Cooking with fire is as primal as food gets鈥攊t鈥檚 a foundational facet of our humanity. Evidence suggests that humans were only able to evolve our big, energy-hungry brains after we learned to use fire to transform food, making it more nutritious and easier to eat. Diverse methods developed around the world over many millennia offer myriad options for imparting the irresistible flavor of fire, and mastering these methods will make you a much better cook.

We鈥檙e all familiar with grilling, where everything sits above the heat and receives a similar char. This meal uses an open flame to cook three different components, and each one has a completely different character. It will open your eyes to the many possibilities around live-fire cooking, whether you鈥檙e in the backyard or the backwoods. Fire constantly changes, needing to be fed and adjusted, and as a result you need to reposition the food, moving it to hotter or cooler areas, or turning it so it cooks evenly. It鈥檚 an immersive and engaging (and extremely analog) process鈥攁nd an excellent antidote for too much screen time.

A few years ago, a chef friend turned me onto the metal tripod as an essential accessory for the firepit in my garden: three metal legs and a chain with a hook to hold the handle of a pot, like a Dutch oven, witch鈥檚 cauldron鈥搒tyle. It鈥檚 inexpensive, portable, adjustable, and perfect for making a slow-cooked stew on a campfire. It also produces the best chicken you鈥檝e ever tasted: the perfect balance of grilled, roasted, and smoked flavors. This is not a quick method鈥攐ptimal results generally take about three hours. But it鈥檚 worth the time investment, and you 诲辞苍鈥檛 have to watch it like a hawk. You can prep other ingredients, gather firewood, take a dip, or just hang out around the fire and savor the aromas.

Build Your Fire Setup

You can do this over a traditional campfire or a circular metal firepit that sits on the ground鈥攁nywhere you鈥檙e able to safely build a fire and set up the tripod. Don鈥檛 put a tripod on top of a kettle-style grill or anything that鈥檚 already on legs. Ideally, you also have a grill you can set up over part or all of the fire, because you can use that surface as both stove and grill for other parts of the meal. If you 诲辞苍鈥檛, you can put your skillet directly on some embers for the mushrooms and greens.

Set up your tripod. Light a charcoal or hardwood fire that鈥檚 just off to one side of the tripod, so that the chain isn鈥檛 hanging down into the fire. Let it burn for at least thirty to forty-five minutes to create a bed of embers. Use a shovel to spread some of these out under the tripod, and keep the fire burning off to one side. You want some radiant heat from embers underneath your bird, and a nice fire burning next to it for lots of indirect heat and smoke, as well as a steady supply of more embers. You 诲辞苍鈥檛 want a raging bonfire, which will burn your food, and you 诲辞苍鈥檛 want an anemic little smolder that won鈥檛 get the job done.

Note: Fires vary, so the times here are imprecise. You鈥檒l need to use your senses鈥攁nd a 鈥攖o determine when each component is done. The sides won鈥檛 need as long as the chicken, so once they鈥檙e cooked, put them around the perimeter to keep warm.

Prep and Cook the Chicken

If you can, rub the chicken inside and out with some salt a day ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge overnight. A pre-seasoned chicken will taste notably better than one salted right before cooking.

Using stainless steel or aluminum wire, you鈥檙e going to truss the chicken according to the standard method (see below), but you鈥檙e going to twist loops of wire at the neck, cavity opening, and the middle of the back. By giving you three points to hang it from, these loops will allow you to easily reposition the bird in relation to the heat鈥攏eck up, neck down, and breast down. You can also raise or lower the bird using the chain for even more control.

You 诲辞苍鈥檛 need to brush anything on your chicken, especially if you salted it the night before. You鈥檒l get a beautiful golden brown and crispy skin all over as you rotate it to cook all sides. But if you want it saucier, combine equal parts soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, and tomato puree in a saucepan to make an easy barbecue-style sauce. Put that on or near the fire to heat up and simmer so that it reduces gently while the bird cooks. Brush it all over every half hour or so. For extra credit (and flavor), make a brush out of sprigs of rosemary, parsley, and oregano tied together with string. Or if you鈥檙e in the woods, use a couple nice bunches of fresh white pine or spruce needles to furnish your brush.

Use a poker or tongs to turn the chicken every half hour or so, using a different loop to hang it so that a different side faces the fire. Raise or lower it as needed; you want the hot side to be active, steaming and bubbling and catching some color. Feed the fire and rake out more embers as needed to maintain proper heat. It鈥檚 ready to eat when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast and the thigh (诲辞苍鈥檛 let the probe touch bone) reads 165藲F. Let it rest for five to ten minutes before carving, and serve the extra sauce (if using) on the side.

