How to Cook Hobo Style
Hobo style cooking offers the flexibility of cooking in the oven, on the grill or over a campfire. By cooking your meal in foil pouches you are able to control portion size or adjust ingredients in an individual serving, without altering the rest of the meal. Foil pouches trap moisture in with your food preventing the food from drying out; this allows you to cook with a very small amount of added fat creating healthier meals. Also, because foil wrap takes the place of pots and pans, cooking hobo style makes clean-up a snap. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Heavy-duty foil
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Meat
- Vegetables
- Potato
- Butter or cooking spray
- Baking sheet
Instructions
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1
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and choose the ingredients you will include in your packs.
A standard foil pack will include your choice of meat, vegetables and potato.
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2
Wash and trim vegetables.
Remove all stems and bruises from your produce. Cut all vegetables into bite-size pieces. Slice potatoes into ¼ inch thick slices. Summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant and mushrooms all make tasty additions.
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3
Remove skin from chicken to accommodate this cooking method. Prepare your selected meat.
Use a sharp knife to trim any excess fat and remove skin from chicken. Good meat choices could include chicken breast or thighs, ground meat patties, pork chops or fish.
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4
Use heavy-duty foil.
This foil is larger and stronger than a standard size roll allowing you to seal your packets much easier and prevent tearing. Cut one sheet of foil for each pack you are creating. Each foil sheet should be approximately 18 inches square.
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5
Place two pats of butter in the center of each foil sheet.
If you are trying to reduce fat in your diet, you can spray the foil with cooking spray instead.
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6
Lay six slices of potato in a line down the center of each sheet.
Allow the edges of the potato to overlap to conserve space. Red potatoes are the best choice for this method of cooking because they remain moist and tender after cooking.
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7
Pile vegetables on top of your potatoes.
Add any desired herbs or seasonings. Some tasty herb blends would include Cajun, Italian, curry, taco seasoning, garlic salt, lemon pepper or Jamaican jerk. This cooking method also allows you to adjust the spiciness in each serving according to taste.
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8
Season your meat and lay it on top of the rest of your food.
The thickness of your meat should not exceed ¾ inch to ensure proper cooking.
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9
Lift two ends of the foil to meet in the center.
Fold edge over three times and press to seal. Fold each open end three times to seal and check for any air-gaps. The steam must remain inside your pack for proper cooking.
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10
Place packs on a baking sheet and into your preheated oven.
Allow them to cook undisturbed for one hour. Remove from oven and serve directly from pack to plate.
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Tips & Warnings
When cooking on a grill or over an open fire, check food periodically for doneness.
Use caution when opening cooked packs to avoid being burned by the escaping steam.
References
- Photo Credit Eising/Photodisc/Getty Images Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images
