Cooking Bacon and Eggs in a Paper Bag Is Your New Camping Party Trick

This hearty combo tastes even better in the woods than it does in the diner. Whip it up over a campfire, and you’ll not only impress your buddies–you’ll have a no-pot meal with zero cleanup (eat right out of the bag!). The paper won’t ignite if you make sure it’s wet before cooking–here, bacon grease does the trick–but it might smoke a bit. Try it with these two techniques: one for the trailhead, one for the trail.

Car Camping

Ingredients:  4 thick bacon slices, 2 eggs, 1 brown paper lunch bag

• At home, pack eggs and bacon in a cooler.
• In camp, cook one serving per bag. Place the bacon inside the bag, wiping the insides generously with grease (the more you coat the bag, the better). Crack eggs on top of the bacon. Fold the bag down several times, then poke a three-foot stick (green pine won’t burn) through it so that the bag hangs at one end.
• Holding the stick’s other end, suspend the bag over hot coals (not flames), heating all sides evenly until done (seven to 10 minutes).

Backpacking

Ingredients: 4 frozen bacon slices, 2 eggs, 1 brown paper lunch bag

• At home, crack eggs into a bowl and beat. Pour into a Lexan bottle or zip-top bag and freeze. Wrap the bottle or bag with foil, then place in your pack with the bacon. Both will thaw in time for breakfast the next day.
• Cook over your campfire, using the method described above.

Tip: If you’re in an area where fires are banned but charcoal grills are permitted, these techniques work over those too.

Adapted from Born to Explore: How to Be a Backyard Adventurer, by Richard Wiese ($19, Harper Collins).

Originally published in 2009; updated in January 2022