Elevated Recipes for Your Next Camping Trip

Cooking shouldn’t be an afterthought when you’re camping. In fact, with a little planning and the right gear (and Sierra Nevada beer!), it can be the centerpiece of your trip. Where to start? Here are five beer-friendly and -infused recipes to elevate your next camping menu. 

Steak with Mushrooms in a Cream Sauce

This recipe substitutes beer for white wine to add acidity to the sauce for this classic dish cooked in a cast-iron skillet over hot coals. 
 
Ingredients 
½ c. Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 strip steaks
salt and pepper
garlic, chopped
1 sprig rosemary and 1 Tbsp. chopped rosemary
12 oz. shiitake mushrooms
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 bunch spinach
½ c. crème fraîche
olive oil

Directions: Working with hot coals on the edge of an open fire (or a camp stove on medium flame), heat a large cast-iron skillet and add a tablespoon of the olive oil. Add steak, seasoned with salt and pepper, to the skillet along with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and the rosemary sprig. Cook, turning once so each side is seared. After cooking to the desired temperature, set aside on a cutting board to rest. 
 
Put the skillet back on the coals and add another tablespoon of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and season with salt. Cook until they start to soften. Add more garlic and chopped rosemary and cook for 1 minute. Add mustard and Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing, a citrus-forward IPA that will add a brightness to the sauce. Cook for 1 minute to thicken. Add the spinach and cook until it begins to wilt. Remove skillet from heat and stir in crème fraîche. Slice the steak and layer it over the cream and vegetables, serving the meal directly from the skillet. 

Grilled Oysters in White Wine Butter

The shucked fresh oysters cook on the half shell over an open fire, while a homemade butter sauce adds a savory complexity to the briny shellfish. Serve as an appetizer with a Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal.
 
Ingredients 
1 stick unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. dry white wine 
1 Tbsp. diced chives 
½ Tbsp. diced parsley 
1 clove garlic, finely grated 
1 dozen oysters (Bluepoint or Wellfleet if you’re on the East Coast, Blue Pool or Hama Hama if you’re on the West Coast) 
lemon wedges and hot sauce
 
Directions: Combine butter, white wine, chives, parsley, and garlic in a small bowl and whip with a fork until smooth and creamy. Shuck the oysters and place them open-faced on a grill over hot coals or a low flame. Add 1 teaspoon of the butter compound to each oyster. Cook until the oysters begin to firm and the butter starts to bubble inside the shells. Serve immediately with wedges of lemon and hot sauce. The oysters pair well with a Sierra Nevada Narwhal, a smooth and rich imperial stout with notes of espresso and smoke.

Cast-Iron Frittata 

Use a Dutch oven and hot coals to cook this breakfast dish and serve it with a beer-based cocktail that’s reminiscent of a mimosa. 
 
Ingredients for frittata
8 eggs 
½ c. milk 
½ tsp. salt 
¼ tsp. pepper 
2 Tbsp. olive oil 
1 shallot, sliced thin 
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved 
¼ c. basil 
½ c. gruyere cheese, shredded 
 
Ingredients for Beer-Mosa (makes two)
Sierra Nevada Summer Break
orange juice
 
Directions: In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together until blended. Heat 2 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over hot coals on the edge of a fire. Add the shallot and sauté until soft and brown. Add the tomatoes to the skillet, followed by the egg mixture, basil, and cheese. Cover and place a few coals on top of the lid. Cook until the eggs are set and the frittata is puffy, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately with a freshly poured Beer-Mosa: pour half of a Sierra Nevada Summer Break, a citrusy and sessionable IPA, in a tall glass and top with orange juice. Drink immediately.

Shrimp and Chorizo Paella 

The ingredients in this Spanish staple cook progressively in the same cast-iron skillet over hot coals. Serve the dish with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, which you’ll also use to cook the shrimp. 
 
Ingredients 
1 c. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
1 lb. large peeled and deveined shrimp 
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil 
8 oz. Spanish chorizo, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 large yellow bell peppers
2 tsp. saffron threads, finely crushed 
3 cloves garlic, chopped 
2 c. uncooked short-grain rice 
1 tsp. smoked paprika 
½ c. dry white wine 
4 c. chicken stock 
6 Tbsp. lemon juice 
½ c. pitted green olives
2 tsp. lemon zest
 
Directions: Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in large cast-iron skillet over hot coals or a stove on medium to high heat. Add shrimp and cook until they start turning pink. Remove from skillet and place on a plate. Discard any remaining Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the skillet and add the chorizo, cooking and stirring constantly until the chorizo begins to crisp. Move to the plate. Add onion, bell pepper, saffron, and 2 more tablespoons of oil, and cook until tender. Add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add rice and paprika. Stir rice until coated in seasoning. Add wine and cook, partially covered, until mostly evaporated. Add stock and 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, until rice begins to absorb the liquid. Reduce the heat, moving the skillet away from the hottest coals, cover with a lid or another skillet, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Add shrimp, chorizo, olives, and remaining 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, folding the ingredients into the rice. Sprinkle with lemon zest and more salt and pepper, and serve. 

Lamb Kebabs with Chimichurri Drizzle 

These lamb cubes marinate in a high-ABV IPA before cooking on skewers over an open fire. Drizzle the lamb with a homemade chimichurri sauce and serve it with the same Sierra Nevada Dankful IPA you used for a marinade.
 
Ingredients for Kebabs
1½ cups Sierra Nevada Dankful IPA 
2 lbs. boneless lamb roast, cut into 1½-inch cubes 
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1 Tbsp. honey 
olive oil
salt and pepper 
 
Ingredients for Chimichurri sauce 
1 c. fresh parsley 
1 c. fresh cilantro 
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano 
1 garlic clove 
½ tsp. lemon zest 
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper 
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes 
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 
½ c. extra virgin oil

Directions: Make the chimichurri ahead of time by pulsing the ingredients in a food processor until combined; keep the sauce in a mason jar in the cooler. Marinate the lamb in a Ziploc bag with the beer, garlic, and honey, letting it rest in a cooler for 1 hour. Thread the marinated lamb on metal skewers, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the skewers on a grill over hot coals or a low fire and cook, turning, until they reach the desired temperature. Serve the skewers on a plate, spooning healthy amounts of chimichurri sauce over the meat. 

Enter the Go Summer Contest

If there was ever a time to get outside, it’s this summer. Sierra Nevada wants to see how you’re making the most of the warmer months outdoors, no matter the adventure. Need an incentive? We’ll be selecting six winners with the most epic photos outdoors to win at least $300 worth in gear from YETI, Osprey, and Sierra Nevada. Oh, and the grand prize winner will also receive a $2,500 gift card to Campspot. All you have to do is get outside, snap a photo, post it publicly to Instagram (or upload it in the form below) with #GoSummerContest and @sierranevada.

Family owned, operated, and argued over since 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of America’s premier craft breweries. Our classic Pale Ale introduced a generation to the glory of hops, and we keep pushing boundaries with innovations in the brewhouse and advances in sustainability.