Last weekend, we had our first Cub Scout camp out of the season…The church that holds our charter allows us to camp out on their property which includes setting up tents and making a fire. We did some dutch oven cooking but I also decided to demonstrate a hot box cooking method (which is a little more portable than a dutch oven and does not require a fire). Think of it as a crockpot without electricity.

Hot boxes make some delicious tasting food, some of the best I ever had. You can use any recipe that is suited for a crockpot. They are very easy to set up. I first learned about them on the wonderful series, WarTime Farm which is a re-creation of British farm life during World War Two. In the series, they used hot box cooking to stretch their fuel (which was rationed).

Here’s what you need:

1.  A large box (I used a picnic cooler)
2. Insulation material (I used wood chips from my brother’s shop) but you can use straw, shredded newspaper, dry leaves, etc…
3. A pot with a tight fitting lid for cooking

Here’s how you do it…

1. Pack the bottom of your box with about an inch of insulation
2. Heat the food you plan on eating to a simmer or soft rolling boil.
3. Once it reaches temperature, add the lid and place it on top of the insulation in the box
4. Cover the entire pot (including lid) with more insulation material. The tighter it is packed the less air can circulate and cool your food.
5. Add box top (and you can even cover the entire thing with a blanket or towel for extra heat if you want. Go have fun for several hours. The food will continue to cook and will remain warm.

When you are ready to eat (after several hours), remove insulation material. Your food will be warm and delicious. Enjoy! I guarantee it will be delicious!

In the photos below, I made a sofrito and cooked cuban black beans in a cast iron pot. I used this recipe which is economical, delicious and popular in my house.

Once the food was reaching a soft boil, I covered it and placed it in our hot box

After the pot went it, I covered it until the top with wood chips and then used the cooler top. I did not add a blanket as the cooler was already insulated. We hung out for 4 hours and then I dug out my pot and served my still steaming beans.

Here are some photos from our campout which was a great success. They played for hours (gaga ball and on the playground), set up tents, ate and fell asleep at a reasonable hour. No tears or injuries to be seen.