Campfire Beans & Weenies | Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

It's zombie time! This month's In the Kitchen with Zombie Fiction pick is the 2015 movie Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Our main characters are three high school guys, who have been best friends since joining the Scouts as young kids, Ben, Carter, and Augie. Ben and Carter both think they've outgrown it and are ready to move on, but are staying for Augie...or at least until he's awarded the highest honor a Scout can get later that night.

In the time between school ending for the day and their campout starting for the night, they hit a deer and get a flat tire, are "invited" to the secret senior's party by Carter's sister's boyfriend, and meet a hot girl that used to go to their school, but is now a cocktail waitress at a strip club—and she buys them beer.

Unbeknownst to them, what appears to be a zombie test subject escapes from a nearby lab and has started infecting the whole town. After dark, Ben and Carter sneak out of the campsite (and remote woods) when they think Augie has fallen asleep and encounter a deserted town. Aaaaand a deserted strip club door. The lack of a bouncer is too much for two high school boys to resist, and thus they have their first encounter with zombies in the form of the missing bouncer and a stripper.

Denise (the aforementioned hot girl) comes to their rescue and they all hightail it out of the club together. They have to make their way through a small zombie hoard on their way to report the incident at the police station...where they get trapped until it's Augie's turn to come to the rescue.

Ridiculousness, gratuitous nudity, and I'll admit, much hilarity leads up to them finding the real location of the secret senior party, to warn Carter's sister (who Ben has a crush on), when they realize they were given a fake address. The Scouts realize that it's up to them to defend the remaining inhabitants of their town (basically a bunch of high school seniors), so they head to the hardware store to put their scouting skills and knowledge to work making some pretty cool zombie-fighting weapons.

In the end, the Scouts do save the day and Ben gets the girl. You know, after a lot of other people die and we see some gory zombie kills. Oscar worthy? No. Super funny and totally worth watching when you need a laugh? Yes.

As far as food goes, it was mostly vending machine fare with an emphasis on Takis. Deer (road kill). Beer, Pixy Stix, a mention of bacon, and some camping food like roasted marshmallows and "beans and weenies". I thought about making venison, but didn't have any, so I went with campfire food as a nod to our heroes.

I actually grew up calling them "bean 'n franks", but since they referenced "beans 'n weenies", that's what I'm calling them. Tomayto, tomahto. While this recipe is incredibly delicious and made from scratch, it's also simple to make either on the campfire or on a stovetop.

This is what would happen if Scout Leader Rogers had put me on "wiener duty".

The Best Campfire Beans and Weenies

A favorite childhood recipe gets a makeover. Still simple to make and comforting to eat, these beans & weenies can be made over a campfire or on the stovetop.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Keywords: Campfire entree side beans sausage American summer fall

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 5 (~12 ounces) Johnsonville Stadium Brats (or your favorite cooked brats), cut into 1/4" thick slices
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled & smashed
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans beans, drained (I use Great Northern & Red Beans)
• 1/2 cup beer (or water)
• 1/4 cup Stubb's Hickory Bourbon Barbecue Sauce, or your favorite
• kosher or sea salt
• ground black pepper

Instructions

Set a cast-iron pot over your campfire (on a rack, hanging from a tripod, etc), or over high heat on the stove. Add the bratwurst slices and let cook until they begin to brown and some fat is released, stirring often, 4-5 minutes.

Add the onion, bell peppers, and garlic to the pot and cook until softened and starting to turn golden in spots, 5-7 minutes. Add the drained beans, beer (or water), barbecue sauce, and a big pinch of salt and pepper; stir to combine. Move it to indirect heat (or lower the heat on a stove) and let it bubble until it has thickened up and the flavors have had time to come together, 10-12 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed before serving.

to prepare the recipe for camping:

Place the sliced brats in one zippered baggie and all of the veggies in another zippered baggie. Combine the beans and barbecue sauce in a larger zippered baggie. Pack beer/water and salt and pepper separately since you can use them for more things. I recommend using heavy duty quality baggies when packing for camping. Line them up, zippered top facing up in your cooler or individual containers (however you like to pack).

Don't forget to pack a long wooden spoon and your pot or deep skillet with a tripod or cooking grate. If using a deep cast-iron pot, you could also wedge it directly into the campfire.

My friend Kimberly from Coffee and Casseroles is joining me this month. Drop by and check out her thoughts on and recipe inspired by Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse!

This is part of my "in the kitchen with Zombie Fiction" series, which features food pulled from or inspired by different works of zombie fiction.

I'll be sharing at least one new recipe from this series every month. To check out all of the past recipes and some upcoming featured titles, check out my "in the kitchen with Zombie Fiction" page!