Sauce is a campsite chef's best friend. Whether you sear the steaks too much on one side or your cake crumbles when you take it out of the Dutch oven, these delicious—and often simple—sauce recipes can save the meal.
Sauce ingredients can be stored in small containers and brought out as needed to cover up a mishap, enhance flavors or add that wow factor to simple camp food. Here are some saucy replies to anyone who says camp cooking can't be classy.
More: 4 Easy Chicken Rubs for Campsite Cooking
Basic Sauce Recipes
Get started with these simple sauce recipes, all of which call for five ingredients or less:
- Whisk a teaspoon of Italian seasoning and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce into an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce and spoon over grilled meat.
- Soak raisins in hot rum for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir into applesauce and drizzle it over grilled meat or campfire-baked sweet potatoes.
- Stir hot water into instant grits, season to taste and use as a sauce. Add herbs, grated cheese, ketchup or soy sauce.
- Reconstitute instant cream of chicken or broccoli soup with half the amount of hot water called for on the package. Use it as a sauce for meat and vegetables.
If you don't have time to make your own sauce, ready-to-use options include duck sauce to spoon over grilled meat or steamed rice, pesto to toss with cooked vegetables or pasta, and chocolate, strawberry or caramel sauce to drizzle on pancakes, biscuits or unfrosted cake.
Let your creative juices flow with these five recipes.
More: 5 Campfire Meals You've Never Had Before
Mustang Mustard Sauce
No cooking is required to make this tangy sauce. It keeps up to two weeks if refrigerated and can be used on hot dogs, hot or cold ham, and grilled pork chops.
16-ounce jar of yellow mustard (2 cups)
1 cup sugar
2 cups corn or canola oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped fine (at least 1 cup; more to taste)
1 cup pickle relish (optional)
Makes 1 quart
In a large bowl whisk mustard, sugar and vegetable oil together. Fold in onion and relish. Chill overnight to let flavors blend and sugar dissolve. Stir before serving.
