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Hobo Foil Packets

Hobo foil packets are an all-in-one campfire meal with tender sliced potatoes, carrots, onions, and green beans cooked under sealed foil. You’ll get juicy ground beef or stew meat and steaming contents in about 30 minutes on a grill grate.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
rest 5 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 850
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ground beef or stew meat
  • 1 lb ground beef or stew meat Use either option; cook in portions to fit each foil packet.
Potatoes and vegetables
  • 4 potatoes Slice thin so they steam-cook evenly in the foil packets.
  • 4 carrots Slice thin for similar cook times to the potatoes.
  • 1 onion Slice for even distribution and mild sweetness.
  • 1 can (15 oz) green beans Drain well to keep packets from steaming too watery.
Seasoning and butter
  • 0.25 salt and pepper Season to taste across all packets.
  • 1 tsp garlic powder Use as a single teaspoon total across the packets.
  • 4 tbsp butter Top each packet with 1 tbsp for richness and browning at the edges.
  • 4 aluminum foil Heavy-duty foil sheets, one per packet.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep the meat
  1. If using ground beef, form it into 4 patties; if using stew meat, divide it into 4 portions.
  2. Keep the portions separate so each one goes onto its own foil sheet.
Build the foil packets
  1. Preheat the campfire grate over medium heat so it’s ready for 25–30 minutes of cooking.
  2. On each of the 4 foil sheets, layer vegetables starting with sliced potatoes, then carrots, then onion.
  3. Add drained green beans on top of the layered vegetables on each foil sheet.
  4. Place one meat portion on top of the vegetables in each packet.
  5. Season each packet with salt and pepper, then sprinkle garlic powder over the meat and vegetables.
  6. Top each packet with 1 tbsp butter, placed over the center so it melts as the packet heats.
  7. Fold foil into sealed packets, pressing edges closed so steam stays inside.
Cook on the grate
  1. Place the packets on the campfire grate over medium heat and cook for 25–30 minutes total.
  2. Flip the packets halfway through cooking so the vegetables steam evenly.
Rest and serve
  1. Let packets cool for 5 minutes before carefully opening them to avoid steam burns.
  2. Serve immediately with the contents hot and steaming straight from the opened foil.

Notes

For best texture, slice potatoes and carrots thin and similar in thickness so they finish cooking at the same time. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for 3 days; reheat until hot throughout. Freezing is not recommended because the potatoes can turn mealy. For a lighter option, use lean ground beef or trim the meat fat and use olive oil in place of butter (though the flavor and richness will be slightly different).