How to Make Bean Hole Stew

You are camping in the woods and plan a whole day of activity. You don’t want to spend the afternoon cooking a meal, so you prepare your favorite stew recipe, then let it slow cook all day in a bean hole. When you return at dinnertime, a hearty meal is well done and ready to eat. Sound easy? It really is. It’s a slow cooker for the outdoors.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Shovel
• Matches or lighter
• Rocks
• Wood
• Covered pot with a wire handle
• Your favorite stew recipe

1. Clear an area near your campsite for a fire and dig a hole 1 1/2 feet wider and one foot deeper than the pot you plan to cook in.

2. Line the hole with dry, flat non-explosive rocks.

3. Build a fire in the hole and keep adding wood until the bean pot hole is filled with embers and the rocks are super hot.

4. While the fire is burning, prepare your stew recipe in a covered metal pot with a wire handle.

5. When the rocks are hot enough, shovel the embers out of the hole and place the tightly sealed stew filled pot inside the bean pot hole. Make sure the handle is standing upright.

6. Shovel the embers back into the bean pot hole around the stew pot then bury all but the top of the handle with dirt. Compact the dirt well. Add more dirt if you see any steam.

7. Wait at least six hours before digging the stew pot out of the bean pot hole. Don’t worry about leaving it longer, it won’t overcook.

8. At dinnertime, pull the stew pot from the bean pot hole and enjoy a great camp meal.

Tips & Warnings

• Start the bean pot stew in the evening for lunch the next day.
• Try making camp beans in the bean pot hole. Parboil the beans first though.
• Make sure local regulations allow an open campfire.
• Be sure to clear all combustibles away from the bean pot hole before you start a fire.
• When finished using the bean pot hole, extinguish any live embers with water and fill in the hole.

Resources

• Penobscot bean hole cooking
• Bean hole beans

[showpup]

on 12/4/2007 Awesome idea. This would be excellent for a boy scout troop or homeschool activity as well. 5 stars.