Fires, food, and friendship… three things that warm the soul.
Alright, had to start this epic recipe with a little cheese… we crafted this dish while camping on Lake Superior this winter. The air was bitter cold, but this delicious meal kept us cozy as we sat by the fire! Read on for how we put together the epitome of Midwest comfort food.
The Goods
Fresh: we chose white onions, green peppers, and a tomato. For easier transportation, we packed them in whole and chopped right before cooking.
Pro tip: for easier storage (especially in the winter), bring precut, frozen veggies. We prefer fresh produce if possible, but have often opted for frozen when packing farther in or cooking multiple days out from buying.
Tortillas: any type will do! Gluten free, whole grain, white… etc. Tortillas are a staple in our backpacking grocery list due to their easy storage compared to fluffy bread. Some of our favorite memories are sharing a PB & J tortilla sandwich after a hard trek in.
Meat: once again, the easier the better! We invested a bit more to buy sirloin strips for fajitas. These were precut, already seasoned, and refrigerated – ready to toss on the fire. You, of course, can substitute for a cheaper option (like chicken) if preferred.
Cheese: we prefer creamy, melty cheese on our sandwiches, so we opted for Gruyère! This cheese is one of our absolute favorites on any warm meal (lookin’ at you, Mac n Cheese) since it melts so smooth.
Seasoning: fajita seasoning packets are cheap and easy to throw in any bag; we also keep salt & pepper on hand when camping.
Corn: we found frozen, precut corn on the cob. Easy to pack, ready to throw on the fire: a win-win in our book.
Butter: salted butter preserves better, although unsalted works just as well for cooking. We always choose salted butter on longer treks and skip the added sodium on shorter hikes.
Gear: fire, firewood and kindling, lighter, grate for cooking, tin foil, cutting board, knife, tongs (optional), cheese shredder (optional)
The How-To
Build your fire: we chose to cook our fajitas over a campfire with a grate. This is a basic setup at many campsites, but it’s always a good idea to double-check ahead of time what will be offered at your site.
We’ll get into the nitty-gritty of Building a Campfire 101 in a future post, but for now, we’ll highlight the basics: lots of kindling (a camp cook’s most helpful asset), firewood (grab it local!), a lighter or matches (if your luck is as poor as mine, bring both)… and patience (truly is a virtue).
Prep the food: dice the produce, cut meat into strips, and add seasoning.
Cook the meat: create tinfoil boats for the steak and veggies. Add a small amount of oil or butter first to prevent sticking. Top veggies with butter, salt, and pepper. Place the steak in one boat and the veggies in another to allow for differing cook times. Start the meat about 5-10 minutes before adding the veggies, turn frequently to prevent burning.
To cook the corn, simply place directly on grate, topping with butter and seasoning.
Spice it up! For extra flavor, add avocado, salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce, cilantro, sliced jalapeños, lime juice, and guacamole to your finished fajitas.
Wrap up your flavorful fajitas by filling tortillas with steak, cheese, and veggies, wrapping in tin foil, and heating over the fire. Your toasty dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Enjoy!
Yum! Looks heavenly (and oh so cheesy!)