Beans are one of my favorite meals to cook in the kettle over the fire and chili with beans is even better.
I begin by soaking the beans for several hours. I do this in the house where I can easily drain and rinse them. In a camping situation this wouldn't be easily accomplished, unless I wanted to pack a colander. I'll have to think about that. I already drag 600 pounds of gear along to the lake as it is. Fortunately for me, most of my outdoor cooking is done a short walk from my kitchen.
Adjusting the chain and hook that holds the kettle over the fire is complicated, so I set it at the beginning before the water gets hot. After that, I adjust the heat by moving logs apart to reduce the flame or adding small sticks to increase the amount of flame.
Cooking the beans with the lid off gives them a nice smoky flavor. If they begin to boil I reduce the heat. The cast iron holds heat, so the beans continue to cook at a steady simmer. It takes a couple of hours for the beans to cook through and become tender. Once they are tender, it's time to add the rest of the ingredients.
I begin by soaking the beans for several hours. I do this in the house where I can easily drain and rinse them. In a camping situation this wouldn't be easily accomplished, unless I wanted to pack a colander. I'll have to think about that. I already drag 600 pounds of gear along to the lake as it is. Fortunately for me, most of my outdoor cooking is done a short walk from my kitchen.
Adjusting the chain and hook that holds the kettle over the fire is complicated, so I set it at the beginning before the water gets hot. After that, I adjust the heat by moving logs apart to reduce the flame or adding small sticks to increase the amount of flame.
Cooking the beans with the lid off gives them a nice smoky flavor. If they begin to boil I reduce the heat. The cast iron holds heat, so the beans continue to cook at a steady simmer. It takes a couple of hours for the beans to cook through and become tender. Once they are tender, it's time to add the rest of the ingredients.
Frying ground beef in a cast iron skillet over a wood fire is really easy. As long as the fire is hot enough, it's just a matter of turning and stirring the beef until it is thoroughly cooked. I add the spices to the beef so it blends well. After adding the beef and some canned diced tomatoes with green chiles to the kettle, I can adjust the seasoning as it cooks and the flavors meld.
I don't have a chili recipe to offer, yet. I depend on Kathy and Patrick for their seasoning talents.
Our next installment of Outdoor Cooking will be a review of all the tools and gadgets I use to make outdoor cooking easier (and safer, probably). The final installment will be about cooking outdoors with cast iron.
Stephen
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