or replace certain types of seafood that you don’t like, so simply adjust it to fit your tastes!

Cilantro Chicken Avocado Dip

Though not specifically written for boondocking meals, this chicken and avocado dip is perfect for off-grid eating. The only cooked ingredient is chicken, which can be grilled or sauteed over a campfire. Chop up the cooked chicken and mix with avocado, cilantro and lime. These ingredients make for a filling dip that can replace a meal or serve as an afternoon snack. Tortilla chips and carrots are both recommended dipping options for this recipe. But feel free to get creative!

Chicken Stew and Dumplings

Take your boondocking meals to the next level with this vacuum-sealed chicken and dumplings recipe. The stew itself includes many traditional chicken and dumpling ingredients: biscuit mix, chicken, vegetables, onion, chicken bouillon and potatoes. This recipe in particular calls for mostly freeze-dried ingredients that can be stored without electricity. Pour your ingredients into a simmering pot of water, with the exception of the biscuit mix, which is added in pieces to create the dumplings. Before you know it, your freeze-dried ingredients are a warm winter stew!

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Hawaiian Chicken Foil Packs

This sweet Hawaiian chicken foil pack recipe is an easy meal that can be cooked on the campfire. It combines classic flavors like barbecue sauce and soy sauce with tastes of the tropics via juicy pineapple chunks. Combine these with sliced scallions, chicken, red bell pepper, red onion, a bit of lemon juice and seasonings for a sweet-yet-savory foil pack dinner. When it comes to creative campground cooking, this foil pack is simple and sure to please.

Southwest Camp Salad

The only dish easier than campfire boondocking meals is a no-cook recipe! This southwest camp salad is packed with protein so you’ll be energized to take on the rest of the day. Mix together corn, chopped red onion, black beans, cheese and cilantro to make the salad. For the dressing, you’ll need a lime, olive oil, honey, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Once tossed together, you’re ready to dig into this super salad with a southwest flair.

Butter Garlic Herb Steak Foil Packs

Chicken and seafood are great for boondocking meals, but there’s nothing quite like a tender steak dinner. This foil pack recipe makes a steak-and-potatoes supper easy to serve up with just a campfire. The garlic herb butter topping is made with butter, parsley, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper to give your meat and veggies a savory flavor. The heart of this dish is the steak pieces, along with potatoes, carrots, bell peppers and onion. After being cooked in a foil pack by a campfire, this butter garlic herb steak foil pack is ready to chow down!

When it comes to doable campground cooking, these are just a few of the best boondocking meals. There are hundreds more to try, test and experiment with! If you’re ready for a new RV built to take you off the beaten path, check out RVs for sale from Juniata Valley RV. We have everything from luxury fifth wheels to off-grid ready popup and teardrop campers for sale at our Pennsylvania RV dealership. Visit us here in Mifflintown or browse our inventory online from anywhere! Contact us when you’re ready to get started.

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Venison Recipes for Big Game Season

by | Oct 18, 2022 | RV Lifestyle & Tips

Could one of these venison recipes replace your turkey this Thanksgiving?

While Thanksgiving might be all about the turkey, fall is big game season! This means you and/or the hunters in your family may be rushing through dinner to get to the tree stand. Whether you are anticipating a freshly bagged buck or have a freezer stocked, here are some venison recipes to try this season.

 

Before we dive into these venison recipes, it is important to know that each cut of venison is unique and lends itself to best to different cooking methods and preparations. Let’s look at the cuts of venison and the suggested cooking methods.

Loin & Tenderloin

  • Filets/Steak
  • Chops
  • Kabobs

Neck, Shoulder & Shank

  • Roast
  • Stew
  • Soup
  • Braise

Leg & Rump

  • Steak
  • Stew
  • Braise
  • Roast
  • Kabobs

Flank

  • Soup
  • Stew

It is important to match the cut of meat to the cooking method and preparation to ensure that you are getting the best depth of flavor and texture from the venison. We’ve compiled a list of venison recipes for you to try this hunting season. The recipes are based on the cut of venison and can be cooked at home or in your RV kitchen and are guaranteed to make everybody happy campers!

Venison Recipes: Cuts of Deer

Venison Recipes: Loin & Tenderloin

The loin and tenderloin are considered prime cuts; they are the most flavorful and naturally tender cuts of venison. These cuts can be cooked via high heat grilling or pan searing and should be cooked medium-rare to medium with internal temperatures ranging from 130° to 135° F.

