Cooking at a Summer Camp

Cooking at a Summer Camp

Getting Ready for a Cookout 

   

  Today, I am reflecting on one of the aspects of my job as a camp counselor. While going camping and going to camp are two completely different things, both are important to me. When camping, I am usually too lazy to cook real meals. At camp, cooking is not my job—except on Wednesday nights. Those are when we have our weekly and rather infamous cookouts. Every week, we are responsible for building a fire and cooking hobo pies in it. Sometimes we have to cook for over twenty campers and counselors; other times, our campfire makes up seven.

     At work, I have obnoxiously named myself “The Queen of Fire” because of my success at this one part of the job. This meal can be a challenge some weeks, and without specific actions, it becomes painstaking chore. At the camp where I work, everyone meets as the last event for the day before returning to their cabins to get ready for bed. Before we can meet on Wednesday nights, everyone has to finish their cookout, which can be at later times than other nights. The latest night I can remember was waiting until after 9 p.m. to begin our final event. To save future counselors from this situation, which is not fun for anyone, I am going to write about what seems to help at my cookouts.

     At cookouts, the tasks seem extremely simple at first glance. Do not fall into that trap! The fire has to be built, maintained, reduced to coals, and then rebuilt for s’mores. (What else would we serve for dessert?) The food has to be reviewed, organized, and prepared. Each camper has their own hobo pie, filled with the food they choose, so the person or people responsible for cooking the food are preparing individual meals for everyone. 

My Friend Lemlem Cooking Hobo Pies

     
     There should be a specific area and job for everyone. The first task is to build the fire. The campers are at camp to have a good time and to learn important character traits. Cookouts can help build responsibility and pride of ownership in the kids. Give them jobs to gather different types of fuel for the fire, and then teach them how to build the fire. During this time, one counselor should be put in charge of the fire, and another counselor should be put in charge of the food. Another counselor should be responsible for leading games. Sometimes this job is good for CITs (counselors in training), which is a good way for them develop leadership attributes.

     The person responsible for food and for entertaining the campers should give them a number. They can count each one off, so all have a different number, or they can assign a range of numbers, so all are divided into small groups. This will make sure everyone is fed, and everything is completed without too much chaos.

     Once the largest logs on the fire seem to be burning down, begin preparing each plate. This is best when there is good communication between the counselor responsible for food and the one for fire. At the station for food, call a sequence of numbers or one of the groups over, and give each camper a piece of aluminum foil about 1.5-feet in length.  Let them decide what they want on their pie. All of the food should be laid out for them to see and choose. Have one counselor designated for meat and another counselor for vegetables. Once the meat is passed out, we use hamburger, have the campers tear it into loose, small pieces. This is to reduce cooking time and will create a more evenly cooked meal.

     Do not worry, all food allergies or specific needs are met and made aware at the beginning of the week, and are prepared for by other staff before the campfire begins, so this should not be an issue.

After the kids have made their pies and have wrapped them in aluminum foil, send them to the person in charge of the fire. There, the counselor will place each pie on the coals, and each kid will be responsible for remembering where their pie is. It is not a perfect situation, but it is usually the easiest and most accurate method we have used.

     The person in charge of the fire and cooking the food usually judges the cooking time. I have been told to judge it based on its sound, but after a few years of doing this, I still do not know what exactly to listen for. To me, judge the time by the size and shape of the pie. Small, thin pies will take little time to cook, while thicker pies will take more time. Sometimes they will take 20 minutes to cook, but that is the case for every situation. The fire’s temperature is also important. Leave one part of it burning to make sure that more coals can be added to the cooking area if needed. If the cooking counselor believes that a pie is ready, call over the campers whose pies were in that area. They should be given a plate and pie to be checked by another counselor.

     When one group leaves the station to make their pie and goes to the fire, call another group, so that the kids will be able to eat around the same time. After the last group of campers leave the first station, and after the counselors are sure all kids have made a pie, then the counselors can begin preparing their food. Less structure is required for this part, and it is much easier.

     To make sure everything goes smoothly, make sure that each counselor has a part that they want to do or are considered knowledgeable of that part. Sometimes there can be disagreements over how to best run the cookout. Remember, each counselor by the time camp starts is taught how to do each activity, and therefore can provide an informed perspective and idea. There is not a “best way” to do the cookout, and cooperation helps everything function better.  If there is one rule for a good, successful cookout, it would be to make sure everyone is involved throughout the event.

     This has been set up from the perspective of a counselor for other counselors, but the meal itself is easy and can be completed at home.

A Finished Hobo Pie