Don鈥檛 Forget Your Vegetables

The chicken is going to drip fat and juices and some of your basting mixture (if you鈥檙e using it) as it cooks鈥攅specially when you turn it so the cavity is pointing down. Putting a pan beneath it to catch that goodness is smart, and having something in the pan to cook in those drippings is smarter still. Mushrooms make an excellent choice, especially with some slivered onions and a handful of fresh herbs. Button or cremini are fine, but if you can get oyster, maitake, or similar, you鈥檙e in for a treat.

Make sure they have a little oil or fat to get them going, sprinkle on some salt, and position the pan so it catches the drips but doesn鈥檛 burn. Stir or shake the pan regularly as the mushrooms cook, and taste before serving. When they鈥檙e done, you can move the pan off to the side to keep warm, or move the mixture to a serving bowl and use the pan to cook something else鈥攍ike some broccoli rabe.

Broccoli rabe looks like lanky broccoli, but it鈥檚 more closely related to turnips. Its slight bitterness and sturdy texture make it ideal for grilling鈥攊t gets irresistibly savory and tender over a fire. Trim the stalk ends if they鈥檙e brown, then toss your rabe in enough olive oil to coat the stalks, leaves, and florets with a little shine. Sprinkle on a fat pinch of salt per bunch and toss again to distribute it evenly. When the stalks are a vivid dark green and becoming tender, take the rabe off the fire and hit it with some lemon juice and a bit more olive oil.

The Gear You鈥檒l Need

The Tripod

Lodge Cast Iron makes a that鈥檚 also designed to keep a full Dutch oven off the ground, so it鈥檒l be sturdy enough for your chicken.

Wire or Butcher鈥檚 Twine

Stainless steel or aluminum wire for the chicken is best. Alternatively, soak butcher鈥檚 twine in water for 15 minutes before trussing to reduce the singeing.

Carbon Steel or Cast-Iron Pan

If you鈥檙e making vegetables (and you鈥檒l want to), use a pan that鈥檚 built for live-fire cooking, like or

How To Truss a Chicken

1.

Pat a 4-to-5-pound chicken dry with paper towels, and rub with a tablespoon of salt. Cut a 6-foot piece of wire or butcher’s twine.

2.

Place the chicken in front of you, breast up, with the neck pointing away from you.

3.

Make a 2-to-3-inch loop at the midpoint of the wire and twist the loop a couple of times to secure it. You want your loops to easily fit over the tripod鈥檚 hook with room to spare.

4.

Position the loop behind the back in between the wings. Cross the wire over the breasts, then around again to secure the wings. Pass the ends of the wire under the thighs and cross over the leg joints; twist to secure. Create a second loop around the ends of the drumsticks. Flip the chicken so that it鈥檚 breast-side down.

5.

Bring the wires back up to the neck, twisting one more loop at the midpoint of the back, then tie the wires to the loop at the neck and twist to secure them. Snip off any extra wire. Now you have a properly trussed bird that can be hung three different ways for even cooking.

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If you鈥檝e never heard of sweet potato bark, 诲辞苍鈥檛 worry because before we met , an outdoor lifestyle writer and Washington Trail Association Guide Correspondent, we hadn鈥檛 either. Leader lives in the Greater Seattle area in Washington and tackles hikes across the Pacific Northwest. This, of course, requires plenty of on-the-go fuel, like Leader鈥檚 favorite dried sweet potato bark.

The bark is dehydrated sweet potato puree that鈥檚 spread onto parchment paper into thin pieces and sprinkled with spices. It鈥檚 sweet, salty, and highly nutritious. 鈥淎 sweet potato makes a great trail food because it鈥檚 a basic ingredient packed with fiber and vitamins,鈥� Leader says. 鈥淧lus, you can eat it both as bark for a snack or rehydrate it back into hot water for mashed potatoes or soup.鈥�

Leader鈥檚 bark recipe came about when she became fixated on ras el hanout, a North African spice blend. In Arabic, ras el hanout roughly translates to 鈥渉ead of the shop,鈥� because in places like Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia where it鈥檚 regularly sold, this blend is made of the best spices the store has to offer. There鈥檚 no single recipe for the blend, but the most common flavor profile includes cardamom, cumin, coriander, peppercorn, sweet paprika, dried turmeric, and cinnamon. Traditionally, ras el hanout is used for stews and grilled meats, but it can be used for about anything, including sweet potatoes.听

鈥淥nce you make a batch of ras el hanout, you’ll find yourself sprinkling it on everything!鈥� Leader says. 鈥淚 even gave it away as Christmas presents one year.鈥�

Ras El Hanout Sweet Potato Bark

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This article originally appeared on . 听

Sweet potato pie is a Thanksgiving staple, but unluckily for your backcountry Friendsgiving, it doesn鈥檛 travel well unless you鈥檙e a fan of baby food. Instead, sub it out for this ingenious creation from reader Shelli Snyder, which uses a combo of graham crackers, instant sweet potatoes, marshmallows, and fall spices to recreate all the flavor you love in a significantly more hike-friendly package.

