Garlic Butter Green Beans Campfire Cooking

Often we cook vegetables in tin foil packets. When it’s just the two of us, I like to reserve my cast iron cookware for preparing the main dish. But when we meet up with a group, we often find ourselves in a potluck situations where we are only preparing one dish but lots of it. And in such occasions, I like to volunteer to make the vegetable so that aren’t bombarded with so much cream and maple syrup to negate all health benefits of the vegetable itself. Of course, I prefer something that is easy to cook so I can focus on socializing rather than cooking. That is when this simple but flavorful dish comes into play. You can cook as many green beans as will fit in your pot. We buy a 32 ounce bag of pre-washed pre-trimmed green beens and whip up these garlic butter green beans when the crew cooking our main dish gives the five minute warning.

Garlic Butter Green Beans Recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 32 oz bag of green beans, trimmed and washed
• 3 teaspoons (6 cloves) minced garlic
• 6 tablespoons butter (¾ a stick), thick slices
• salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

• Cast iron camp dutch oven
• Cast iron tripod
• Mixing Spoon

Directions

Cooking these green beans is a simple matter of mixing the ingredients and then cooking the green beans until they are tender. If you are cooking for a group in a temperature controlled space, you might as well get them exactly how you want them and then put them is a cool dish to serve. In potluck situations, however, we tend to be outside and the green beans do a fair bit of sitting around. So, we take advantage of the ambient heat of the dutch oven by removing the green beans just as they become al dente and set the dutch oven aside with the lid on until it is time to serve. This keeps the green beans warm and does the last bit of cooking while you are waiting for everyone else to be ready.

1. Position dutch oven over fire for a medium heat.
2. Add green beans topped with butter, garlic, salt, and pepper and cover.
3. Occasionally stir the green beans. Be sure to rotate green beans from the bottom to the top for even cooking.
4. When green beans are el dante, remove from heat.
5. Set aside with the lid in place until ready for serving

Pairings

These green bean are a flexible dish and can work with just about anything. But we particularly like their buttery and garlicky goodness paired with a steak. Might I interest you in a tomahawk steak?