What is the best way to cook a potato in a campfire?

[Bob S]

I have never cooked potatoes in a fire, I would like to try this, this weekend. I don’t want to burn the outside but want it cooked in the middle. What is a good way to do this?

I am car camping and have an almost unlimited amount of wood for the fire, so getting a good bed of coals is no problem.

[rafe]

Pre-boil (or nuke) them, maybe 1/2 or 3/4 of the way to "done". Wrap them in foil. At camp, lay them in the coals and bake them to completion.

[Bob S]

Never thought about pre-boiling them, I should have because I do this with meat I barbecue over a fire.

[rafe]

Never thought about pre-boiling them, I should have because I do this with meat I barbecue over a fire.

Same idea.

[halibut15]

Hold potato in hands. Stick in fire. Cook until done.

[adventurousmtnlvr]

Hold potato in hands. Stick in fire. Cook until done.LOL


I haven't done that in many years, but when I did ... we did it with hot rocks at the edge of the fire. Then dug a tiny shallow hole and put the rock on the potatoe (potatoe already in tin foil) and it baked that way but it takes a while ...

[strnorm]

Stick a metal tent stake into middle of spud it will bake in half the time:cool:

[mkmangold]

I have never cooked potatoes in a fire, I would like to try this, this weekend. I don’t want to burn the outside but want it cooked in the middle. What is a good way to do this?

Bring potato flakes instead of whole potatoes. In a baggie, mix potato flakes, dry milk, garlic flakes, butter buds, and salt. Add boiling water. Thank me while eating.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

I have never cooked potatoes in a fire, I would like to try this, this weekend. I don’t want to burn the outside but want it cooked in the middle. What is a good way to do this?

I am car camping and have an almost unlimited amount of wood for the fire, so getting a good bed of coals is no problem.


Wash and then Quarter potato lengthwise. Combine 1 tsp butter, 1 tsp olive oil, a clove minced garlic, and 1 tsp chopped parsley, coat potato slices, lightly salt and add coarse ground pepper. Wrap tightly in a foil packet bury in coals for about 30 -40 minutes

[mweinstone]

cookin potatoes in a campfire not burned on the outside and cooked in the middles my middle name! heres how. you will need:
spatula or tongs
salt
pepper
foil
chair
car
house
airplane
girlfriend
barber
lawer
doctor
trailguid
zen master teacher
anti matthewski pills
bag to put matthewski in
trash heap to dump body
etc

[Tin Man]

In other words, a good base of coals is like an oven at home, just use foil for your favorite oven recipe or a reflector for breads and such.

[budforester]

A word of caution about pre- cooked potatoes: they should actually finish cooking in the coals. Really cook. There have been botulism outbreaks from fully cooked potatoes that were stored at room temperature and just warmed to serve.

I wash the raw potatoes, grease the skins, and wrap in foil. Lay them or bury them in coals, turning occasionally. Squeeze to test for doneness (stabbing through the foil with a knife or fork lets in grit).

[Homer&Marje]

I wouldn't pre boil them, tends to make the skin softer and more susceptible to burn. roll in tinfoil and add a tspn of butter and a tspn of water, and seal tightly, digging a small hole in the center of a good base of coals and then spreading them around the potato is the best way to get an even cook. Takes about 45 minutes.

Burnt things are more fun though.:D

[Homer&Marje]

A word of caution about pre- cooked potatoes: they should actually finish cooking in the coals. Really cook. There have been botulism outbreaks from fully cooked potatoes that were stored at room temperature and just warmed to serve.

I wash the raw potatoes, grease the skins, and wrap in foil. Lay them or bury them in coals, turning occasionally. Squeeze to test for doneness (stabbing through the foil with a knife or fork lets in grit).


Never in my 13 years in the restaurant industry have I heard of Botulism coming from a potato. I'm not saying it "can't" happen I just think that is a little far fetched and paranoid. My friend eats his "Irish french fries" every day, simply a raw potato rinsed slightly chopped into eight pieces and consumed.

Being scared of botulism in a potato is the fastest way to overcook it.