The post This Sweet Potato Pizza Pie Is the Most Ingenious Fall Camping Dessert appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Two James Beard-Award winners have come together to write a cookbook that will elevate your favorite recipes with flavors from around the world. co-written by Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray, explores the use of 鈥減antry treasures鈥� (concentrated flavors like oils, sauces, and spices) in everyday cooking. From miso and gochujang to oyster sauce and Mexican chorizo, the book takes unfamiliar ingredients from intimidating to inspirational. All the recipes are written with basic instructions and ingredients so simple you can take them on the road or camping. recipes When pulling out the campfire grate, elevate a classic hamburger steak by brushing it with miso or marinate short ribs with an umami-rich fish sauce before grilling. Wake up in a tent and know you can still easily whip up a bowl of creamy, cheesy grits with southern red-eye gravy. The opportunities to elevate your adventure fuel are endless.

Pittman is Korean on her mother鈥檚 side, but grew up in the Mississippi Delta where she says the flavors were 鈥渟outhern and simple.鈥� Her grandparents owned a 10-acre farm, so many family dinners were farm-to-table style and very vegetable forward.

However, her mother kept their Korean culture alive and well in the kitchen.

鈥淲e lived in these small towns, so my mother couldn鈥檛 get a lot of ingredients nearby,鈥� Pittman says. 鈥淪o we would make special trips once a month to Memphis to shop at specialty stores. We鈥檇 go from eating simple beans, summer squashes, and tomatoes to these salty, sweet, spicy favors that were anything but subtle.鈥�

It was common for Pittman鈥檚 mother to improvise while cooking Korean food because there wasn鈥檛 always access to every ingredient needed. For instance, she鈥檇 make a riff on bibimbap鈥攁 Korean dish consisting of rice topped with various vegetables and a little bit of meat. But because she didn鈥檛 always have the traditional ingredients, she might use a little Jimmy Dean sausage, because that鈥檚 what was available.

鈥淚鈥檝e been blending these flavors ever since,鈥� Pittman says. 鈥淚 feel like the Southern and Korean flavors have an affinity for each other.鈥�

What Constitutes a Global Flavor?

The Global Pantry Cookbook has a collection of what Pittman and Mowbray call 鈥減antry treasures,鈥� or products that are concentrated, fermented, ground, or cooked down to create flavor-packed boosters.

鈥淲e tried to choose ingredients that have longevity,鈥� Pittman says. 鈥淵ou can hang onto them and play with them at your cooking leisure without feeling a ton of pressure to use them right away.鈥�

The Global Pantry Cookbook鈥檚 dedicated pantry treasures come from a plethora of geographically diverse traditions, from Indian to Korean to Middle Eastern and many others. Pittman鈥檚 pantry go-to is oyster sauce, a thin sauce made out of oyster extract, salt, water, corn starch, and sugar. It originated in China, but is now used in a number of Asian countries.

鈥淚t鈥檚 thick and glossy and has this savory depth that I love,鈥� Pittman says.

She and Mowbray 诲辞苍鈥檛 always agree on the 鈥渂est鈥� brands, however, as Pittman always chooses Megachef oyster sauce while he prefers Lee Kum Kee Premium.

Another one of Pittman鈥檚 favorite staples is Banyuls Traditional Red Wine Vinegar from the southwest of France. It offers a more complex flavor than other vinegars, but you 诲辞苍鈥檛 have to use a lot to get a big kick.

鈥淥h, and masala spices were a revelation to me,鈥� Pittman adds. 鈥淏ack in the day, we had generic curry powder we used as a catch-all, but there are all kinds of specified masalas like butter chicken masala, China masala, or fish masala. If I鈥檓 running low on butter chicken masala, I start panicking because I have to have it.鈥�

Becoming Familiar with the Unfamiliar

When Pittman was younger, she avoided eating Korean foods around her friends for fear of being judged. She was afraid her bowls of spicy kimchi-jjigae and fishy gimbap 鈥� filled with unfamiliar scents 鈥� would raise eyebrows.

