Campfire Cheeseburger Foil Packets with Potatoes, Onions and Pickle Sauce
Layer sliced potatoes and onions in foil, top with a seasoned beef patty and butter, and seal tight. Cook the packets on medium coals for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping once, until the beef hits 160°F and the potatoes are tender. Melt cheddar on top for 2 minutes and finish with pickle sauce. Total time is about 50 minutes.
This is a whole cheeseburger dinner in one packet. A seasoned patty sits on a bed of thin potatoes and onions, and the beef juices soak down into everything. You get the burger flavor without buns, flipping or a greasy grill grate.
The quick pickle sauce is what makes it taste like a burger stand. Mix it at camp in a minute. Everyone opens their own packet, so cleanup is just foil and a bowl.
Campfire Cheeseburger Foil Packets with Potatoes, Onions and Pickle Sauce
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- Medium coals
- Pack weight
- 4 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler required
- No stove
- Low water
- One-pan cleanup
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
Tap an item to copy it for your shopping list or a store search.
Gear you'll need
- heavy-duty foil
- grill grate for the fire
- long tongs
- heat-proof gloves
- instant-read thermometer
- cutting board and knife
- mixing bowls
- small bowl for sauce
Steps
-
Burn down coals
Build a fire and let it burn to medium coals with a few flames left, about 30 to 40 minutes. You want steady heat you can hold your hand over for 5 to 6 seconds.
-
Mix the sauce
Stir the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, chopped pickles and brine in a small bowl. Cover it and keep it in the cooler until serving.
-
Shape the patties
Gently mix the beef with the Worcestershire, garlic powder, paprika, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Form 4 patties about 1/2 inch thick, then wash your hands and anything the raw beef touched with hot soapy water.
-
Build the packets
Double each foil sheet and brush the center with oil. Toss the potatoes and onions with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and layer them on the foil. Set a patty on top and add 2 pieces of butter.
-
Seal tightly
Fold the foil over and crimp the edges in tight, double-folded seams. Leave a little air space inside so steam can circulate.
-
Cook on coals
Set the packets on a grill grate over the coals or nestle them into the edge of the coals. Cook 30 to 35 minutes, flipping once at the halfway mark and rotating them if one side runs hotter.
-
Check the temperature
Carefully open one packet, away from your face, and poke the potatoes with a fork. Test the patty with an instant-read thermometer. It must read 160°F. Reseal and cook 5 more minutes if it needs it.
-
Melt and finish
Top each patty with cheddar and pickle slices. Close the foil loosely and let it sit on the grate for 2 minutes. Spoon the pickle sauce over the top and eat from the foil.
Trail Notes
Slice the potatoes and onions at home and keep them in a zip bag in the cooler. Mix the sauce ahead too. Keep raw beef at 40°F or below and cook it within 24 hours, or freeze the patties and let them thaw in the cooler.
Use ground turkey in place of beef, but cook it to 165°F and add 5 minutes. Sweet potatoes also work. Slice them a bit thinner so they finish with the beef.
Freeze the patties solid at home and cook them the first night while they keep the rest of your food cold. Skip the mayonnaise sauce on later nights and use ketchup and mustard instead.
Use an existing fire ring and let the coals burn down fully. Pack out all used foil once it cools, since it does not burn away. Drown the ashes until they are cold to the touch.
Campers ask
How long do hamburger foil packets take on a campfire?
Plan on 30 to 35 minutes over medium coals, flipping once. The beef must reach 160°F and the potatoes should be fork-tender.
Why are my foil packet potatoes still hard?
The slices are usually too thick or the coals too cool. Cut them 1/4 inch thick, seal the foil tightly so they steam, and cook a few more minutes over hotter coals.
Can I cook burger foil packets on a camp stove?
It works on a grill grate or griddle over medium heat, but the foil can scorch and tear on a bare burner. A campfire grate or camp grill is more reliable.
Cooked it? Rate & review it.
Your rating helps the next camper pick dinner. Got an idea to make it better? Tell us below — good ones get added to the recipe with credit to you.