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Great Thanksgiving Camping Dinner Ideas

ReserveAmerica, Mon Nov 1 2021

Thanksgiving turkey

Everyone looks forward to Thanksgiving so they can experience this holiday feast with family and friends. It’s one of the best times of the year, with generally good weather and yet a little snap in the air to let you know autumn is here. This year there is a way to have it all – a fabulous Thanksgiving meal, friends, family, and the great outdoors. ReserveAmerica shares some ideas for a Thanksgiving dinner around a campfire, making it a true holiday to remember.

Make it Simple and Easy

To save some hassle for your campfire Thanksgiving, you may be able to prepare some of the sides ahead of time at home in your kitchen. You can certainly pre-measure ingredients and store them in individual containers, such as zip lock bags or Tupperware bowls with lids. Anything you can do in advance makes the day that much easier.

The Main Dish – Turkey

There are many ways to prepare a turkey on your campout and we highlight one of those here.

Dutch Oven Roasted Turkey

You will need a large Dutch oven with a wire rack inside that will keep the turkey from touching the floor of the oven. Again, a cooking thermometer is a necessity to ensure it is hot enough.

Create a hot wood fire, using hardwood logs like hickory, oak, or maple. Allow the fire to burn down to coals, which takes about an hour. You can alternately use charcoal, letting it turn grey to be ready for cooking, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
With a thoroughly thawed turkey, rub olive oil on the exterior and interior and then sprinkle with salt, black pepper, sage, garlic, onion, or others of your favorite seasonings. Put an apple or a peeled orange inside the turkey for flavor, but for food safety, make your stuffing separately on the side and do not stuff the turkey.
Place the bird into the Dutch oven. It should not touch the sides as otherwise it won’t heat evenly. Place the coals underneath and on top of the Dutch oven and replenish them as they become ash.
It will take about three hours for a 12-pound turkey. Remove when the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
Allow the bird to remain uncovered for about 20 minutes before carving.

Stuffing

You can always make the stuffing at home before you leave on your trip. And there is nothing wrong with boxed stuffing. It still tastes fine. But you can make some delicious stuffing at the campground. If you have a four-quart Dutch oven, here is one delicious idea:

Sausage and Sage Stuffing

Place the Dutch oven on the grate so as to pre-heat it.
When the oven is hot, add in ½ lb. of sweet sausage, mixing it so it cooks evenly.
Then add a diced onion, cooking it until it’s soft.
Add two minced cloves of garlic, one cup of celery (diced), a third of a cup of chopped sage, two tablespoons of chopped thyme, and 8 tablespoons of butter.
Cook all this for a few minutes before adding a 14-ounce bag of dried bread stuffing, 1 ½ cups of chicken stock, and salt and pepper, mixing well.
Top it all with four tablespoons of butter and cover the Dutch oven, keeping it at least six inches from the hot coals.
Turn the Dutch oven about every 15 minutes so it heats evenly. The top and the sides should get crispy and crunchy in approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

Get Ready for some Delicious Sides

Of course, turkey is the main course of any traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but another important part of the meal is the side dishes. Feasting on this holiday means filling up on meat, vegetables, and rolls. And we can only hope we’ll have room for dessert!

Green Bean Casserole with Peas

Here is a delicious rendition of a classic green bean casserole. You’ll need a four-quart pot for this dish. Cooking it at home before leaving may be a better idea unless you have a way to keep vegetables frozen, like in your RV.

Melt a stick of butter and add a medium onion cut into one-fourth-of-an-inch matchstick pieces. Sweat the onions until they are soft.
Add in eight ounces of mushrooms, sliced, and then season with salt and pepper. Allow to cook through.
Add one pound of green beans and one pound of sweet peas, then 3/4s of a cup of Half & Half. Then season with pepper and salt.
Once it is all thickened and hot, about 25 to 35 minutes, you can serve.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Delicious sweet potatoes are a dish you shouldn’t neglect for Thanksgiving. You’ll need a two-quart pot for this one.

Peel five or six sweet potatoes and then cut them into one-inch cubes.
Place the sweet potato cubes in your pot, cover with water and season them with salt.
Place the pot on the grate and bring water to a boil
Let the potatoes simmer until soft, then pour off the water.
Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or a fork.
Add a half a cup of Half & Half and a stick of butter. Season with salt and pepper and whip together.
Cook for 20 to 30 minutes then cover and set them aside to keep them warm until you are ready to eat them.

Recommended: Top 10 Tips for Campfire Safety

Ginger and Orange Cranberry Sauce

An improved cranberry sauce is one step away. Take the traditional canned cranberry sauce, mix in a tablespoon of grated and fresh ginger, two teaspoons of orange zest and ¼ cup of fresh orange juice. Serve!

Crescent Rolls On a Stick

Everyone can chip in to make these, even the little kids. The rolls are baked over a fire on a stick. Simple and fun!

Sharpen a stick with about eight inches of bark removed. Have an adult use a sharp knife to do this by scraping it perpendicular to the stick.
Take some cooking oil and oil the bare stick.
Wrap Crescent Roll dough around the stick.
Place the stick with the dough close enough to the fire to brown it. Should take about 15 minutes.
Butter them and eat!

Dessert Ideas

If we’re lucky enough to have room for dessert, here are some suggestions that will make anyone’s mouth water. The first idea is a great sweet/salty snack or you can try a fabulous sugar treat that will disappear in no time. These Thanksgiving dinner desserts are simple to make and delicious to boot!

Cracker Jack and Pretzel Yummies

This dessert is perfect for a Thanksgiving camping treat. It might be good to have it made at home and brought along to enjoy after the main meal.

Butter a baking pan. The suggested size is 13” by 9”. Put it aside.
Melt 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Cook for about four to six minutes while stirring frequently until browned.
Take from heat and stir in a 16-ounce bag of marshmallows until they are melted.
Fold in seven cups of Cracker Jacks, four cups of chopped salted mini pretzels, and one cup of cocktail peanuts. Salt with ¾ teaspoon of kosher salt until fully coated.
Transfer the whole mixture to the buttered baking pan, press into an even layer, letting it cool completely before cutting into squares.

Skillet Cookie

Here is a traditional cookie turned into a sort of cake.

Put one cup of butter in a medium skillet and place on the campfire. Stir the butter until it starts to bubble.
Add one cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of sugar and stir until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
Take the skillet off the fire and let it cool for 15 or 20 minutes.
Now add two eggs and one teaspoon of vanilla and stir it well.
Stir in two cups and two tablespoons of flour, one teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of salt.
Mix in ¾ cup of milk chocolate chunks and ¾ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Cover the skillet, put it back on the fire and check it only occasionally until the edges are golden brown and the inside gooey when you check with a toothpick.
Let it cool once removed from fire and ensure it has set before cutting into individual pieces.

Skillet Cookie

Thanksgiving dinner will be a wonderful treat for the whole family when enjoying it over the campfire. Plan your trip and then prepare all your ingredients to take along. This will be a family holiday to remember for years to come

Are you ready for an outdoor adventure? Plan your camping trip!

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