Griddles & Group Cooking
Feed a crowd at camp — chicken fried rice, burgers, and the gear that makes it easy.
Why a Portable Griddle Changes Camp Cooking
A camp stove with one small pot works for two people. Feed eight to twelve and you need surface area. A portable griddle — the Blackstone line is the most popular — gives you a flat-top cooking zone the size of a diner grill. One person can run proteins while another handles sides. Cleanup is one flat surface instead of four pots.
Griddles shine for: smash burgers, breakfast spreads (eggs, bacon, pancakes), fajitas, fried rice, and grilled sandwiches.
See Griddle Gear Guide Blackstone 36\" Griddle
Camp Chicken Fried Rice (Large Group)
This scales easily — one of the best "everyone's happy" camp dinners. Prep almost everything at home.
At Home (Day Before)
- Cook rice and spread on a sheet pan to cool (day-old rice fries better).
- Dice chicken thighs into bite-size pieces; season with garlic powder, salt, pepper.
- Pre-chop: onion, carrots, peas (frozen is fine), bell pepper, green onion.
- Mix sauce in a jar: soy sauce (look for simple ingredients / non-GMO if that matters to you), sesame oil, pinch of sugar or honey.
- Portion each ingredient into labeled ziplock bags — one bag per stir-fry round if cooking in batches.
At Camp (Griddle Method)
- Heat griddle medium-high. Oil the surface.
- Cook chicken in batches — don't crowd. Set aside in a foil-lined pan.
- Scramble eggs, push aside.
- Add oil, toss in hard veggies (carrot, onion). Then rice. Break up clumps.
- Add chicken back, peas, sauce. Toss until everything's hot.
- Top with green onion. Serve straight off the griddle.
Batch tip: For 10+ people, run two rounds or use the largest griddle (36") and keep the first batch warm in a covered foil pan near the fire.
Smash Burgers at Camp
Griddles make better burgers than most camp grills — even heat, crust on the meat, toasted buns on the same surface.
- Bring 80/20 ground beef formed into loose balls (not pre-patted — smash on the griddle).
- High heat, ball down, smash flat with a sturdy spatula, season, flip once.
- Toast buns on the griddle after burgers come off.
- Keep toppings simple: real cheddar, onion, lettuce, tomato, mustard. Less packaging, better food.
What to Pack (Minimal)
Only bring what this cooking style needs — see our camp kitchen checklist for the full list. Griddle-specific essentials:
- Portable griddle + propane (calculate BTU runtime for your group size)
- Two large spatulas (one for smash, one for scrape)
- Squirt bottles for oil and water (steam helps on a griddle)
- Foil pans for holding batches warm
- Heat-resistant gloves — griddles get hotter than they look
- One large cutting board (prep at home if possible)
General Group Food Tips
- One "anchor meal" per day — big dinner, simple breakfast and lunch.
- Assign a meal captain — one person runs the griddle, others handle drinks, plates, kids.
- Pre-portion proteins — nothing slows camp dinner like thawing mystery meat at 6 PM.
- Double your paper towel budget — you'll use them.