Hobo Adobo Foil Dinner

Are you familiar with the traditional hobo dinner?  It's typically prepared with meat, potatoes and veggies and wrapped in foil.  Our family normally makes them as campfire meals at the cabin.  However, I decided to kick it up a notch and take my traditional hobo dinner to the next level.  Don't have a campfire?  Not to worry.  Your oven will do just fine.

My hobo adobo foil dinner recipe uses a traditional adobo marinade with ground beef for that smoky, southwest flavor.  Red peppers and green onions add a little kick to the potatoes.  Busy moms can make them one night, and serve them the next.  The neat little foil packets will keep for a few days in your refrigerator until it's time to bake them.  The longer the meat can season through, the more flavorful it becomes.

Hobo Adobo Foil Dinner

Aluminum foil
Ground beef in adobo sauce (recipe below)
Hobo dinner potatoes (recipe below)
4-oz. Monterrey Jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  To assemble the meat patties, divide ground beef in adobo sauce into 8 balls.  Press into patties.  Place 1 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese (cut in squares) on each patty, as pictured below.  Place another patty on top, and press together to seal.  To assemble your hobo dinners, tear off a large piece of aluminum foil.  Place one adobo patty on the bottom, and spoon potato mixture on top.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Seal well.  Bake for 1 -1 1/4 hours or until potatoes are tender.

Ground Beef in Adobo Sauce

1 C. chicken stock
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef, thawed
Mix the first seven ingredients well in a medium-sized bowl.  Soak 1 1/2 lb. ground beef in the adobo sauce for 1-2 hours.  After soaking, strain excess moisture off using a colander (it's fine to have a little excess moisture, as it will steam your potatoes.  Too much, and your meat patties will fall apart).

Hobo Dinner Potatoes

4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 green onions, sliced
1/3 C. lemon juice
1/4 C. olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil.  Toss with potatoes, red peppers and onions.

This was inspired by the hobo dinner recipe in our grilling and outdoor cooking post.