Camping Recipe: The Tastiest BBQ Pork Sandwich Ever

What’s the best part about camping? The peace and quiet, connecting with nature, and quality time spent with friends? Well...yes, but we all know it’s the campfire meal that’s really on everybody’s mind all day. This recipe will definitely get you stoked to bust out your camp chef skills on your next camping trip. You might even set up the tent in the backyard just as an excuse to try these BBQ pork sandwiches. And I wouldn’t blame you!

Preparation

Ingredients (makes 8 sandwiches)

• 5-6 lbs pork loin
• 40oz root beer
• 1 bottle of whiskey - you only need ~10oz for the pork...but you might want more for later.
• Liquid smoke
• Salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper
• 1 onion
• 12oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 bottle of BBQ sauce
• 1 jar of pickles
• 32oz coleslaw
• 8 buns
• 8 pound bag of charcoal, lighter fluid, and matches

The night before you take off for your camping trip, combine a twenty ounce bottle of root beer, a shot or two of whiskey, a couple table spoons of liquid smoke and the salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper mix in a container with the pork. Let that sit in the fridge overnight and throw it in the cooler when it’s time to head out.

At The Campsite

Start by chopping the onion - half goes in the dutch oven, half is saved for toppings on the finished product. Along with the onion, add twenty more ounces of root beer, a few more shots of whiskey, the pork, and the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce into the dutch oven.

In an ideal world, you could let the meat sit for hours and get slow-cooked pulled pork as the result. But if you’re like me, when you’re camping, the last thing you want to do at the end of the day is wait around for hours for your dinner.

When I made this recipe, it was my first time cooking with a dutch oven so I learned by doing. I used a 1 inch cut pork loin and it took a surprisingly short amount of time for the meat to cook through. I placed the dutch oven directly on top of the hot coals (about 25 coals), threw another 10 or so on top of the lid, and let it cook. About 20 minutes later I opened the lid to find the liquid boiling and the meat ready to eat.

When your meat is good to go, take out all the contents of the pot and chop away until you’ve got a big pile of meat ready to be stacked onto the buns. Add your favorite condiments, maybe pour yourself some of that leftover whiskey, and dig in!

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Remember to always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and be sure to brush up on LNT principles for backcountry fires as well.