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Hobo Stew

Hobo stew is a campfire-friendly Dutch oven stew with tender vegetables simmered until the pot is bubbling. Brown the meat first, then simmer covered for 35–40 minutes for hearty chunks in a savory broth.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Stew meat or ground beef
  • 1 lb stew meat or ground beef
Potatoes and vegetables
  • 4 potatoes cubed
Carrots
  • 4 carrots sliced
Onion
  • 1 onion diced
Corn
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn drained
Green beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) green beans drained
Diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
Beef broth
  • 2 cup beef broth
Garlic powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
Paprika
  • 1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown and build the stew
  1. Brown the stew meat in a Dutch oven over campfire until browned. You should see fond on the bottom and no visible pink.
  2. Add potatoes, carrots, onion, corn, green beans, diced tomatoes, and beef broth to the Dutch oven. Stir to combine so the vegetables are coated in the broth.
  3. Season with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper, then stir again to evenly distribute the spices. The liquid should look speckled and fragrant.
Simmer until tender
  1. Bring the stew to a boil over the campfire, then reduce the heat so it maintains a gentle simmer. Keep the bubbling steady without aggressively rolling.
  2. Simmer covered for 35-40 minutes until vegetables are tender. Watch for potatoes to yield when pressed and the pot to stay bubbling around the edges.
Serve
  1. Ladle the hobo stew into bowls while hot. Serve right away so the meat and vegetables stay steaming.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the lid on while it simmers so the vegetables steam tender and the broth thickens slightly. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months (cool completely before freezing). For a lighter option, use lean ground beef and reduce the broth slightly to keep it flavorful.