Marinated Venison Steaks

This Marinated Venison Steaks dish adapted by Sam Sifton is a recipe from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. It’s a simple two–step recipe that could easily be prepared at home and marinated as your drive to your destination to be cooked in your RV or at your campsite. It is delicious and deserves to be a fall staple. It could even provide some competition for the classic Thanksgiving turkey. Turkey or venison, here’s how to successfully host an RV Thanksgiving dinner.

Grilled Venison & Bacon

We already covered all the best ways to cook outside the RV, so you know there’s normally a grill available at the campsite, attached as part of your RV’s outdoor kitchen, or accessible as a portable electric grill. You’ll need one of these for our next recipe: Grilled Venison Steak and Bacon. This recipe takes a little bit more prep work as you wrap the venison chunks in bacon, but you can enlist your friends and family to help because well…bacon! You can grill these individually as the recipe calls for or you could modify the recipe to make kabobs.

Venison Backstrap Steaks with Mushroom Cream Sauce Recipe

If you love mushrooms, this is the venison recipe to try! For this Venison Backstrap Steaks with Mushroom Cream Sauce recipe you will season your venison steaks (loin or tenderloin) to your liking and sear them in a buttered cast-iron skillet. You will then use these delicious pan drippings to sauté the garlic, a chopped onion and mushrooms before drowning them in heavy cream to create a heavenly gravy. Yes, please!

Venison Schnitzel

This Venison Schnitzel recipe is an honorable mention for us as it is not conducive to easy RV cooking, but you can take and process the game in camp and cook the fresh venison at home. The venison steaks will be dredged in flour and breadcrumbs which can get messy but is oh so worth it!

Venison Recipes: Hindquarter

Hindquarter cuts, such as sirloin, bottom round, top round, eye of round and the shank, are versatile and can be cut into steaks, cooked like a loin cut or slow cooked. These cuts of meat can be substituted into most venison recipes.

Venison Roast Recipe

This Venison Roast recipe is the epitome of simple and easy with only 10 minutes of prep time! Because it calls for shelf stable ingredients, you could easily make this in your RV or onsite at your RV camp. This recipe uses a slow cooker and is truly a set it and forget it meal.

Venison Stew

Stew is unquestionably the quintessential fall food, and this is the perfect recipe for a hearty family meal. This Venison Stew recipe is gluten free, dairy free and paleo. And it’s packed with veggies and fall-apart tender venison. We recommend cooking this stew in a Dutch oven, as you know we love campfire Dutch oven recipes!

Chicken Fried Venison

Here is another recipe to make at home after you’ve had a bountiful hunting harvest; this recipe for Chicken Fried Venison recommends using steaks from the hindquarters. The venison steaks are pounded flat and tenderized before being dredged in batter, fried and blanketed with country gravy. Can gravy ever be wrong?! This recipe makes our country hearts happy.

Venison Recipes: Neck, Shoulder & Shank

These cuts are from naturally tougher areas and should be cooked slowly with braising or stewing. The flank steak and crosscut shank are considered the least tender cuts but, when prepared correctly, can be melt–in–your–mouth tender.

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Venison Shanks, Juniper & Redcurrants

Jamie Oliver elevates venison to the next level in his recipe for Venison Shanks, Juniper & Redcurrants! This recipe calls for juniper berries, redcurrants, fresh rosemary, and red wine. This savory dish is perfect for a date night dinner or a special meal to celebrate bagging a trophy buck.

 

Braised Venison Shanks with Garlic

If red wine isn’t your thing, here is a recipe for Braised Venison Shanks with Garlic, which calls for white wine and pairs with garlic and lemon zest to deliver a lighter, more mellow flavor pairing. This recipe needs a side dish to soak up the sauce; we recommend mashed potatoes, because you can never go wrong in the fall with mashed potatoes!

 

Venison Osso Buco

This dish is inspired by the classic Italian dish of braised veal shanks but is next level when the meat is substituted for venison shanks. Braised in red wine and beef broth with herbs, this Venison Osso Buco recipe delivers robust flavor and deliciously tender venison.

 

Tips to Remember When Cooking Venison:

    • Venison fat is different than beef fat, and it does not taste great.
    • You should trim away the fat and silver skin before following venison recipes.
    • Remember, venison is lean. Take caution not to overcook.
    • Marinate, Marinate, Marinate! But do not oversalt the meat as it will dry the venison out.
    • Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking it.
    • Oil the meat, brushing each side with a little bit of oil before grilling or pan-frying it.
    • After cooking, let the venison rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to evenly disperse.