[workboot]

Dig a small hole where you are gonna light your fire then take your taters wrapped in foil and bury them lightly, or you can wrap them in foil and place in a small cheap throwaway aluminum bread pan covered in foil(this keeps dirt off the taters) and bury that lightly. Start your fire directly over the buried taters, get a good bed of coals and let it burn for couple hours.Dig your taters up and enjoy.Works with fresh caught fish too.

[russb]

In other words, a good base of coals is like an oven at home, just use foil for your favorite oven recipe or a reflector for breads and such.

note: a reflector oven works best with flame not coals. use coals for dutch oven cooking.

[budforester]

Gosh, I didn't expect to stir up things. Here's a pdf bulletin (http://www.bccdc.org/downloads/pdf/fps/reports/Baked_Potatos_and_Foodborne_Botulism.pdf) from BC's Centre for Disease Control. It gives some safety tips and discussion.

[jersey joe]

Wrap raw potato in foil and throw into coals of fire. I did it this weekend and they came out great.

[oldfivetango]

Never in my 13 years in the restaurant industry have I heard of Botulism coming from a potato. I'm not saying it "can't" happen I just think that is a little far fetched and paranoid. My friend eats his "Irish french fries" every day, simply a raw potato rinsed slightly chopped into eight pieces and consumed.

Being scared of botulism in a potato is the fastest way to overcook it.
Actually,Homer,it can happen and has happened.
Trust me on this as I have over 25 years in the food industry,my
brother is a food scientist,and my best friend is head of food science
at a major university.

Claustridium botulinum is an anerobic bacteria and if the spores
are present and the foil makes an airtight seal and all the factors
are"right" ,then the toxin can form and it is vewey vewey deadly.

So deadly in fact that a former middle eastern dictator had a lady
known as "Doctor Death" playing around with it but there is no
evidence that she was using spuds.:D

So proper food safety is a must;particulary when you are in the
wilderness and there is no easy access to medical assistance.
In all probability I would say contaminated GORP and water has
a higher chance of affecting the average person.
Oldfivetango

[Homer&Marje]

Actually,Homer,it can happen and has happened.
Trust me on this as I have over 25 years in the food industry,my
brother is a food scientist,and my best friend is head of food science
at a major university.

Claustridium botulinum is an anerobic bacteria and if the spores
are present and the foil makes an airtight seal and all the factors
are"right" ,then the toxin can form and it is vewey vewey deadly.

So deadly in fact that a former middle eastern dictator had a lady
known as "Doctor Death" playing around with it but there is no
evidence that she was using spuds.:D

So proper food safety is a must;particulary when you are in the
wilderness and there is no easy access to medical assistance.
In all probability I would say contaminated GORP and water has
a higher chance of affecting the average person.
Oldfivetango


All very interesting. Sounds like as you said all the factors have to be "right" in order for it to happen... and as I said "I'm not saying it can't happen" I have never created an air tight seal I suppose, I always roll the potato twice in tinfoil and twist the ends and leave them like that, they act as steam vents to let the little bit of water in that I add to "steam" them. When I pull them out they are nice and dry and the salt from the butter I add helps to extract excess moisture inside the potato.

[Pedaling Fool]

I've only done it once, but I just put it on the grill, if no grill just position some rocks to make a stovetop. Sorry nothing special here.

[mudcap]

I like to slice mine in half,and then put butter or olive oil in the center with some onion slices,garlic powder and salt and pepper. I double or triple wrap then in foil and like Homer and Marje I twist the ends to leave a bit of a vent.Then I bury them in the coals. I check them for doneness by squeezing. The sugars caramelize in the process, my favorite car camping food. The second being boiled salt potatoes.

[emerald]

I wash the raw potatoes, grease the skins, and wrap in foil. Lay them or bury them in coals, turning occasionally. Squeeze to test for doneness (stabbing through the foil with a knife or fork lets in grit).

As woodsy says, Bingo! The key is to brush oil, margarine or something else with a similiarly high smoke point on the skin to prevent burning. My preference would be canola or olive oil.

[russb]

Another way to prevent burning is based on the phrase we used to uter: "burnt potato tastes like burnt potato but burnt onion tastes MMMM!" slice up a whole bunch of onions and wrap the potato with them before you put the foil around em. Some olive oil, salt and pepper....mmmm!