鈥淚n my small town in the 1970s, people did not know what kimchi or dried fish was鈥攊t was completely exotic to them,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here was always kimchi at my house, and even I was horrified by the smell and how different it was. It seemed to declare itself at a time when I wanted to hide that part of me.鈥�

When she was a teenager, though, Pittman had a breakthrough. One night, she had a few friends spend the night and decided to make them japchae noodles, one of her favorite Korean dishes. At first, the translucent noodles scared her friends, but once they tasted them, the delicious flavors were undeniable.

鈥淭hat was a turning point,鈥� Pittman says. 鈥淭hat experience gave me more confidence in being open to that side of who I am and understanding that good food is good food, period, and it鈥檚 also a huge part of my identity.鈥�

It鈥檚 this fear, this intimidation, that Pittman says keeps people from experimenting with global flavors. There鈥檚 a lack of familiarity, which makes even sourcing the ingredients daunting. For this reason, The Global Pantry Cookbook slips these new flavors into simple dishes. A good example is Pittman鈥檚 stuffed cabbage roll recipe, made with an Asian-style riff by using a brown broth made with a base of oyster sauce in lieu of tomato sauce.

Umami, Heat & Brightness

While The Global Pantry Cookbook has pages and pages of concentrated global flavors, Pittman doesn鈥檛 think people need to buy every pantry treasure at once. She recommends starting with an umami builder, like fish sauce.

鈥淚 want people to get over the pungent aroma鈥攂ecause it鈥檚 no more smelly than some aged cheese!鈥� She says. 鈥淎 little bit goes a long way. Just brush it onto a steak before grilling it and it鈥檒l bring so much flavor.鈥�

Another beginner鈥檚 staple is a source of heat like gojuchang. This condiment is thick and well-balanced, so it鈥檚 not pure heat, but also has fermented flavor and sweetness.

鈥淭he way that this book is successful is if people feel comfortable cooking from it,鈥� Pittman says. 鈥淭here are certain complex dishes that are phenomenal, but it takes the confidence to keep it simple鈥攕imple with global flavors.鈥�

The post Two of the Most Brilliant Food Minds Wrote a New Cookbook that Promises to Improve Your Everyday Cooking appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Foil-pack meals are essentially a cheat code to grilling or cooking hearty campfire meals. For the unacquainted, making a foil-pack meal involves piling either protein or vegetables on to a piece of aluminum foil, wrapping it up, and tossing it on the grill or grate to cook. The ease of the process and the flavorful results have made this method of cooking perfect for outdoor grilling and camping.听

According to legendary cookbook author and American food authority, James Beard, the foil-wrap method was developed way before campers started using it.听听

In 1955 he wrote, “Cooking with aluminum foil is the latest thing in outdoor cookery and yet it is but an adaptation of a very old method-that of wrapping food in wet leaves, husks, seaweed, or even wet clay before cooking,鈥� in , co-authored by Helen Evans Brown. 鈥淭his method keeps the juices in but allows the food to cook evenly. It must be remembered, however, that just as it keeps the juices in, so does it keep the charcoal flavor out.鈥�

Cooking vegetables in a foil is great for camping because of the individual portions you can dole out, as well as the little clean-up and hassle involved in the process. There are a few things to keep in mind when foil-pack cooking: always, and I mean always,听 use heavy-duty foil. The thicker material will withstand high temperatures, especially if you鈥檙e cooking on a grate over a campfire. Additionally, heavy-duty foil holds its pinch better when you seal the packet, eliminating air leaks. The foil won鈥檛 tear while folding the ends over the vegetables into tight seams, nor will it break open if it catches on the grate. And when you play with fire, you 诲辞苍鈥檛 have to get burned! Always remember to poke a small hole in听 the foil when the vegetables are done cooking. This will release a burst of steam so when you unwrap the packet, you 诲辞苍鈥檛 get a face-full of heat.听

Most importantly, 诲辞苍鈥檛 forget to brush your vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper! We 诲辞苍鈥檛 want bland vegetables. You may be cooking outdoors, that doesn鈥檛 mean you have to eat like an animal.

If you want a recipe to make your own foil-pack veggies,

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There鈥檚 nothing more comforting than a steaming bowl of mashed potatoes 鈥� especially if it’s enjoyed after a long day of hiking and setting up camp. But who has the back strength to carry a big ole鈥� sack of potatoes in their camping gear? Nevermind the time it takes to peel, boil, and mash them into a deliciously whipped starchy side dish. No, we want mashed potatoes, and we want them now.