We hope you enjoy the big game season and these new venison recipes! If you are planning a camping or hunting  RV trip in the future, here are some make ahead meals for your trip and easy campfire dinners. If you are looking to make your RV dreams come true, the staff at Juniata Valley RV can show you some of our most popular models. And seasonal campers can browse our fifth wheels for sale in Pennsylvania.

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How to Host an RV Thanksgiving Dinner

by | Oct 17, 2022 | RV Lifestyle & Tips

Guide to Successfully Host an RV Thanksgiving Celebration

Celebrate with an RV Thanksgiving this year at your favorite fall campground! Why leave your southern vacation destination when you can host a beautiful family dinner in your camper? From essential prep to the best advice other RVers have to offer, here’s everything you’ll need to consider when you host an RV Thanksgiving dinner.

Clean Up & Prep for Hosting Thanksgiving

RV or traditional home, cleaning up is essential before guests arrive for Thanksgiving dinner. Make sure you give your RV a good scrub down and all your fall decorations are in order! One important consideration in your RV is space. This means, before you go on your Thanksgiving shopping trip, you should clean out your fridge and pantry. Get rid of all the expired food and make room for a three course Thanksgiving feast. You’ll need to store lots of ingredients and plenty of leftovers in your RV fridge.

Smoked turkey sliced on a plate.
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Consider RV Thanksgiving Cooking Methods

We already covered all the best ways to cook outside the RV. Now, it’s time to decide whether you want to cook your turkey in the RV oven, haul a smoker to the campsite, or challenge yourself with an in-ground oven. There are tons of creative ways to cook Thanksgiving dinner, especially the turkey.

Take Advantage of Outdoor Space

Even the biggest RVs only offer a limited amount of space. When you’ve got the grandkids coming to your RV Thanksgiving, there likely isn’t a ton of space for everyone to unbuckle their belts at the booth dinette. There are two ways to take advantage of outdoor space – as a prep station or as a dinner table.

Winter at a southern campground means comfortable weather all season long. When you host Thanksgiving at a campground, we recommend setting up work and prep stations outside. This can mean using an outdoor kitchen, or a simple foldable table, as space to prepare your favorite pies and casseroles.

If you need more seating than the dinette offers, we recommend holding your RV Thanksgiving dinner outdoors. Enjoy fresh air and cool weather with your warm turkey and stuffing. Setting up tables outside means there will be more than enough room for everyone in the family to spread out and dig in.

Cook Thanksgiving Dinner in Advance

Even if you don’t completely cook your dishes, we recommend preparing everything in advance. This way, you’ll have less work on Thanksgiving Day and can spend more time with your family. Pies, casserole and stuffing are all great options to start preparing in advance. These can be safely stored in your freshly cleaned-out fridge, ready to pop in the oven on Thanksgiving.

Share the Work

Hosting an RV Thanksgiving is stressful! One way to lighten the workload is asking your guests to contribute. This might mean asking your guests to come early and help with prep. Or, it could mean asking your family and friends to bring fully prepared dishes. Assign your family members different casseroles and desserts. This way, you can focus on deep frying a delicious turkey!

If asking friends and family to contribute won’t work, you can always have your RV Thanksgiving dinner catered! Some restaurants and grocery stores offer Thanksgiving dinners to go, so all you have to do is heat up your meal.

Make Just Enough Food

Sure, we all love a leftover Thanksgiving meal, but in an RV too many leftovers can quickly take over the limited space. Think about how many people you plan to have at Thanksgiving dinner and make just enough food. Most recipes online will tell you how many the meal serves, and some can be automatically adjusted when you enter the number of people you plan to feed. If there’s no automatic adjustment, make some quick cooking conversions and you should be good to go!

Smaller portions and limited leftovers will help you save space both before and after Thanksgiving dinner. Even after you’ve cleaned out your fridge and pantry in preparation, space is sure to be limited if you plan to cook all or most of the meal yourself. If you want to make the most of your RV kitchen, the staff at Juniata Valley RV can show you some of our most spacious floorplans. And seasonal campers can browse our fifth wheels for sale in Pennsylvania.

Woman cooks in an RV kitchen.

Hosting Thanksgiving dinner in an RV doesn’t have to be overwhelming! Plan your dinner in advance, take advantage of all the space your campground offers and ask friends and family for help. And make sure, whatever you do, to leave room for dessert!

