Campfire Stew Recipe

There are many recipes for Slimming World campfire stew out there, - this is my slightly spicy version. 

Cooked in a slow cooker, cooking does not get much easier than this!

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I know we like a bit of spice in this house, but this isn't overly spicy so fear not. In fact, the next time I make it I'll add more spice, so there!

Before making, it's important to read my recipe top tips!

Recipe Top Tips!

• If you’re in the UK, most gammon joints, even smoked ones are now quite mild. But I still recommend you soak the gammon in fresh cold water in the fridge for a couple of hours. Then rinse well before adding it to the slow cooker.

• If you're in the US, I believe gammon is very salty so I would recommend you soak it overnight - it should tell you on the packaging if it needs to be soaked this way.

• Check your Gammon joint packaging. Here in the UK, underneath the outer wrapping, most gammon is wrapped in a see-through casing that, for this recipe, you will need to remove even though the packaging tells you to keep it on.

Peppers

Don't add the peppers to the slow cooker until about an hour before the stew is due to be finished cooking - this way they will end up just nicely soft.

Of course, if you're not at home,  you can add them at the beginning of cooking, but they will pretty much disintegrate.

So for that reason, I suggest you pop the sliced peppers into a covered bowl and into the microwave for 1-2 minutes and then stir them into your stew at the end of cooking.

That way the peppers will keep their colour and make the finished dish a lot more appetising, plus they won't be mushy.

Beans

Most campfire stew recipes use a can of (UK) baked beans but I prefer cannellini beans, of course, you can use whatever cooked beans you want.

So, what exactly is campfire stew?

Technically it is a stew you cook over a campfire, but this recipe has become very popular to cook at home, thanks to Slimming World.

Campfire stew can be cooked in a few ways - slow cooker, or oven, or if you are in a hurry, you can cook it in an Instant Pot or Multicooker under pressure.

This is a good job since I wouldn't fancy cooking this actually around a campfire, thank goodness for slow cookers!

While there isn’t a definitive recipe for this stew, most versions include meat, usually pork, and sometimes beef, beans of some kind, tomatoes and peppers.

When cooked in a slow cooker it's a great dump recipe - just dump the ingredients in. stir and leave it to cook!

Make ahead and batch cooking!

With the ever-rising cost of electricity and gas here in the UK, it makes good sense to batch cook. Using a slow cooker to cook meals is the cheapest form of indoor cooking.

If you're busy working you can cook at the weekend, and freeze. That way you can have a freezer full of easy, healthy meals ready to reheat when you get home. Plus you would have saved money by them being cooked at the same time.

You can buy a simple and cheap slow cooker for as little as £19.99 on Amazon or in any electrical store. My advice though would be to get one that automatically switches to 'keep warm' once the time is up.

Also if you can, go for one with a ceramic pot as they are really easy to clean.

I love my slow cooker, fantastic for making dishes like this and chicken casserole. Campfire stew is absolutely perfect for making the day before and actually tastes even better! 

Simply reheat in a microwave or on a really low heat on the stovetop until piping hot.

This is a fantastic batch cooking recipe as the recipe serves 6 so once cooked leave it to cool completely before portioning it out into freezer storage containers and freezing.

Defrost thoroughly before reheating.

Ingredients 

• 1 x 750g - 1Kg smoked or unsmoked gammon joint - halved horizontally

• 3 bell peppers (one of each colour, red, yellow, and green) - sliced

• 1 large onion - diced

• 3 cloves garlic cloves - minced or finely chopped

• 1 400g tin good quality plum tomatoes

• 1 400g tin cannellini beans - drained well from their water

• 1 400g tin red kidney beans in chilli sauce  

• 2 sticks celery - chopped

• 2 large carrots - chopped

• 2 tablespoons tomato puree (paste in the US)

• 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika (be sure to use sweet and not hot)!

