Forget Fast Food or Gas Station Munchies

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY DILLON HOUCK

Journey with me into a memory as I paint a picture likely not unfamiliar to any off-road or overland traveler; you’re on the sixth hour of a multi-day drive, approaching the entrance gate for the BLM land on which you plan to set up camp for the night. Only about twenty more minutes of driving up a solemn dirt road, and you’ll reach your targeted coordinates and begin to set up camp.

Now if you’re anything like me, after hours of sitting in the driving seat, two things are battling for dominance in your mind—getting out and stretching, and actually cooking your next meal. While a PB&J can go a long way in times of desperation, few meals compare to those prepped upon arrival in the great outdoors. With just a little pre-planning, even twenty minutes of effort combined with a few simple ingredients that are easy to keep on hand can yield tailgate cuisine that won’t disappoint.

To prove my point, I’m going to run you through my simple yet satisfying menu plan from a recent overnight outing. This consisted of dinner on arrival, breakfast the next morning, and a late lunch before my return drive back to the unfortunate reality of an upcoming work week.

Before we get to the menu, let’s first talk about the tools of the trade - what I use to feed myself out of the back of my rig. My camp cooking setup consists of the following:

• My stove is a tried-and-true Coleman Classic 2-burner camp stove I got from my grandmother for my 17th birthday.

• Propane comes from an Ignik 5-lb mini-tank mounted to my swing-out rear tire carrier. It’s refillable and also fuels my ammo-can burn-ban-compliant campfire, which eliminates the waste of those little green bottles!