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Proper Campground and RV Park Etiquette

by | Sep 16, 2022 | RV Lifestyle & Tips

There’s nothing worse than getting ready to relax at the RV resort, only to find you have the nosiest, noisiest neighbor. To avoid being that neighbor to other campers, we put together a quick guide to RV park etiquette. Although some of our advice may seem a bit obvious, new campers may not know exactly what’s expected of them. Juniata Valley RV is here to help you be the perfect campground resident.

The Spoken and Unspoken Rules of RV Park Etiquette

Being a good neighbor is just as important in camping as it is in your permanent neighborhood. Whether you’re parked for the season or for the long weekend, a good relationship with neighbors is important for your safety and enjoyment.

Don’t Cut Through Campsites

While it may not seem like a big deal to some, it’s best to avoid walking through other peoples’ campsites. Respect their rented property, and don’t cut through sites unless you’re given explicit permission by those renting it. Sure, taking the long way around may add a few more minutes to your walk, but it’s best to show respect to other campers by walking around their campsite. Although only rented, consider other campsites the private property of renters.

RV campsite surrounded by tall pines at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.

Keep Quiet

With outdoor speakers and entertainment centers, it’s easy to get carried away partying at your campsite. However, monitoring your music volume and noise levels is important to RV resort etiquette. If you’re unsure, try turning on the music and walking nearby other campsites to see if you can still hear it.

Account for Slide-Outs

When you park your RV, be sure to account for how much space your slide-outs need. There’s nothing worse than a neighbor who lets their slides hang over shared space or, even worse, into the neighboring campsite. Proper RV park etiquette includes taking up only your rented space. Before you hook up your RV, we recommend testing the slides to make sure there is enough room to be fully extended.

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Be Neighborly

One easy way to have a good start with campground neighbors is to introduce yourself. Once your neighbors are parked and set up, it’s a good idea to introduce yourself and your family. While some neighbors will want to talk vacation plans and check out your RV, others will be happy with a quick hello. Feel out the situation and don’t pressure your neighbors to talk, but a brief introduction is an easy way to improve your RV park etiquette.

Courteous and Conscious Smoking

If you smoke in any form, make sure you are courteous to your neighbors. Try to keep a respectful distance so that the smoke has time to dissipate before it reaches other campsites. Cigarette, vape, cigar and even pipe smoke can wander into a neighbor’s campsite, or an open RV window, and cause irritation.

Respect the RV Resort

Aside from being a good neighbor, RV park etiquette includes being a good renter. It’s important to follow campground rules, be polite to employees and treat public or shared areas with respect.

Be Considerate of Quiet Hours

To stay in the campground’s good graces, try to respect quiet hours. Most RV parks have posted quiet hours, likely given to you at check-in. During nightly quiet hours, proper RV park etiquette consists of staying quiet and respectful. Those who are noisy during quiet hours can become an issue for campground staff if neighbors begin to complain.

Follow Rules for Pets

Most RV parks allow pets, although some have breed restrictions for dogs. Before planning a trip, review the park’s pet policies and make sure your dog is allowed. Additionally, make sure to keep your dog or cat on a leash and clean up after them. This will help you stay in the good graces of RV resort employees.

A German Shepherd dog is camping at a campground with his owner, a man who is playing guitar in the background.

Aside from the park employees, we should mention that leaving noisy dogs at your campsite is not exactly considered neighborly. If you know your dog is going to bark, consider leaving them at home with a sitter or taking them on outings with you. As much as you love your furry friends, your neighbors don’t want to listen to barking all day and night.

Don’t Leave a Mess

When it’s time to pack up and hit the road, make sure your campsite looks just like you found it. Don’t leave any trash behind that RV park staff will otherwise be left to clean up. Double and triple check the campsite to make sure you packed everything, and clean off any park property you used, like a grill or picnic table.

Spray Down the Dump Station

If you emptied your RV’s tanks at the dump station before hitting the road, take a minute to spray your mess away. Don’t leave a smelly black tank mess for park employees or other RVers to clean up.

RV park etiquette doesn’t have to be daunting. Most of our tips are common sense, and most veteran RVers have mastered them by now. If you have any more questions about being a good RV park renter, just consider the most respectful course of action.

If you’re in need of a new RV to take to the campground, visit Juniata Valley RV! You can browse our RVs for sale online, or visit our Pennsylvania dealership in person. Our team will help you find the towable RV or motorhome that works for you!