[weary]

....use coals for dutch oven cooking.
A real dutch oven is the best solution -- one with a raised lip around the cover to hold hot coals. Such are not readily found these days. I bought mine several decades ago at a yard sale. I think it originally came from LL Bean, but I'm not sure.

Anyway. Get a good fire going, scoop some of the coals out of the way. Place the uncooked, but oiled and salted potatoes in the oven. Set the oven in the coals from the original fire. Placed scooped away coals on the cover. Keep the fire going on top of the oven for a half hour or so. Then let the fire slowly die for an hour.

When ready to eat, scrape away the fire and coals. Lift off the cover. Check potatoes for doneness. If just right -- or over done -- serve proudly. If still underdone, vow silently to have a hotter fire next time. But smile and say, properly baked potatoes require a final visit to the flames. Just toss them in the middle of the fire and fish them out when you think they might be done -- minimum 10 minutes. Maximum 30 minutes. Unless they were totally uncooked in the dutch oven. Then give them at least an hour.

Since, this is not something one does regularly, it can take decades to learn the right combination of wood fires, and hot coals. But don't give up. BTW, freshly harvested potatoes are likely to explode during the process, so it's a good practice to drive a tent stake or two through the potatoes to prevent potato-destroying explosions. Don't leave the stake in the potato. You just need a hole where the steam can escape.

Weary

[daibutsu]

Roughly alternate 1/2 inch slices of potato with onion, drizzle some olive oil on it, put whatever; garlic, oregano, pepper, etc. wrap this all up in foil and place standing up right near your fire, flip it over after about 25 mins. wait another 20 mins. unwrap and eat.

[mudcap]

Another way to prevent burning is based on the phrase we used to uter: "burnt potato tastes like burnt potato but burnt onion tastes MMMM!" slice up a whole bunch of onions and wrap the potato with them before you put the foil around em. Some olive oil, salt and pepper....mmmm!

You hit that one on the head. Thats where I was talking about the caramelized sugar.Onions,mmmmmm

[oldfivetango]

A real dutch oven is the best solution -- one with a raised lip around the cover to hold hot coals. Such are not readily found these days. I bought mine several decades ago at a yard sale. I think it originally came from LL Bean, but I'm not sure.

Anyway. Get a good fire going, scoop some of the coals out of the way. Place the uncooked, but oiled and salted potatoes in the oven. Set the oven in the coals from the original fire. Placed scooped away coals on the cover. Keep the fire going on top of the oven for a half hour or so. Then let the fire slowly die for an hour.

When ready to eat, scrape away the fire and coals. Lift off the cover. Check potatoes for doneness. If just right -- or over done -- serve proudly. If still underdone, vow silently to have a hotter fire next time. But smile and say, properly baked potatoes require a final visit to the flames. Just toss them in the middle of the fire and fish them out when you think they might be done -- minimum 10 minutes. Maximum 30 minutes. Unless they were totally uncooked in the dutch oven. Then give them at least an hour.

Since, this is not something one does regularly, it can take decades to learn the right combination of wood fires, and hot coals. But don't give up. BTW, freshly harvested potatoes are likely to explode during the process, so it's a good practice to drive a tent stake or two through the potatoes to prevent potato-destroying explosions. Don't leave the stake in the potato. You just need a hole where the steam can escape.

Weary

Nothing like food from a Dutch oven!I am wondering if we have a D.O.
cooking thread in here anywhere?I have made a fine peach cobbler as
well as blueberry ones in the D.O.
Oldfivetango

[Toolshed]

So we do baked potatoes on the grill-We take whole potatoes poke a dozen holes in them and rub them with olive oil, We then wrap in foil and place on the grill, start it and the potatoes start cooking while the grill is preheating to 500-600 degree. they usually cook in about 35 minutes. They always seem to come out well.

I have always believed that by poking holes in the potatoes, you let steam out and the steam is caught in the tightly wrapped foil, thereby keeping the skins from burning.

