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Frozen Elk Camp Meals

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Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 08 09, 2016 •  [Post 1]

OK, are any of you cats into cooking up some chow for elk camp and then freezing it solid to be unthawed/heated up at camp? Even at a base camp, I'm still kind of a Mountain House guy on many evenings after a long day, but, a nice hot home cooked meal certainly hits the spot from time to time. In the past I like to make up some elk chili (Texas style) but that's usually where my creativity ends. I'm thinking that I may make up some elk sloppy joes and bring a bag of buns to serve it on, perhaps a hearty stew, maybe some bean/bacon soup.

What kind of meals do you guys pre-cook, freeze, and take to elk camp?
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby Charina » 08 09, 2016 •  [Post 2]

Elk stew. But add the potatoes late in the process so they are not fully cooked. The freeze thaw softens them too much if fullly cooked. The pre measured portions are mostly thawed after a couple days and take just a few min to heat on the stove while I fill water and pack food for next day.
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 08 10, 2016 •  [Post 3]

Stew sounds good and nice tip of the tatos. Anybody else bringing some ready made, frozen vittles to camp this year?
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby StuartHunts » 09 12, 2016 •  [Post 4]

So What I would suggest you do is get a vacuum sealer, cook up pretty much anything you want to chow on and then seal it up, then you can freeze it.

To reheat all you need to do is heat up some water and toss in a packet. Once it is heated up, cut open the pouch and eat right from there. Saves you some dishes, even :) Just make sure you pack your trash out with you!

I will post a link to the vacuum sealer buyer's guide that I wrote after researching vacuum sealers when figuring out which to get for myself.
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby Lefty » 09 19, 2016 •  [Post 5]

Memories from when I was a kid at deer camp.
Potato dumplings in kraut. With extra dumplings. Even when we drove to Saskatchewan to deer hunt the Minnesota season was closed. I think all we ate was dumplings, ham and kraut for supper
Our mom use to drive 350 miles for Thanksgiving dinner in deer camp,.. she delivered, most years it was ham not turkey.
Elk camp with my inlaws we were each in charge of an evening meal,.. which ment you were in camp early for supper at dark. But that was all fresh food

Ill make an omelet to put on on bagels. After a hard days hunt I want sleep, not time to cook.
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby saddlesore » 10 06, 2016 •  [Post 6]

A lot of things like lasagna, casseroles, and such can be heated by using a double boiler type arrangement that heats them with boiling water underneath in stead of direct flame.
Also there are some skillet dinners on the market that you add either ground meat or chicken and they are tastier than anything Mountain House markets.
Quick meals like reuben sandwiches, fajitas, burritos are fast and easy. With Ragu or Pregu spaghetti sauce and added ground meat, in fifteen minutes you can have spaghetti or pastas
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby lamrith » 10 06, 2016 •  [Post 7]

Stuart Nailed it. Vacuum Sealer, every hunter should have one, if nothing else for sealing and preserving any meat you do not send to the processor. I bought a Food Saver V2244 off Amazon as a kit for like $65-75 and use it all the time.

Best thing though is advanced meal (breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks) prep. Get decent bags to, heavier thickness the better or look for microwavable ones. Anything you want to eat that does not need to be seared/charred can be done in advance, vac sealed and frozen. Heating up just takes 5-10min in a pot of boiling water.

pulled pork, burnt ends, taco's, sloppy joes, rice, mac n cheese, , mashed taters, chilli, spaghetti, scrambled eggs.

This year I cooked up pulled pork and split it into portions after shredding and without any sauce. Then I took probably 3# of it and threw it in skillet with taco seasoning and let that cook thru. Then Vac sealed it in about 1.5# portions. and froze it. I also got some Uncle Ben's 90sec Spanish rice and cooked it at home, then Vac sealed it and froze it. We got to camp from a long hunt after dark boiled a big pot of water and had a Burrito/nacho bar for dinner in minutes.
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby jmez » 01 26, 2017 •  [Post 8]

Stew
Beef Stroganoff
Spaghetti
Shepards pie
Fajita's
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby saddlesore » 02 03, 2017 •  [Post 9]

I fix a lot of things in camp that can be done quick . Fajitas , stacked sour cream enchiladas, tacos., burritos. Now with the canned sauces like Prego or Ragu, Sphagetti can be fixed in15 minutes. Rueben sandwiches,you just build and grill. Those dehydrated potatoes to make hash browns are pretty quick.Throw on a ham steak that cooks in a fry pan pretty quick and your done.

