Ingredients
Directions
Dangerous Campfire Popcorn
Campfire Popcorn is a firm favourite on our camps. It’s an easy snack but is also a great healthy backwoods activity for introducing children to cooking on fire. This is an easy technique that makes use of something you might have on camp as a treat – a fizzy drink can. I took these photos at home so I raided the recycling bin (hence the beer can). Cooking the Campfire Popcorn in the can means you don’t have to worry about giving it space to expand, just fill with a few kernels, a teaspoon of oil, give it a stir and set it in a campfire’s hot embers.
The aluminium can is very thin so the heat will not be distributed evenly. That means there is a high chance you might burn your corn. Move the can frequently to try to ensure even cooking. Once you hear the first pop, take it off the heat and swirl around and put back until most of the kernels have popped. Allow the can to cool so that you can handle it.
I recommend letting the young people do their own popcorn but that you also have a big backup pot on the go. The chances are that some of the young people will burn theirs. Follow this easy recipe (Coming Soon) for a large portion of Sweet Salty Campfire Popcorn so that everyone gets to try some! And if they all, miraculously, get it right, then you get to eat the backup corn. Bonus!
A Word on Safety
Although children can do most of the “cooking” of this Campfire Popcorn, there is one element I would stress should be completed by an adult, preferably one wearing gloves, and that’s the cutting open of the can. Aluminium cut with a knife can be razor sharp. Watch your fingers. You should absolutely take care during this step and pour the cooked popcorn into a bowl. DO NOT EAT DIRECTLY OUT OF THE CAN.
Once the Campfire Popcorn is safely in a bowl, you can start to think about flavouring.
Campfire Popcorn Favouring
This can be as simple or a decadent as you like. Chances are you’ll be at Scout Camp, so choices will be limited but there are some interesting flavour combinations that you can make without too many ingredients. We put a teaspoon of sugar into one of the cans and it worked well but you could also try…
Simple options include:
- Salt
- Icing sugar
- Honey
- Melted butter
- Cinnamon
Next level flavour combos
- Salt and chilli (Use a sprinkling of chilli powder)
- Melted chocolate and mini marshmallows
- Banoffee (Crushed banana chips and toffee sauce)
Other methods
This is a great method for making individual amounts of corn around a campfire. If you don’t have a can, using tin foil is also a handy method. If you’re feeding a crowd with this Campfire Popcorn, making in a large pan is probably your best option. This set of instructions (Recipe Coming Soon) is a great starting point for patrol cooking. This works very well if you’re giving out popcorn around a campfire or having a group cinema night.
