 | Tin Can Cooking for a Troop, |
| Camp or Overnight |
Ingredients
| 1/2 lb. sliced bacon, cut into very small pieces |
| 1 large onion, cut in tiny pieces |
| 6 to 8 medium-sized potatoes diced into 1/2-inch cubes |
| 2 standard-size cans of succotash |
| 1 very small can of puree of tomato |
| 1/2 teaspoon of pepper |
| 1 teaspoonful of salt |
Believe it or not, you can lay the fire, prepare the food, hang the pot and do the cooking in one hour - one hour if you'll convert some of those hungry Scouts into cooks and helpers. If "Too many cooks spoil the broth" - you know why, no doubt - they aren't organized, so here's one way to organize and hand out the jobs:
Preparations to be Completed Before Lighting Fire
The Patrol Leader (No. 1) organizes, coaches and keeps every man on the job. (Explain this to him in advance.) Scouts Nos. 2 and 3 gather wood, lay a 12" x 12" x 12" crisscross fire. If hardwood is used, split the sticks and they'll start burning four times as fast as round hardwood. If you use soft wood, you'll need an extra supply. Have it on hand.
Scouts Nos. 4 and 5 peel potatoes, cut them into cubes about the size of the first joint of your thumb, drop them into a No. 10 can, shake them down, just cover them with water and hang the can.
Scouts Nos. 6 and 7 cut the bacon into very fine pieces. Scout No. 8, the APL, erects an adjustable pot hanger and makes a tall fry-pan by boring 2 holes (the largest the leather borer of a Scout knife will make) opposite each other and as close as possible to the top of a No. 10 can. For a handle he passes a green stick through these two holes.
When these preparations are completed (and not before) the PL lights the fire.
Here's What To Do After the Fire Is Burning
Nos. 2 and 3 continue to take care of fire.
Nos. 4 and 5 watch the potatoes and keep them covered with water; and open the succotash and puree cans.
Nos. 6 and 7 toss a small mound of bacon into the fry pan and fry out enough fat to float the bacon. Keep adding bacon until nearly all of the fat is fried out. Now they lower the small pieces of onion into the sizzling fat. They fry bacon and onion until both are dark brown, that is, almost black.
Assembling the Chowder
Bacon, onion, and potatoes will all be finished at the same time - about 25 minutes after fire is lighted. Now cooks should work fast - pour the water off the potatoes and put them in the cooking can with the bacon and onion. The succotash and puree go in too, with a tablespoonful of salt and 1/2 teaspoonful of pepper for seasoning. Now! Watch the Scouts! They'll want to put the can back on the fire. Don't let them do it - even in the coldest weather. You're ready now for the "Come and Get It" call so ladle the chowder on pieces of bread, and EAT!
Tips
The Troop can make a meal of this dish. When it's ready, give each Scout two slices of bread. The lineup files past the pot and the cook puts a heaping tablespoonful on one piece of bread and the Scout covers it with the second piece.
Stop the thrifty Scout from rinsing the cans with water to get all the contents. He'll thin the chowder and make it runny. Then it will slide off the bread.
