I was cleaning up some old posts and found these; compiled for your cooking pleasure. Am sorely disappointed the 'Man Meals' thread we had awhile back is no longer; enjoy. Some good links here too. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />
From John Smith
Easy Grilled Chicken Ingredients:
Your favorite Chicken Pieces
1 large bottle of Italian salad Dressing
Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry. Throw into a Ziplock freezer bag or other leakproof device with the entire bottle of salad dressing. Place in cooler and let marinade at least 8 hours before you plan to eat.
Cook up on your small portable grill and enjoy!
More Complex:
Fajitas in the woods: I do all of the prep either in the morning before the days trail run or at home if it is a weekend trip.
Ingredients:
Boneless Chicken Breast
Skirt or Flank Steak
Red, Yellow, Green or a mix of Bell Peppers
Onion
Fajita Marinade Mix
Shredded Jack and Chedder Cheese
Flour and or Corn Tortillas
Your favorite salsa
Canola Oil or other high temp oil
Fajita pan, cast iron pan, or other hightemp pan
Long metal tongs
Two Burner Campstove
1. Prepare fajita marinade as per instructions on packet, I use the dry spice packet that you add water and oil to. You can also buy premade bottled marinade if you wish. Set aside.
2. Cut up all your vegtables into manageable fajita size pieces and put into a Ziplock style bag or other air tight container.
3. Cut up the steak making sure you cut it against the grain of the meat into thin fajita style slices. Put into ziplock or other leakproof container with other half of marinade.
4. Cut up the chicken into thin fajita style slices. Put into its own ziplock bag or leakproof container with other half of marinade.
To Cook: Turn your camp stove on full whack on one burner and preheat your pan, once you can put a drop of water on it and it sizzles away right away it is hot enough. Add a little oil and let it get hot. Bust out your long metal tongs so you don't get burned by sizzling hot oil. Cook up your veggies first then set aside. While you are cooking your meat start to heat your tortillas on the other burner. Simply place them over a low flame and keep flipping till warmed through.
Once everything is cooked make up your fajitas and enjoy the looks of envy from the folks eating beenie weenies.
Lastly, for the truly adventurous backwoods cook.
Shrimp on the exhaust manifold for a trail lunch
Ingredients:
Shrimp
Seafood seasoning (Old Bay)
Heavy Duty Aluminum foil
Bailing wire or other wire
Wood Skewers (optional)
Presoak your wood skewers in water for half and hour before prep.
Rinse, peel and devein the shrimp, pat dry
Skewer shrimp
Add Old Bay seasoning or your favorite seasoning
Wrap very well in heavy duty aluminum foil
To Cook: About 15 or 20 minutes before you would like to eat tie your foil pack to the top of your exhaust manifold with the wire. Note: BE CAREFUL your exhaust manifold will be very hot. Wear welding gloves or otehr heavy leather gloves to do this. Check your shrimp after about 10 minutes and flip over to cook other side. Don't overcook or your shrimp will be very tough.
Enjoy plain or with cocktail sauce!
Side note: I have seen a few Australian trucks with special boxes attached to exhaust manifolds for cooking. This method of cooking seems to be popular among some in the outback. Here is an example:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~dietinfo/exhaust_manifold_oven.htm **** From toowacky
Okay, not a home-made recipe, but if you like spicy food, these
Tasty Bite meals are great. Pre-cooked, ready-to-eat, they come in plastic/foil packs. Boil the pack for a couple of minutes, cook a little instant rice/potatoes/couscous, take out the packet tear open and pour over and enjoy. I do a lot of back-packing, and these have really livened up my menu. Easy to pack, too. Most are vegetarian (and as such sometimes are found in the health/natural foods section), but add some chx or other meat to taste.
Marinade Suggestions (from a variety of readers, incl. yours truly)
I prefer cooking over wood when I can, like birch or aspen (indigenous here). Trick is without the bark; I smoke fish that way.
Coals with a little wood chip smoke about halfway thru the process gives a nice flavor. I also save my stems from harvesting sage and rosemary for chicken.
I like to rub in some Montreal Steak Seasoning and sage after a marinade, usually with teriyaki. I'll get a mini bottle of cognac once in awhile for a thick steak, but I'd recommend that as an experiment rather than for doing something nice for your sweetie.
**** I don't buy bbq sauce; make my own IF I want it. I prefer dry rubs.
Find out how she wants her steak, you may have a difference in preference, so how they go on the grill and come off at the same time is something to think about.