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Guide to Eco-Friendly RVing

by | Aug 19, 2022 | RV Lifestyle & Tips

As campers, our love for the great outdoors is clear. Time spent in nature is our go-to way to relax and recharge. Hiking, kayaking, fishing and just sitting in the sunshine are our ideas of a perfect day. This, of course, shows the importance of eco-friendly RVing  

If we want to continue to be able to spend time in nature, we have to protect it. Even more importantly, we need to preserve our environment for future generations. Our great and great-great grandkids deserve the opportunity to escape to nature just like us. 

Family walking trough park. Parents carrying children on piggyback.

Importance of Eco-Friendly RVing 

Whether you’re driving through the woods in a gas-guzzling motorhome or towing your trailer behind your pickup truck, it’s clear that RVs are some of the worst vehicles for the environment. RVs suck power and pump generators all night, filling the air with electric buzzing. 

On the other hand, RVs have a smaller carbon footprint than other popular forms of travel, like planes. They’re also smaller than a traditional home, meaning they use less electricity to fully power the indoor area. 

If you’re mindful of how you camp, you can easily do your part to protect the environment. It’s possible to spend plenty of weekends in an RV while reducing your carbon footprint. To help you do your part to protect our environment for future generations, we put together this quick guide to eco-friendly RVing. 

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Compact RVs are lighter, burn less fuel and use less power. Overall, the smaller the RV the better it is for the environment. Camping is for spending time outside, and compact RVs force you to spend more time in the sun. If possible, choose a small camper. Even better, compact campers can be less expensive! Both in terms of original purchase price and upkeep, compact campers are the right decision economically and environmentally. 

Another eco-friendly shopping habit, even outside of RVing, is shopping second hand. It takes a lot of natural resources to manufacture and ship new RVs. Choosing used RVs, and other second-hand items, cuts back on the resources used to get your items to you, and comes at a lower price point. 

RV supplies, like cleaning and lighting, can also be more environmentally friendly. Choose LED light bulbs for more light, less energy and less heat. You should also stick to enzyme-based tank cleaners. Toxic tank cleaners can leave pollutants behind, especially in tank dumping areas. Environmentally friendly RVing even comes down to bathroom habits! Use quick-dissolve toilet paper to avoid leaving behind used materials and clogging your RV toilet. 

Finally, a switch to reusable items might be the easiest change to make in a transition to eco-friendly RVing. Use products made of bamboo and recycled materials. Skip the paper plates and plastic cutlery. You’ll save money in the long run and create a lot less waste. Purchase a reusable water bottle to take on your outings instead of constantly throwing away plastic ones. These simple switches can make a huge difference in the long run.  

Conserve Energy in Your RV 

A good way to conserve energy in an RV is through renewable energy. Many RVs come solar-ready, so consider purchasing a solar panel to connect to your camper for power. You could even consider wind turbines, although solar is usually more efficient. 

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Man washes the solar panels on the roof of his RV.

Another great way to conserve energy is to park in the shade. Without the sun beating down and constantly heating your RV, you’ll use less energy trying to keep cool. Similarly, if you’re camping in winter, park in the sun for some natural heat instead of relying only on the heater. 

Insulation is also important. If you have a newer RV, the floors and walls are probably already well insulated. For older RV owners, insulation might need to be added. Use double-glazed windows and heavy curtains, especially in winter, to keep the temperature inside your RV stable. Consider an RV skirt to stop winter winds from blowing cold air underneath your unit. 

A travel trailer at an empty campsite.

Always Plan Ahead 

When packing for your trip, keep it light. The less your camper weighs, the less gas it will use to get where you need to go. Packing light means clothes, but it also means any camping supplies or extras you might be tempted to bring along. Besides weighing less, this will help cut down on clutter in your RV. 

Keep your RV up-to-date on any services you might need. Replace your air filters and keep up with oil changes. Check your tire pressure before heading out on your next trip, as tire pressure affects your gas mileage. A well-maintained RV is an efficient and eco-friendly RV. 

Lastly, choose green fuel. If your motorhome runs on diesel fuel, consider mixing diesel and biodiesel. Biodiesel blends diesel fuels with natural plant oils to create an environmentally friendly mix. Do research to make sure biodiesel is appropriate for your RV, and plan ahead to find gas stations that provide it. 

