Normally when you try cooking ground beef on a kebab over a campfire, the meat drips fat and causes campfire flare-ups. Hamburger on a kebab stick also shrinks as it cooks, becoming loose and sometimes dropping off the stick. Never fear, because it is possible to make kebabs using ground beef meatballs interspersed with chunks of tender vegetables to roast over your campfire. The secret is preparation and planning ahead.
Step 1
Make ground beef meatballs using your favorite ingredients and seasonings before you leave home. Cook the meatballs, then freeze them in a plastic zip bag. You can also use frozen, prepared meatballs available at the supermarket. By using precooked meatballs, you avoid possible bacterial contamination from undercooked meat, and the meatballs will thread onto skewers in one piece.
Step 2
Wash and precut vegetable chunks for the kebabs at home, and take them in plastic zip bags in the cooler. Only prepare veggies that won’t discolor in storage, such as onions, carrots, summer squash and small tomatoes. Use canned new potatoes if children will be along, because they skewer easily and they heat quickly over the campfire.
Step 3
Start the fire early when you arrive at your campsite so it has plenty of time to burn down to coals for cooking. Build a small fire in an appropriate place and follow your campground’s fire safety rules.
Step 4
Assemble the kebabs while the fire burns down to coals. Thread the thawed meatballs onto a skewer stick along with vegetable chunks and pieces of solid fruit such as pineapple or fresh peach quarters. Place fruits and fragile foods near the ends of the kebabs where the heat concentration will be less.
Step 5
Cook the kebabs by placing them on a grate over the campfire, or hold long-handled skewer sticks over the coals. Have aluminum foil handy in case a wayward kebab needs to be rescued. Simply transfer the pieces of food from the skewer to the foil and wrap to make a cooking pouch you can then place on the coals to finish cooking.
Tips and Warnings
- Freeze the meatballs and use them instead of extra ice in your cooler. Use heavy mitts or welders’ gloves for protection when you handle hot items. Instead of canned potatoes, bake some extra potatoes in your campfire coals the night before you make kebabs, and store them in the cooler after they have air-cooled. Cut the soft potatoes into chunks for easy skewering when it’s kebab time.
- Remember the campfire cooking adage that coals cook and flames burn. Let your campfire burn down so you can use the coals for cooking and avoid scorching your food.
Things You'll Need
- Commercially prepared frozen meatballs, optional
- Seasonings
- Vegetables and fruits
- Can opener, optional
- Knife
- Long-handled skewers
- Thick oven mitts or welding gloves
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
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