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

• 1-2 teaspoons chilli flakes

• 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• Optional: ¼ teaspoon of your favourite hot sauce - such as Frank's hot sauce, Tabasco or Sriracha

• Flat-leaf parsley

Cooking in a slow cooker 

I cooked mine on slow cooker mode in my Ninja Foodi 15-1 Multi-Cooker. But of course, you can use any slow cooker. 

Just as another top tip, if you have a Ninja multicooker, I've discovered the default in slow cooking mode is set to 'keep warm' so be sure to press the button or your food will never cook. 

It's bizarre, but I've had a few multi-cookers and they all default to keep warm.

Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker apart from the bell peppers - be sure to see the note in the recipe top tips above.

Add the halved gammon. Halving the gammon ensures the flavours really get into the meat. 

Give it all a good stir to cover the gammon completely.

The mixture looks a bit dry but all those lovely veggies and beans will make liquid as it can't escape when cooked in a slow cooker, so don't be tempted to add any more.

If once cooked it does need thickening, (mine did) I always use McDougalls Thickening Granules are a game-changer in the kitchen. 

They can be found on Amazon, or in most good supermarkets. They are cheaper in Sainsbury's than over on Amazon - just saying!

Set the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 6-8 hours. Try not to open the lid or you will affect the cooking time.

One hour before the end of cooking, stir in the peppers put the lid back on and leave it to finish cooking. Or, if you're not going to be home, see note the recipe top tips above.

Once cooked the gammon should easily be able to shred using two forks. Check and adjust the seasoning and serve.

What to serve with campfire stew?

• Mashed potatoes

• Rice

• Potato wedges

• On a jacket potato

• Couscous

• Fresh crusty bread

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

campfire stew, campfire stew recipe, slow cooker campfire stew, slow cooker gammon

dinner, main, gammon

American

Yield: 6-8

Author: Jan Bennett

Campfire Stew Recipe

Servings depend on the size of your gammon and what you serve it with, either mashed potato, rice, potato wedges or just nice fresh crusty bread.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 8 HourInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 10 H & 10 M

Ingredients

• 1 x 750g - 1Kg smoked or unsmoked gammon joint - halved horizontally so you have two pieces
• 3 bell peppers (one of each colour, red, yellow, and green) - sliced
• 1 large onion - diced
• 3 cloves garlic cloves - minced or finely chopped
• 1 400g tin good quality plum tomatoes
• 1 400g tin cannellini beans - drained well from their water
• 1 400g tin red kidney beans in chilli sauce - including the sauce
• 2 sticks celery - chopped
• 2 large carrots - chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree (paste in the US)
• 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika (be sure to use sweet and not hot)!
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons chilli flakes
• 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Optional:
• ¼ teaspoon of your favourite hot sauce - such as Frank's hot sauce, Tabasco or Sriracha
• flat-leaf parsley to serve

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker apart from the bell peppers - be sure to see the note in the recipe top tips in my post!
2. Now add the halved gammon and give it a stir, making sure the gammon is completely covered.
3. Set the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 6-8 hours. Try not to open the lid or you will affect the cooking time.
4. One hour before the end of cooking, stir in the peppers put the lid back on and leave it to finish cooking. Or, if you're not going to be home, see note in recipe top tips above.
5. Once cooked the gammon should easily be able to shred using two forks.
6. If it needs thickening you can either leave the lid off of the slow cooker and continue on a high setting until thickened. Or you can do as I do and add a tablespoon or so of McDougalls thickening granules - see post for details.
7. Check and adjust the seasoning and serve.

Notes

If you’re in the UK, most gammon joints, even smoked ones are now quite mild, but I have found you still need to soak your gammon in fresh cold water in the fridge for a couple of hours, then rinse well before adding it to the slow cooker which is what I did.

If you are in the US, I believe gammon is very salty and so I would recommend you soak it overnight - it should tell you on the packaging if it needs to be soaked this way. 

Did you make this recipe?

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