Although these are just a few tips, there’s always more you can do to improve your eco-friendly RVing habits. Be conscious of your use and reduce your carbon footprint where you can. There are hundreds of ways to make small lifestyle changes that will result in large impacts.

It’s our responsibility as campers to be stewards of the environment. We want to be able to continue to rely on nature as a place of solace, and protect it so future generations can do the same. Follow our tips on environmentally friendly RVing, and do your own research, to camp with a clean conscience.

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Ways to Cook Outside the RV Kitchen

by | Aug 11, 2022 | RV Lifestyle & Tips

Cook Outside: Alternatives to the RV Kitchen

It’s notoriously difficult to cook in an RV kitchen, and the popularity of tiny campers with cramped kitchen areas has only made it more unpleasant. While outside kitchens are a popular addition to many RVs, there are plenty of other ways to cook outside. Prep your meals in the outdoors with plenty of room to stretch and talk with your fellow campers with these outdoor cooking methods.

Campfire Dutch Oven

One of the most popular ways for campers to cook outside is with a Dutch oven. They’re versatile; used for baking, braising, simmering and more. Most Dutch ovens are designed to be heated from the top and bottom. This is done by placing hot coals or wood embers both below the oven and on top of the lid.

People cook outside with a Dutch oven suspended over a campfire.

They can also be hung over a campfire and heated from below. You can suspend them over the campfire with a tripod setup, place them directly on a small fire or embers, or on top of a cooking grate over the fire. Whether you use charcoal or wood embers, there are hundreds of Dutch oven recipes to try out.

In-Ground Cooking

Earth oven, ground oven, Hāngī: whatever you want to call it, in-ground cooking is a fun way to cook large meals, particularly pieces of meat, outside. Ground ovens are an ancient method used to cook outside by sealing meat and veggies in the ground over hot coals or rocks. Though this method is more work-intensive than the others, it’s definitely a fun experiment to try out on a camping trip. Especially if your Thanksgiving turkey isn’t going to fit in the tiny camper’s RV oven!

Ground ovens are constructed by digging a pit in the ground and lining it with flat rocks. Gather your kindling and light a fire over the rocks to heat them up. Once the fire has dwindled out and you have smoldering coals left behind you can clear them out and get ready to cook.

Now that your hot rocks are cleaned, you should add a layer of traditional edible foliage, or a layer of tin foil if you prefer, over the base. Add your meat and another layer of insulation, leafy or otherwise, over the top and pour a cup of water in to create steam. Place a layer of plywood, carpeting, or even traditional cowhide over everything to protect your dish from the dirt. Finally, bury the entire thing in a few inches of soil.

After three or so hours, come back to uncover a traditionally prepared meal made entirely in the earth. This is a practice-makes-perfect situation, as many of our alternative methods to cook outside are. However, this is a fun experiment to try just once or twice on your next few camping trips. 

Campfire Foil Packs

Foil pack recipes are another fun way to cook outside. Aside from being an entertaining way to cook on the campfire as a family, foil packs are particularly convenient. Most campfire foil pack recipes consist of the entire meal wrapped in one piece of foil.

Foil pack cooking is, essentially, exactly what it sounds like. Chop up your favorite veggies and a bit of meat, coat them with your favorite seasonings and wrap them up in aluminum foil. Then, place these foil packets over the campfire and wait. Soon enough you’ll have a full meal warm and ready and perfectly portioned for each camper.

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A set of foil pack meals cook on a metal grate over a campfire.

Outdoor Grills

None of these more experimental methods interest you? There’s normally a grill available at the campsite or attached as part of your RV’s outdoor kitchen. Even if you don’t have a traditional grill on-hand, portable electric grills are not hard to come by.

These can simply be plugged into a power source and used to grill any dish you might have on your at-home grill. Some campers also spin-off the campfire foil packs by heating them on a grill instead. Use the same basic meal prep method of wrapping your ingredients in aluminum foil, but place the packet on the grill rather than the campfire. You’ll still come out with a perfectly prepared, pre-portioned meal for every camper.

If you choose to cook outside with one of these alternative methods, make sure to share it with us! You can find us on Facebook where you can tag us in your experimental cooking photos. We’d love to see you try these out!

Outdoor cooking not your thing? That’s no problem! We have tons of RVs for sale with beautiful, large kitchens – including islands and residential refrigerators – to choose from at Juniata Valley RV. On the other end, we have a huge inventory of tiny campers that have small cooking spaces or outdoor kitchens. Whatever you’re looking for, let our team help find the right RV for you!

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