I can't bring myself to eat out of a plastic bag. Mountain House doesn't seem to have enough variety in their dinners to suit me

I will make pot of pinto beans, diced ham, chile ahead of time. I freeze and thaw to warm up in camp. You sure better not trust a fart after you eat them

2 cups pinto beans cooked in a pressure cooker 1 2 minutes,or two cans pinto beans. ( Don't use the water the beans were cooked with the pressure cooker
A pound of diced ham
4 small cans of diced green chile or 4-6 fresh roasted , frozen diced chiles.
A few slices of jalopena pepper, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can tomatoe sauce
Little bit of salt, garlic, chile powder, greek seasoning, ground sage
1 diced onion( I can't eat them so I omit)
2 cups beef broth

Sim me until you get the consistency you want
Serve with tortillas and honey.
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 02 06, 2017 •  [Post 10]

lamrith wrote:Stuart Nailed it. Vacuum Sealer, every hunter should have one, if nothing else for sealing and preserving any meat you do not send to the processor. I bought a Food Saver V2244 off Amazon as a kit for like $65-75 and use it all the time.

Best thing though is advanced meal (breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks) prep. Get decent bags to, heavier thickness the better or look for microwavable ones. Anything you want to eat that does not need to be seared/charred can be done in advance, vac sealed and frozen. Heating up just takes 5-10min in a pot of boiling water.

pulled pork, burnt ends, taco's, sloppy joes, rice, mac n cheese, , mashed taters, chilli, spaghetti, scrambled eggs.

This year I cooked up pulled pork and split it into portions after shredding and without any sauce. Then I took probably 3# of it and threw it in skillet with taco seasoning and let that cook thru. Then Vac sealed it in about 1.5# portions. and froze it. I also got some Uncle Ben's 90sec Spanish rice and cooked it at home, then Vac sealed it and froze it. We got to camp from a long hunt after dark boiled a big pot of water and had a Burrito/nacho bar for dinner in minutes.


Gotta say, one of the very best camp meals I've had. I may invite Lamrith to our camp again in 2017 (if he reproduce that dish) ;)
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby Swede » 02 08, 2017 •  [Post 11]

I take home pre-cooked beans and soup or stew. I also have frozen meat and about every thing else you have at home. M.H. meals are only for spike camp. I don't choose M.H. meals, but some things taste very good. My main meal is usually mid day when I come in to camp. If I stay out, it is a sack lunch and snacks.
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby lamrith » 02 09, 2017 •  [Post 12]

Phantom16 wrote:
lamrith wrote:Stuart Nailed it. Vacuum Sealer, every hunter should have one, if nothing else for sealing and preserving any meat you do not send to the processor. I bought a Food Saver V2244 off Amazon as a kit for like $65-75 and use it all the time.

Best thing though is advanced meal (breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks) prep. Get decent bags to, heavier thickness the better or look for microwavable ones. Anything you want to eat that does not need to be seared/charred can be done in advance, vac sealed and frozen. Heating up just takes 5-10min in a pot of boiling water.

pulled pork, burnt ends, taco's, sloppy joes, rice, mac n cheese, , mashed taters, chilli, spaghetti, scrambled eggs.

This year I cooked up pulled pork and split it into portions after shredding and without any sauce. Then I took probably 3# of it and threw it in skillet with taco seasoning and let that cook thru. Then Vac sealed it in about 1.5# portions. and froze it. I also got some Uncle Ben's 90sec Spanish rice and cooked it at home, then Vac sealed it and froze it. We got to camp from a long hunt after dark boiled a big pot of water and had a Burrito/nacho bar for dinner in minutes.


Gotta say, one of the very best camp meals I've had. I may invite Lamrith to our camp again in 2017 (if he reproduce that dish) ;)

An invite I will gladly take! I will see what other wild concoctions I can come up with as well.
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Sportsman's Vital Impact 300spine

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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby nolanjs55@gmail.com » 03 07, 2017 •  [Post 13]

we pre make all of our food and them put them in backpack style cook bags. This allows you to freeze your meals, put them in cooler and then that morning what I do is take one out and let it thaw in the truck to be ready when we get back. All we do at camp is boil water and drop in the bag, it heats up in the bag and then we just pout it onto a tortilla or plate. This allows for very minimal cleanup and less water use as you can put a lid on your boiling pot and re use the water the next night. a simple camp stove heats our big pot of water in 5-10 min

We make things like ground taco meat, chili, hamburger mac n cheese etc. bags are super cheap on this site too.

http://www.packitgourmet.com/CookIn-Bags.html
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Re: Frozen Elk Camp Meals

Postby lamrith » 03 07, 2017 •  [Post 14]

nolanjs55@gmail.com wrote:we pre make all of our food and them put them in backpack style cook bags. This allows you to freeze your meals, put them in cooler and then that morning what I do is take one out and let it thaw in the truck to be ready when we get back. All we do at camp is boil water and drop in the bag, it heats up in the bag and then we just pout it onto a tortilla or plate. This allows for very minimal cleanup and less water use as you can put a lid on your boiling pot and re use the water the next night. a simple camp stove heats our big pot of water in 5-10 min

We make things like ground taco meat, chili, hamburger mac n cheese etc. bags are super cheap on this site too.

http://www.packitgourmet.com/CookIn-Bags.html

NICE!! Those look like they could be use with Vacsealer too, and indents for tear off.. NICE.. I might have to look into a few of those to experiment with.
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