Best thing you ever cooked on the trail

[FarmerChef]

Ok. So what do you believe your greatest culinary creation on the trail (or hike of your choice) to be? Anything is fair game here provided that you ate it in the end.

So far, mine would have to be box mix blueberry muffins for the technical skill and set up required to bake them and for the deliciously brown, fluffy consistency they have in the end. So delicious. Always gets a smile from my toughest critics on the trail - aka the fam.

[MDSection12]

This isn't winning me any creativity points in here, but my favorite trail meal so far was the Idahoan loaded potatoes... I made them as an 'appetizer' before my cous cous meal and by the time I finished the bag I was so fat and happy I forgot to eat the rest of my dinner.

[daddytwosticks]

Years ago, took Bisquick and made dough. Shoved it onto the end of a green stick and roasted over a hot bed of coals until golden brown. Smothered in some cheap-azz margarine. Like I died and went to heaven.

[bigcranky]

Our first backpacking trip was 3 nights in Grayson Highlands. On the second morning I made pancakes with homemade dried strawberries and real maple syrup. Man those things were good.

Of course I had to carry in a pancake flipper, a frying pan, and the maple syrup. My pack for that first hike was well over 60 pounds. Not doing that again.

[mrcoffeect]

i've used bisquik to make white pizza on the trail, and to make chicken raman and dumplings. yum yum

[Rasty]

Chicken Curry - Basmati Rice, Freeze Dried Chicken, Onions, Peppers, Tomato Powder, Diced Tomatoes, Homemade Red Curry Powder, Olive Oil, Chicken Stock Powder, Cilantro, Freeze Dried Peas, Sliced Almonds and Golden Raisins.

[RodentWhisperer]

In 2000, I was on Isle Royale for the first time, and made a rice pudding with coconut milk powder, dried papaya, pineapple and kiwi, and topped it with crushed macadamias and toasted coconut. My wife still raves about it.

[Cookerhiker]

Our first backpacking trip was 3 nights in Grayson Highlands. On the second morning I made pancakes with homemade dried strawberries and real maple syrup. Man those things were good.

Of course I had to carry in a pancake flipper, a frying pan, and the maple syrup. My pack for that first hike was well over 60 pounds. Not doing that again.

Ditto for me, right down to the real maple syrup. The only deviation was I brought canned blueberries. I did this twice but both times were short hikes - a one-nighter in the Smokies and 2 nights in Connecticut (in winter).

To the OP: perhaps you should differentiate between long-distance vs. shorter hikes. It takes more effort for the former.

[atmilkman]

Beanie weenies. When I was on the trail back in the 70's I carried (more than a few times) a Coleman 2 burner stove like a suitcase, along with dinty moore beef stew, campbells soups, sweet sue chicken and dumplings. But my favorite on the first night out was beanie weenies. I would bring a pack of ballpark hot dogs and a loaf of bread and butter. Then in the 80's I went ultralight and carried a one burner with a propane bottle.

[TJ aka Teej]

Steak and cheese subs with peppers and onions. Trick is to pack sub rolls, frozen shaved steak, and olive oil. Stir fry in you pot.
Frozen steak tips peppers and onions on a skewer work too!

[FarmerChef]

To the OP: perhaps you should differentiate between long-distance vs. shorter hikes. It takes more effort for the former.

Good point. I intentionally left it a bit open to spur more creative juices (yes, pun intended :P ) I often cook more fresh ingredient meals after resupply or town so differentiating on length of time in woods or distance traveled could get a bit complicated. I could be swayed...

[max patch]

The best meal I had backpacking was Thanksgiving dinner at Blood Mtn shelter years ago. That was kinda cheating since the only thing I cooked on site was the instant mashed potatoes and instant stuffing. Everything else was precooked at home.

The best meal I ever actually cooked was steak and pork chops on my zip stove with the grill attachment and irish soda bread using my bakepacker.

[max patch]

I rarely cook on the trail as thats not why I'm out there. A fancy supper for me is a store bought freeze dried dinner and a bit of makers mark.

[ATMountainTime]

I made blueberry pancakes, with fresh blueberries, natural maple syrup, fresh squeezed OJ, bacon on a waterfall in Jacks River Ga. Totally worth the weight.

[fiddlehead]

That's easy:
Lobsta!
With a bottle of wine by candlelight on top of Sugarloaf mtn in '95.

[QiWiz]

I love just-out-of-the-oven cornbread with real butter, any time. To have it on trail is unbelievably great. I now have perfected a dry baking technique that works every time for me, using a wood burning twig stove. Now I bake something (usually cornbread) every time I get out on trail.

You can see a video of the technique at http://QiWiz.net/StoveAccessories.html or on my YouTube channel (QiWizDoc)

[FarmerChef]

The best meal I had backpacking was Thanksgiving dinner at Blood Mtn shelter years ago. That was kinda cheating since the only thing I cooked on site was the instant mashed potatoes and instant stuffing. Everything else was precooked at home.

The best meal I ever actually cooked was steak and pork chops on my zip stove with the grill attachment and irish soda bread using my bakepacker.

Now you're just taunting us

I rarely cook on the trail as thats not why I'm out there. A fancy supper for me is a store bought freeze dried dinner and a bit of makers mark.

I suppose a liquid dinner could count provided you actually distilled the spirits

[Blackbeard30]

Sausage with peppers and onions and a baked potato go with it. It was only a one night trip though.

[Tinker]

Sausage and eggs - hands down! I went for a section hike in Me. with my son, so I carried the canister stove and a small fry pan (the lid off of a Trangia 28 cookpot). First morning of a 5 day hike we ate just like we did in town the previous morning. Fueled up with lots of nice grease! Couldn't have been better.

[Drybones]

Potatoes fried with jalopenos and onions, I'll be having some of those tomorrow night at Pine Glen on the Pinhoti.