[deserthostess]

I'm looking for ideas to cater an off road race in the desert for about 30 volunteers. Most of our team has motorhomes so there are refrigs and stoves but we like grilling the best - outdoors.

We usually cook carne asada burritos and tri-tips for dinner and sandwiches for lunch which is getting a bit old and predictable. Anyone have and good ideas that are inexpensive and fairly easy to prepare?

[Suzanne]

Moving this to the Catering board.

[KYHeirloomer]

I would check with some of the professional white-water rafting outfitters. Their menus are nothing short of incredible; and everything is done over an open fire.

I'd also check some of the tailgate cooking books and websites.

But the fact is, there isn't a whole lot you can cook at home that you can't do in a motorhome.

[phatch]

Also go to IDOS > Home and check their forums or even post in them with the question. You'll get plenty of answers, focused on charcoal and dutch ovens. You'll impress everybody with the cooking technique and the food.

[lentil]

How about some sort of fish wrapped in foil. You could top (and cook) the fish with almost anything. Sea Bass wrapped in proscuitto with arti hearts, black olives? Salmon with fresh ginger, garlic?

[DC Sunshine]

Depends how inexpensive you are looking I guess. For convenience go the tinned foods for bulk - baked beans, corn kernels, diced cooked tomatoes, pineapple etc. Packaged foods such as pasta and rice make a good starting point and help bulk out the menu. There are endless variations once you start combining these, with the addition of cheap meats for doing on the grill - sausages, chicken, ground meats. Try garlic bread on the bbq - also a great filler for hungry campers - split french rolls, spread with garlic butter, seal in foil and chuck it on the grill till done. Fish in foil is great too with some oil, seasoning and lemon juice (probably best to freeze the fish for better keeping if you're in the desert).

For vegies potatoes are easy to make and easy to keep - boil them up in a big pot, add oil/butter, salt & pepper and spices (parsley if you want to be fancy!). Or if you want simply wrap in foil with a dab of butter/ splash of oil and salt & pepper. Which leads to baked potatoes stuffed with chilli con carne or whatever filling you have handy. Onions too are great in foil, pumpkin can be done also, great with sage and onion stuffing.

Kebabs can be done with lots of simple items- tomatoes, pineapple, mushrooms, bacon, onions, capsicum (bell peppers), marinated meat chunks, bay/sage leaves - great fun to eat and go down well with pretty much anyone, can be made to satisy either carnivores or vegetarians. Try fruit ones for a tasty change. Bananas in foil with butter and brown sugar and a splash of rum is a fantastic desert.

Tortilla/Pita wraps are handy and portable for lunch with an endless variety of fillings. Or for a different hot dish try making cassadillas (sp?) over the grill filled with cheese, luncheon meats, onions, tomato sauces - mmm yum.

Good luck with it - sounds like a challenge!

[greenawalt87]

Do ribs, chicken precook then abit first, ham,asparagus,assortment of veggies zucchini,onions etc. etc. Pork tenderloin corn in the husk. Baked potatoes in foil on the coals. Do pit beef marinated in pickle juice kosher prefered then roast in a oven to firm it up the grill then slice. Steaks????

[greenawalt87]

wrap your bread in foil then put on grill make some roasted garlic and some olive oil and butter for smearing

[castironchef]

Camp-style Dutch ovens!!!

With them, you can cook ANYTHING (but waffles).

Also, a big wok over a turkey frying propane rig is quite versatile.

Grilling everything gets old, rather rapidly.

[newbiechef]

Originally Posted by castironchef

Camp-style Dutch ovens!!!

With them, you can cook ANYTHING (but waffles).

Also, a big wok over a turkey frying propane rig is quite versatile.

Grilling everything gets old, rather rapidly.

i agree... go cast iron with things like flapjacks... cobblers.... cornbread...and so much more, anyhting cooked in castiron over open fire or coals is immediately camping food, not to mention gives a more cowboy feel to an evening around an open fire, id reccomend checking out the lodge website for a few cast iron recipes Lodge Manufacturing good hearty food...

also being an eagle scout ive done my share of camping and have cooked almost everything imaginable, you can even bake.... if ambitious enough to try it... good luck

[deserthostess]

THank you all for the great ideas and suggestions. Just what I was looking for! And thanks for the leads on other forums too.

No matter what we cook, it'll be great as long as the wind doesn't blow and everything gets covered in sand.

[Papa Perry]

Deserthostess,

I do this all of the time. Events from 50-150 people in the desert. We usually do these at Glamis, CA. Everyone loves TriTip, so that is what I am usually asked for. I try to get people to go for a variety, but they just love my TriTip. I have been able to convince people to let me BBQ whole chickens also.

My typical menu is as follows:

Papa Perry's Poppers



Tri Tip
Pollo Perry (whole chicken, remove the backbone BBQ flat)
Rice
Beans

Of course tortilla's, cheese, etc.

I've done sausages, carne and pollo asada. Potato salad, corn on the cob. Stuffed mushrooms, grilled veggies, etc.

I'll be doing a clean up event on April 21st for about 200 people.

The menu will be:

BBQ Pulled Pork (cooked for 12 hours or so)
BBQ Brisket
BBQ Chicken
Potato Salad
Corn on the cob

This will be for about 200 people. I use 6-8 weber's right now. Having a BBQ built on a trailer this off season.

Contact me if you have any questions.

perry@papaperrys.com