Campsite Cooking: Easy Carne Asada on the Dunedin Causeway

Location: Dunedin Causeway, Dunedin, Florida

For years my camping menu was noodles and hot dogs. Every trip. I got tired of eating like that, and I started trying to eat healthier for reasons we won’t get into. (My wife called me fat. You didn’t need to know that.) So I started a little outdoor cooking show: easy recipes you can make fast at a campsite, with a bit of prep at home.

Episode one, on August 18, 2019: carne asada on the Dunedin Causeway, with Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island just across the water.

Take two

Full disclosure, this was our second attempt. We were out here the Sunday before, and my cameraman David’s battery died, then the SD card filled up after three minutes. I also forgot my spatula. This time I forgot my spatula again, plus the tongs. It’s not a professional cooking show.

So we cooked with a knife and, briefly, my fingers. Don’t use your fingers. It’s hot.

The prep that makes it easy

The whole trick is doing the work at home. I bought one big flank steak at Costco (great price), cut it into small, manageable strips, and threw it in a one-gallon freezer bag with the seasoning. At camp it comes out of the cooler ready to go.

Buying in bulk is a great move when several people share a campsite, because it makes everything cheaper for everybody. And if you plan your meals, you can bring less food and still have everything you need.

Four minutes to dinner

Into a hot pan it goes. That sizzle is the sound you want to hear. Thin strips cook fast, so you only need about four minutes. Then slice it up and you’re done.

I’m in Florida, where basically the only time humans can go outside without perishing in August is the evening, and even that’s a crapshoot. On the beach you also need a contained flame, so this was a camp stove job. Once it cools off around November and December, I’ll be cooking over open fire a lot more.

Turn it into three meals

Thick-cut carne asada, done. You can eat it as is, which is what I did, because it’s pure protein and I’m watching my figure. Or wrap it in tortillas, because this would make killer tacos. Or boil up some pasta, stir in a little sour cream, and turn it into a quick stroganoff.

CONCLUSION

You don’t have to live on hot dogs at camp. Prep one bag at home, bring a pan and a stove, and you’re four minutes from a real dinner that turns into tacos or stroganoff the next night. Pack your tongs, unlike me. Watch the whole (unprofessional) cooking show above, and if you’ve got an easy, at least moderately healthy camp recipe, leave it in the YouTube comments and I’ll give it a whirl.