Camp Cooking + National Beans 'N' Franks Day = Chow Time!

Camp Cooking, 2018

While beans 'n' franks get a special shout-out today because it's their day, if your childhood (or adult) camping experiences left a bad taste in your mouth when it came to camp eats, we're about to change your world. (Or at least help you up your camp culinary game.) Whether you're still using your trusty Coleman camp stove, cooking over an open fire, or doing the Dutch oven thing, read on for more about some of our best camping cookbooks.

An Ode to Beans 'N' Franks

July is National Hot Dog Month, so as part of celebrating frankfurters for 31 days straight, July 13 is officially National Beans 'N' Franks Day. Also called pork 'n' beans, Beanie Weenies, frank and beans, and beans & wieners, beans 'n' franks usually includes baked beans, hot dogs, brown sugar, onion, mustard, barbecue sauce, and various spices. Fun fact: during the Civil War era, baked beans became one of the first canned "convenience" foods. That's over 150 years of rootin' tootin' camp chow! So, if beans are your thing, have a blast:

• The Bean Cookbook: A Celebration of the Delicious Legume, from Hoppin' John to Simple Cassoulet by Judith Choate
• The Big Bean Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know About Beans, Grains, Pulses and Legumes by Nicola Graimes
• The Bean Queen's Cookbook by Karen R. Hurd and Jeanne Hutchinson

Ultimate Camp Cooking

Mike Faverman and Pat Mac are called the Abbott and Costello of outdoor cooking, and in Ultimate Camp Cooking, it's easy to see why. In addition to being hilarious, these two talented chefs present an affordable, portable, entertaining, and indispensable cookbook for campers, travelers, and anyone who wants to capture a little bit of the outdoor lifestyle wherever they go. Portable, durable, and flexi-bound, Ultimate Camp Cooking has 80+ tasty dishes that can either be grilled over an open flame or cooked over a campfire in a Dutch oven.

Cooking the Dutch Oven Way

Whether you're a novice or a pro, Dutch oven cooking borders on being a religion in some parts. Woody Woodruff covers it all in Cooking the Dutch Oven Way, making it an essential reference you'll definitely want to own if you have a Dutch oven or you're thinking about it. With these simple recipes, you'll learn to cook, fry, and bake quick and tasty no-fuss meals in camp or even in your own backyard. (Let's Cook Dutch: A Complete Guide for the Dutch Oven Chef by Robert L. Ririe is also a good one.)

Other Camp Cooking Guides to Shop

• Camp Cooking: Easy Recipes for Camp and Trail by Bill McMorris and Jo McMorris
• So Much S'more to Do: Over 50 Variations of the Campfire Classic by Becky Rasmussen
• A Scout's Guide to Camp Cooking - a Collection of Historical Camping Articles on the Recipes and Equipment Used in Camp Cooking by Various
• The U.S. Army Cooks' Manual: Rations, Preparation, Recipes, Camp Cooking
• Easy Campfire Cooking: 200+ Family Fun Recipes for Cooking over Coals and in the Flames with a Dutch Oven, Foil Packets, and More! by Peg Couch

Happy Camping and bon appetit!

Read more by Beth Clark