Step 1

Prepare your campfire for cooking.

Step 2

Prep vegetables as described: garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots and celery.

Step 3

Prep beef and bacon as described.

Step 4

In 12-inch camp Dutch oven, cook and stir bacon over medium-high heat until bacon is browned and crisp.

Step 5

Season beef with salt and pepper and add to Dutch oven, stir until beef is seared.

Step 6

Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and onions, cook till softened.

Step 7

Add tomato paste, beef broth, rosemary, parsley, thyme, potatoes, carrots and celery, stirring to combine.

Step 8

Bring to simmer over medium heat.

Step 9

Cover and continue simmering, stirring occasionally until meat and vegetables are tender, approximately 1 - 2 hours. Camp Cooking Tip: We like our stew meat to be extremely tender so I give it as much time in the pot as possible. I always plan for 2 hours of simmering time unless we have a super busy camping day and I just don't have that luxury. No matter what, don't increase the campfire temperature to the boiling point because that will just make the meat tough.

Step 10

Remove lid and continue to simmer until your Campfire Stew reaches your desired thickness. Camp Cooking Tip: The longer it cooks with the lid removed, the thicker the stew becomes. If you want a soup-like stew you will be ready to serve shortly after the meat and veggies are tender. But if you want a thick beef stew (which is how our family likes it), you should plan on about 20 more minutes to finish cooking to that consistency.