In our house we like a pretty simple Hobo packet. We typically stick with baby red potatoes, canned corn and hamburger meat. But you can put any vegetable you like in them. When we were camping a few weeks back I did zucchini, squash, baby reds and hamburger. They tasted great! Here is what you will need for a successful Hobo meal:
Cookie Sheet
Reynolds Wrap
Pam
Variety of Veggies (I’m using baby red potatoes and canned corn)
Hamburger
Butter
Spices
The first step is to make the hamburger meat. I like to use an 85/15 ground beef for this. The fat runs off and adds flavor to the vegetables. This part can be as simple or as complex as you would like. I just add some hamburger season, salt and pepper. Then I mix it all together and set aside.
Next – tear off large pieces of tinfoil. One for each meal you are going to make. Lay them flat on a counter or table and spray one side with Pam. Slice up your potatoes and lay them on the bottom. These take the longest to cook so make sure you are cutting them thin. Thick ones will take forever and your meat can dry out from overcooking. If you are using carrots I’d slice them thin too so that they can cook faster. Once my taters are sliced up in each packet (usually 3-4 baby reds depending on the size of them) I like to add a dollop of butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Next is where you can add any vegetable you would like. I did canned corn because that’s what I had on hand. I wold not use any other canned vegetable. All other vegetables should be fresh. I scoop some corn out and place it on top of the potatoes.
Then I go back to the hamburger meat and start making thin hamburger patties. The thinner the burger the quicker it will cook. Try to make the thickness consistent or you could end up with a raw center. Once my patties are made I place them on top of the mound of food and then close up the packet. If you are cooking your meal in the oven, preheat the oven to 375F, place on a cookie sheet (in case you have butter or hamburger juice drip out of the packet this will contain it) and bake for about 45 minutes or until potatoes and meat are done. On the grill, cook over medium for about a half hour or so until potatoes and meat are done.
While these do take some time to cook they are delicious. And you can even make it all the night before and then just take the packets out of the fridge and cook when you get home. It’s an easy dinner that requires very little supervision while it cooks.
