“Mud Spuds” – Clay Baked Potatoes

Ken — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:13:39 +0000

Primitive or emergency cooking is accomplished usually with improvised culinary tools or perhaps with none at all. Many foods can be placed right on ash-covered coals to roast. Tubers and roots when placed on coals will turn black on the outside but the skin can be peeled off and the remaining portion tastes great, often with intensified flavors.

Larger potatoes take time to cook so an alternative method is used if you don’t have an oven. By encasing a potato or “spud” with mud you can protect it from being burned and more evenly distribute the heat. If you like eating the potato peel, you can first cover the potato with leaves or even wet newspaper, otherwise, the skin is a barrier to the starch inside. When covering your spud, clay is the preferred material as it adheres together well whereas regular soil may not hold together and cracks more easily.

The last time I had baked spuds my friend made some with straight clay and with others he included grass in the clay mix. The ones with grass held together better. We placed them on the campfire coals and also built a fire on top of them. After an hour they were ready to eat.

We had one left over that night and the next morning we opened it to find that it was still warm and very edible. If you try this on your next camping trip you might consider “planned-overs” for breakfast the next morning.

How To Bake Fish In Clay

Ken — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:47:52 +0000

Start With A Gutted Fish

Baking fish goes back to the beginning of history. Not only is it simple, but baking takes advantage of almost the entire fish as a food resource. Shown here is a Talapia which was purchased at a local Superstore food section. It is already gutted and ready to bake.

Add Seasoning

Fish tastes great by it’s self but I like to add seasonings in the abdominal cavity and on the outside surface.

Wrap Fish In Leaves

The fish is wrapped in foliage or wet paper. I find that cabbage leaves work well and is easily obtained at the local grocery store. It keeps the fish moist and acts as a barrier between the food and clay.

Use Bag And Bowl To Fashion Clay

I place a mixing bowl inside a plastic grocery bag to protect the bowl as well as enabling my hand to slip between the bag and bowl surface in order to help form the clay wrap which should be 1/2″ – 1″ thick.

Cover Fish With Clay

Complete the clay outer layer and you’ll end up with a football shaped mud ball. Seal any open holes or seams.

Bury Clay Encased Fish In Coals

Place the fish mud ball on top of the coals and then place coals on top. For those who do dutch oven cooking this will be a familiar process using charcoal briquettes. I have found that using charcoal briquettes works better for this procedure because air can flow between the briquettes thus keeping them alive, whereas wood coals can be packed and tend to snuff out, requiring refreshed coals and/or a longer cooking time. Charcoal briquettes require about a 45 minute cook time whereas wood coals may take 60-75 minutes.

Break Open Clay Bundle

When the estimated cook time is finished, uncover the clay ball and examine it for hardness. A hard surface indicates that it’s finished whereas a soft surface indicates a need for further cooking. Like any cooking, if you feel that it’s not quite done, just let it bake some more. A hatchet is a handy opening device but a sharp rock will accomplish the same task.

Finished Baked Fish

When the surface is broken open, steam will come drifting out and by further opening the encasing, you will reveal an aromatic and visual delight. Transparent meat becomes opaque when it’s fully cooked. Use a fork to test the outer skin and meat for easy flaking and separation. You’ll find that the meat will virtually fall off the bones and makes access to all the tasty meat easy.

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“Mud Spuds” – Clay Baked Potatoes

How To Bake Fish In Clay