While we encourage tenacity and creativity when cooking up a campfire meal, sometimes it鈥檚 best to keep things simple. Instant mashed potatoes, for example, will never do you wrong. While campfire gumbo might boil over into flames and skillet bacon may get charred to bits, potatoes rarely fail. Instant 鈥榯aters are in your corner, nearly impossible to get wrong.听

That鈥檚 why they鈥檝e been an integral part of the backpacking staple called 鈥榬amen bombs鈥� 鈥� a carb-loaded potato and noodle meal made by combining packaged ramen noodles, instant mashed potatoes, and spam. But if you鈥檙e not craving that particularly explosive meal, plain instant mashed potatoes are just fine. They鈥檙e more than fine, they鈥檙e spud-tacular.

鈥淎s a backpacking food, instant mashed potatoes have a lot going for them,鈥� says Backpacker editor Adam Roy. 鈥淭hey’re cheap, widely available in grocery stores, and easy to rehydrate with any or no stove. Plus, they’re versatile鈥搚ou can use them any number of ways!鈥�

Peeling Back the Years: History of Instant Mashed Potatoes

Attraction to convenience foods spurred (now known as French鈥檚) to bring flash-dried mashed potato granules (that can be used for binding in recipes, breading, and color enhancer) to the market in the 1950s. Though initially made for commercial purposes, potato granules became a staple food for , as they had a long shelf life and were easy to rehydrate.听听

Shortly after, food scientist Edward Asselbergs created potato flakes that, when doused with hot water, broke down and became smooth, fluffy mashed potatoes. This is what you鈥檒l find in grocery stores across America, and what we鈥檙e testing today for our compilation of the best instant mashed potatoes for camping.听

Testing the 鈥楾aters听

To test whether or not these instant potatoes were camp-worthy, I had a few requisites. I had to be able to make these potatoes with one cup (), one fork, and boiling water. That鈥檚 it. This makes this review fairly different from others, as most instant mashed potato recipes call for butter or milk. But when camping, you might not have the luxury of packing perishables like milk and butter. I used a to boil the water, but you can also use a JetBoil or regular pot over a campfire.

Preparation: While each instant mashed potato has a different serving size, thus different measurements, the basic instructions I followed for each brand was to boil water, add flakes, and stir.

Hot Potato Meter

Tater-ibile

OK – small fry

Getting totter!

HOT, HOT POTATO!

First Place

, $1.05 for 4 oz.

I wasn鈥檛 expecting my favorite instant mashed potatoes to come from an ALDI brand I鈥檇 never heard of before, but here we are. Even among the potato goliaths 鈥� Idahoan and Hungry Jack 鈥� these instant potatoes whipped up into peaks almost immediately after I added boiling water. Unlike Hungry Jack or Idahoan, these instructions boast, 鈥淛ust add water!鈥� so the recipe was more suited for my water-only rule. The mashed potatoes were pre-salted to perfection and produced smooth, fluffy mashed potatoes.听

Runner-Up听

, $1.44 for 4 oz.

These Idahoan potatoes, for some reason, had the most clumps out of all the brands I tested 鈥� but I wasn鈥檛 complaining! The clumps weren鈥檛 uncooked flakes, but the kind you鈥檇 get when making homemade mashed potatoes, so I thoroughly enjoyed them. There was definitely a strong presence of salt, but not enough where it was unbearable. It just made me a tiny bit thirsty.

Third

, $1.98 for 15.3 oz.听

Though unsalted, these potatoes were ridiculously smooth. It took a bit more vigorous stirring to get the fluffy consistency I wanted, but then again, maybe it鈥檚 because Hungry Jack is meant to be made with lots of milk and butter. Even still, with just water, I enjoyed these instant mashed potatoes. One thing to note is that when I let them sit for a few minutes, they did get very stiff. So this might be best for personal portions, rather than making a bunch of potatoes for you and your fellow campers.听

Bonus Round

, $1.39 for 4.6 oz.

While these aren鈥檛 instant mashed potatoes, I couldn鈥檛 resist throwing a different style of starch into the mix. While the julienne potatoes took fifteen minutes to cook (compared to the instant mashed potatoes, which took mere minutes), the wait was worth it. The potato shreds were tender, cheezy (thanks to the cheese powder that comes with the box), and hearty.听

Honorable Mentions

, $4 for 16 oz.

I鈥檓 normally a huge fan of Bob鈥檚 Red Mill – I eat the brand鈥檚 oatmeal almost every morning. However, in the realm of camping, these instant mashed potatoes gave me some trouble. Even using the proper water-to-flake ratio, the potatoes went rock hard on me minutes after cooking them. My fork was sort of like the legend of the sword and the stone 鈥� stuck. But, I will say, I attempted a second round of Bob鈥檚 Red Mill Potato Flakes on my kitchen stove and had great results. What went wrong in the camping trial? I can鈥檛 say.听

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