If you want to try something different on the grill (this is a killer camping dish) get some Cornish hens. Marinate them in a mixture of milk, papaya, mango, pineapple, onion, garlic, rosemary and a really good shot of scotch (whisky) for about 10 hours. Grill turning frequently after searing. A tasty rice side dish and fresh dinner rolls. You will need a dutch oven for the rice and bread.
**** Carne Asada-Mexico style!!!! super thinly sliced skirt steak. Marinate with slices of onion, cilantro, oranges, peper, dash of salt (can dry meat though), lots of lemon juice, steak seasoning, and for an added kick, a can of beer Let it sit overnight, and cook it on the grill. Then you can dice it up in small chunks. Make some fresh salsa (tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapenos, guacamole, salt and peper and lemon juice), some beans, tortillas, cook some green onions on the grill and eat them like that or can put some salt and lemon on them, dice up some cabbage, and make yourself a hell of a mexico-style carne asada taco.
We have found that a light brushing of olive oil on both sides, with a healthy application of Adobo, then some fresh ground pepper and cook as others have suggested works wonders.
Adobo is a Hispanic seasoning (actually it has several herbs and spices), easily available at any supermarket in the spice or Mexican section. It's great on many things, esp eggs.
**** From a real foodie, azrain
Porterhouse, Rib Eye or Del Monico, no bone-in. Get a GOOD cut of beef, if you can, go to a dedicated butcher shop for steaks.
Wrap steaks in cotton towels and "age" in the refrigerator for two to three days.
Get the grill nice and hot, add some mesquite chips (soaked in water for a few hours prior of course) and grill. Now, here's the deal. There's going to be fire and smoke and all kinds of crap happening, ease your mind, DO NOT FLIP THE STEAK! Give it three minutes or so, then give it the flip. Searing the outside of the steak is key to a "restaurant" steak. Let the other side sear then flip every minute or so thereafter until it is done to your (or your wife's) taste. Anything cooked over medium is bad for steak, it "boils" the inside. Take the steak off the grill and let them sit on a plate for a few minutes before serving.
So, plain steak isn't tasty enough 'eh? Well, I hate to see a good piece of beef ruined by "catsup", but if you must, try this:
1/4 cup of Worstechire sauce
1 tsp. of brown sugar
1/4 cup of dark beer
1 tbsp. of mustard (good stuff, not French's in a squeeze bottle)
salt
pepper
two cloves of roasted garlic, creamed
one half sprig of rosemary
Mix it up good and serve in a dish on the side.
Side dishes:
Roast garlic mashed sweet potatoes and some flash steamed asparagus.
**** Here is one recipe I found with a quick google on "beer can chicken".
http://www.outofthefryingpan.com/recipes/chicken.beer.butt.shtml I put a cut lemon in the cavity with some fresh rosemary sprigs and my spice mix is quite a bit different than the above link.
If you really want to learn how to cook on a grill I highly recommend you check out Steven Raichlen's books on the subject of grilling. After reading his books and using his techniques I have taken my gilling to a whole new level. His book "How to Grill" taught me I did not really know anything about how to grill. You cook some of the dishes in his book and your signifcant other / friends and family will beg you to be the grill master.
Here is a link:
http://www.bbqu.net/ **** Other Stuff for the Barby Mix:
1 can sprite
some soy sauce (probably 1/4 to 1/3 cup)
garlic powder
Marinate for a couple of hours and grill. I've only ever used it on chicken, but I'd imagine it's good on pork, too.
**** Dry Rub:
All measurements are a guess, I don't necessarily measure anything.
1 cup of brown sugar
2 to 4 tbsp. Mrs. Dash
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
Cayenne Powder (to taste, I use a lot, like 3 tbsp.)
1/2 tsp. ground fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. Sea Salt
1 tbsp. fresh ground mixed pepper
Mix thoroughly. Good for ribs and brisket.
Hamburger mix
In a food processor add two to three lbs. of stew meat, london broil, skirt steak, etc.
Add:
4 tbsp. Dried Onion
1 to 2 tbsp. Worstechire Sauce
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
Pulse the food processor until the meat is "chopped" and everything is mixed. Form patties, cook over charcoal and mesquite chunks. Best med. rare to medium.
**** Catalina salad dressing + teriyaki + honey for chicken and ribs
Cajun boil seasoning for chicken and pork; add cayenne for how hot you want it.
Cajun boil seasoning + dried minced onion + w'sauce for burgers
Montreal steak seasoning + sage for steak dry rub
Zeus Greek Seasoning is a shelf favorite
www.zeusfoods.com makes for nice tasty wings!