Steak and Potato Foil Packets for Campfire or Grill

This foil packet dinner with steak, potatoes, red pepper and onions cooks over the campfire for a deliciously easy camping meal.

This classic meat and potatoes dish is perfect for your next camping trip because it cooks right over the campfire (or grill) and requires no clean up.

The foil packets can be prepped ahead of time so all you need to do it throw the packets over the campfire to cook! Check out my tips for making this before your trip here.

Campfire foil packets are a great choice for easy camping dinners, however sometimes I’ve found that the ingredients can easily get overcooked, undercooked, or a combination of both.

Cooking potatoes and steak in one foil packet can be tricky to get right, especially over a campfire. But, I’ve got a few tricks in this recipe that will help you to get an even cook on everything inside.

Tricks for the Best Foil Packet Meals

Due to the high temperatures when cooking over the campfire, it’s important to use heavy duty foil to prevent burning.

Additionally, double-wrapping the foil packets helps to create a tight seal which improves the steaming process. Plus, you won’t lose any of the cooking juices when flipping if it’s double-wrapped.

How to wrap foil packets dinners

1. Lay a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil flat. Add the ingredients to the center of the foil, in a rectangle shape. (It doesn’t matter which side, shiny or dull, faces out!)
2. Pull both long sides over the food, toward the center. Fold the edges over each other twice for a tight seam.
3. Fold both ends in and roll up towards the center of the packet.
4. This creates the first layer of your foil packet.
5. Place the packet, seam side down, onto a second sheet of foil.
6. Wrap this packet in the same way as the first layer.

How to cook foil packets on the campfire

Cooking over the campfire is also a tad bit unpredictable. The temperature of a campfire can varying significantly, and the placement of the grate and foil packets affects this as well.

I recommend using a cooking grate when cooking foil packets over the fire. This helps to prevent burning and gives the food time to also cook through steaming.

You can also place foil packets directly on top of hot campfire coals after the fired has died down.

To cook a foil packet over a campfire, follow the steps below:

1. Place foil packets on a cooking grate or on hot coals.
2. I prefer to place the packet with the meat side down first. This helps cook the meat faster without overcooking the vegetables.
3. Use tongs to flip the foil packets halfway through cooking time.
4. You can open the packets to check that the contents are cooked through. If not, simply wrap it back up and put it back over the fire.

Camping foil packets can also be cooked over hot charcoal. Spread coals in a flat layer and place the packets on top. Flip halfway during cook time.

For another easy foil packet camping dinner, check out my Mediterranean Chicken and Veggies or Chicken with Broccoli and Rice foil packets. You can find all my foil packet recipes here.

Ingredient Notes

• Steak: I recommend using ribeye or sirloin steak in foil packets. The meat stays tender even with higher cooking temperatures and the steam in the packet. *Don’t use thin-cut steak in this recipe, as it will cook too quickly.
• Potatoes: Use a waxy potato in this recipe so the potato keeps its shape while cooking. Red potatoes, fingerling potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes are all great options. We’ll par-boil them so they can finish cooking in the foil packet.
• Onions: Substitute red onions for a similar flavor, or omit the onions and add green onions after cooking for a milder flavor.
• Red Bell Pepper: The recipe calls for a red pepper for the color it adds, but you can use any type of mild bell pepper.
• Herbs and Seasoning: You can use fresh or dried herbs in this recipe. Personally, I love the flavor of fresh thyme with steak, but I often use dried basil and oregano for convenience.
• Parsley: Chopped parsley adds bright, fresh flavor after cooking, but if you forget to pack it, you can omit it and it will still taste delicious.

How to make Steak and Potato Foil Packets

Before Your Camping Trip

This recipe can easily be prepared before your trip. Here are two options for prepping this before your trip:

1. Completely assemble the foil packets before your trip. Place the packets in a large ziplock bag so the marinade doesn’t leak out.
2. Prepare all of the ingredients (par-boil potatoes, slice veggies and steak, make marinade) and combine everything in one ziplock bag. Then, assemble the foil packets at your campsite.

I prefer option 2 in order to avoid leaky foil packets that can happen as they sit.

1. Slice all vegetables

Cut the potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Slice the pepper and onion into slices.

2. Par-boil the potatoes

The potatoes are the ingredient that take the longest to cook in this foil packet. To avoid raw potatoes or overcooked steak, I recommend boiling the potatoes before adding to the foil packet. (This also prevents the cut potatoes from oxidizing and turning black, if you choose to make these before your trip. )

To do this, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the water to infuse flavor. Place the diced potatoes in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove from the water and run under cold water to stop them from cooking.

If you want to prep everything at your campsite, you can cut the potatoes into smaller pieces and put them into the packet raw. Or, you can add raw, one inch pieces and plan to remove the other ingredients once they are cooked and then place the potatoes back in a sealed foil packet to continue cooking under tender.

3. Make the marinade

Mince the garlic and combine with olive oil, thyme, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Slice the steak into 2 inch pieces.

Place all vegetables and steak in a bowl or plastic bag. Pour the marinade on top.

4. Assemble foil packets

Place the vegetables and steak on the piece of heavy duty foil.

Follow the steps listed above to form your foil packet.

At your Campsite

5. Cook over the campfire

Place the foil packets over indirect heat or over a small campfire. Placing the packets in large flames will result in uneven cooking.

Foil packets can also be cooked over pieces of charcoal (see notes above)

Cook for approximately 7 minutes per side. Cooking times are approximate and will greatly depend on campfire temperature.

6. Enjoy

Open the foil packets to check that all the vegetables are tender. If the steak is already cooked but other elements are not, simply remove the steak, seal the packet back up, and continue cooking for about 5-10 more minutes.

Top with fresh parsley. Feel free to eat right out of your foil packet for even easier clean up!

If you make this recipe, let me know but leaving a rating and a comment. Thanks!