Hobo Dinner Foil Packets (Bacon Cheeseburger & Potato)

Hobo Foil packet dinners have a whole burger covered in cheese and bacon on top of thinly sliced vegetables. These warm and savory hobo packets are folded up in aluminum foil and are then cooked on the grill, campfire or in the oven for a hearty meal outside or in.

 

Why We Love Foil Packet Dinners

• Great Dinner For Around A Grill Or Campfire– In the summer I’m always on the hunt for an easy meal we can make outside over the grill, and always love a recipe that can work for a camping trip over an open fire with my favorite Girl Scouts. These delicious hobo dinner foil packets are easy, tasty and work for both!
• Easy To Customize– Have a kid who hates cheese, or won’t touch carrots? These foil packet meals are really easy to customize so everyone can build their own dinner.
• Easy Clean Up – Everyone can eat straight out of the foil packs on a plate, so these hobo dinners are cleaned up fast, the best part. Make them with banana boats wrapped in foil and cooked over the campfire for dessert!

Ingredients For Hobo Foil Packets

• yellow potatoes 
• carrots 
• sweet onion sliced thinly, red onions or yellow onions can be used also.
• olive oil
• seasoning salt – If I am at home and not camping, I’ll often throw in 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder also.
• lean ground beef
• salt
• pepper
• bacon precooked, chopped
• cheddar cheese (or American, Swiss, or whatever cheese you like on your burger)

How To Make Hobo Foil Packet Dinners

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, or preheat the grill or start the campfire.
2. Slice the potatoes, carrots and onions all in about ¼ inch thin slices. Place in a large bowl or gallon zip top bag if camping. Add the oil and seasoning salt to the potato mixture, and mix well.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt and pepper. Form four hamburger patties that you press flat with your hands.

4. Cut 8 large pieces of foil that are about 20 inches long each. Lay a piece of foil longwise up and down and a second piece of foil left to right to form a giant plus sign. Place ¼ of the potato mixture in the center of the foil. Add one hamburger patty on top of the veggies.

5. Pull the two sides from the top layer of foil up to meet each other. Fold the foil down until you reach the burger, then lay the foil flat. Bring the other two sides of the foil up to meet and roll the edges down. Roll the final loose edges in on both sides of the foil to form a large packet where the liquids won’t leak. Repeat the foil rolling for each hamburger patty to seal each packet.

To Make On The Grill Or Over A Campfire

Cook the burger packets closed over medium heat (not directly on the flames, try hot coals or indirect heat) until the burger reaches at least 160 degrees and the potatoes are tender, usually about 30-40 minutes.

While it is important to make sure the meat is cooked to a safe temperature of 160, the potatoes being tender when pierced with a fork is a good sign of when these are done cooking.

While these foil packets can be cooked on a flat top grill like a Blackstone, I find it’s easier and faster to cook everything from in the packet straight on the grill. We are usually more likely to make Smash Burgers for a flat top grill, and make these foil packets on a regular grill or campfire.

To Make In The Oven

Bake in the oven on a sheet pan for 30-40 minutes or until the burger is cooked to at least 160 degrees and the potatoes are fork tender. Add a slice of cheese and cooked bacon if desired, then roll the foil packet closed again. Let the hobo packs cook for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted, then enjoy!

Meat And Cheese Variation Ideas

• Swap Out The Meat- We have used ground beef, but turkey burgers, chicken burgers or veggie burgers can also be swapped in for a great meal. When using a veggie patty I would wrap the patty separately in foil to heat, as a veggie patty (which is often frozen also) tends to heat through a lot faster than a meat patty does. Then you can make sure the potatoes and other root veggies cook all the way without overcooking the veggie patty. Try out my honey garlic chicken foil packets if you need a good chicken version!
• Make A Double Patty– You can add more than one burger patty into a foil packet if you have anyone who is extra hungry.
• Swap The Cheese – Say cheese please, you can swap out your favorite flavor easily in these packets. Use a simple American, cheddar, or Swiss or go more bold with a flavorful blue cheese.

Vegetables, Condiments And Other Variation Ideas

• Add The Sauce – Ketchup is usually my family’s sauce of choice to be added on top of the burger, but BBQ sauce, sriracha or other hot sauce and mustard are all delicious additions.
• Try A Mix Of Vegetables– We’ve used potatoes and carrots, but other vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms, green beans, and corn all cook up nicely in these packets. I would steer clear of watery vegetables such as zucchini, which will make everything else watery also. Save the lettuce for adding after cooking is done, or try it these ground pork lettuce wraps.
• Mix Up The Potatoes– Yellow potatoes or red potatoes work best in this recipe. Russet potatoes should be boiled before being used in this recipe, as they won’t cook up as fork tender without cooking them for a long time. Sweet potatoes should easily swap into this recipe, but I haven’t tried it myself and they may need a longer cooking time.
• Serve With a Bun– We usually just pull up a camping chair and eat right out of the foil packets on a plate, but you can also easily slide the burger onto a bun if you prefer, before eating the vegetables with a fork.

How Long Will Hobo Foil Packet Dinners Last?

Store any leftover cooked foil packet dinners in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. If camping I would not recommend keeping these in a cooler full of ice cooked longer than 2 hours for food safety.