So, I poised your question to my father, who, in the UK back in WWII ate their 2 meals a day consisting mostly of baked potatoes while growing up on a farm (he will eat any kind of potato now except baked). He said the key to keeping the skin from burning is to wrap something around it. So when working the sheep, they would wrap the potatoes in green leaves or field grass and after building a small fire, bury them in the coals.
When digging potatoes (endless job) they would wrap them in potato leaves and stalks and bury them in the fire pit in the AM and they would be ready for lunch. Do the same in the afternoon and they would be ready for dinner. He also said it helps to put a bed of plant material down the base of coals near the bottom of the fire pit and then on top of the potatoes before you shovel the coals back on them.

[WILLIAM HAYES]

punch holes in the potato wrap in tinfoil cover in coals raked out to the edge of the fire

[Dances with Mice]

Nothing like food from a Dutch oven!I am wondering if we have a D.O. cooking thread in here anywhere?I have made a fine peach cobbler as well as blueberry ones in the D.O. OldfivetangoThere's a guy I know that used to enter D.O. cooking competitions, won one, and wrote an on-line cookbook (http://www.freewebs.com/troop152/dutch_oven_recipes.pdf)of beginner (Boy Scouts) D.O. recipes.

He once made ice cream in nested D.O.'s, a big one filled with ice and rock salt and a smaller one inside with the ice cream mix. Didn't win the competition but had fun and got a lot of laughs.

[Chicken Feathers]

Hold potato in hands. Stick in fire. Cook until done. This is a good idea but to get a better cooked potato I would recommend puting middle finger in center of potato place potato of center of fire and slowly rotate your body and this will cause your arm to rotate and that will give you a better baked potato. :-?:-?

[Panzer1]

It can take 45 minutes to an hour or more to bake a potato in a camp fire. If your on the trail you don't really have that kind of time to bake a potato on a camp fire. You have to first collect the wood, build the file and then let it burn down and then keep tending the fire until the potato is done. And there is always the chance that after all that you may over cook the potato.

Panzer

[drastic_quench]

A real dutch oven is the best solution -- one with a raised lip around the cover to hold hot coals. Such are not readily found these days.

Lodge makes a hell of a cast iron dutch oven, and it's commonly available.
http://www.lodgemfg.com/Logic-camp-dutch-ovens.asp
The one's with the hot coal lid are called "camp dutch ovens". The others are more for inside-your-oven use.

[JDCool1]

The easiest and lightest way to prepare potatoes on the trail is to place them direct on the coals. turn after about 30 minutes, crack open after 60 and enjoy.

[Tin Man]

maybe it's just me, but the potato must be done by now :rolleyes:

[Wise Old Owl]

All very good advice, One thing was left out. In scouting we used the aluminum tent pegs as skewers to conduct more heat to the center. And yes you do have time to collect the wood and let it burn down to coals. The secret is "NOT" to collect any stick thicker than your thumb, and gather twice more than you need.

[Lugnut]

As a Scout, back when, we used to wrap potatoes in mud to bake them. It worked fine.

[halibut15]

This is a good idea but to get a better cooked potato I would recommend puting middle finger in center of potato place potato of center of fire and slowly rotate your body and this will cause your arm to rotate and that will give you a better baked potato. :-?:-?

Very good idea! Like a rotisserie potato, almost. :banana

[weary]

This is a good idea but to get a better cooked potato I would recommend puting middle finger in center of potato place potato of center of fire and slowly rotate your body and this will cause your arm to rotate and that will give you a better baked potato. :-?:-?
Come on. Lets not play jokes with one of the few serious threads in days.

Weary

[weary]

Lodge makes a hell of a cast iron dutch oven, and it's commonly available..
Perhaps in the south with it's "four" outlets, but not in Maine. I have a large "Camp dutch oven," a couple of cast iron grills, two cast iron fry pans, and a couple of cast iron muffin tins.

I use them all as appropriate. But non have labels. Most I've used for decades. All are my favorite dishes when appropriate, What else can I tell you?

Weary

[Tin Man]

Come on. Lets not play jokes with one of the few serious threads in days.

Weary

how serious is cooking a potato?? the one in the fire is already cooked beyond recognition