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We stick to these tried-and-true camping recipes every year. Try our Woof’em sticks (campfire tacos), Baked Potatoes, Breakfast Potatoes, and Mountain Pies, all made outdoors when camping out.
What Are Woof Ems?
I asked that question too when I first got introduced to them. Woof em sticks are simply taking refrigerated biscuit dough and pulling it over a large wooden stick. Once cooked over the fire, it is the shape of a cup and can be filled with sweet or savory fillings, but our favorite are taco fixings!
Traditionally, crescent rolls are used for the sweeter pudding fillings, but either dough works. It’s just the sweeter whipped cream and puddings complement the sweeter crescent roll dough.
Woof em sticks are so good! That is why they are called that, because you tend to wolf’em down!
Tasty Taco Woof Em Sticks
My family has come to love these, and it’s all because of a family who invited us for supper on one summer evening in Rhode Island. The hostess arranged all of the ingredients and taco fixings (taco meat, lettuce, cheese, jalapeños, salsa, and sour cream) on a table across the fire pit.
We popped up some lawn chairs near the fire and grabbed their handmade roasting sticks and some biscuit dough. They taught us how to pull the refrigerated biscuit over the stick to make a cup, and that was my first WOOF ‘EM stick. It was a way to roast your dough slowly as conversions were made.
Over the years, we have had these on pretty much every camping trip we have gone on. The prep is easy (as with any taco dinner) and the results are so tasty! In taste, it’s like fry bread or a chalupa, but way healthier, as you don’t fry the dough but roast it.
Refrigerator biscuit dough gets very fluffy once roasted and tastes so delicious. Over the years, I have come to make my own refrigerated biscuit dough by making easy buttermilk biscuits. I couldn’t be happier! I have kept my homemade biscuit dough in a cooler (when we tented) and the fridge when in an RV.
It is one of the easiest doughs to make right before a camping trip and can be kept cold until needed.
Woof Em Sticks Make the Perfect Outage Food
Woof em sticks aren’t only for camping. When we were affected by hurricane Helen, I made these woof em sticks as a way to clean out the fridge (sometimes we need to make the best of things). We had an unexpected family stop by to check in on us, only to discover woof em sticks. I remember how excited my relative was about these (he’s never heard of them), and the neat thing is that everyone can make their own and fill it however they want.
Tips for Making Homemade Refrigerated Biscuit Dough
Once baking soda comes in contact with buttermilk, it gets active. That is why keeping homemade buttermilk biscuits in an airtight container or freezer bag keeps oxidation at a minimum. I also try to make it very last minute at home before heading out for our camping trip, so I don’t have to bring flour along and all the ingredients to make it. Keeping the dough cold (whether in a cooler or fridge) keeps the dough from getting too sticky. Using kitchen gloves keeps cleanup at a minimum when pulling the dough over the roasting stick, but it isn’t necessary.
Where to Buy Wolf’em Sticks?
We make DIY woof em sticks. My husband used wood that bears fruit or nuts from trees on our property. He picked straight sticks about 1.5″ in diameter and 2′-3′ (feet) long. Removed the bark, and we have been using them for years.
There are also premade Wolf'em sticks that could be purchased online, but if there is access to woods, make them yourself or buy a cylinder wooden rod from Home Depot to save money.
Mise en Place
Equipment:
- Roasting sticks
- An electric skillet to cook taco meat (or make the taco meat at home and bring it along to reheat at the campground).
- Gallon and quart-sized freezer bags (for storing the chopped veggies and shredded cheese.)
Ingredients:
For Taco Woof Em sticks, you’ll need all the taco fillings that you usually serve tacos with. I like to prep all of the ingredients at home and keep them in freezer bags for easy traveling. Try to cook the taco meat at home and then bring it camping in an electric skillet to cook less and enjoy your time (most campgrounds have an electric outlet). Here is what we brought;
- Refrigerator Biscuits- I used to get the Pillsbury Grand biscuits, but have been making my own buttermilk biscuits by whipping up the dough at home and keeping it in a floured gallon-sized bag for camping. My buttermilk biscuits don’t call for butter and aren’t as tedious.
- Taco Meat- season ground beef the way you typically do for tacos. Two pounds of meat is enough for two meals for our family of 8. You only need a little meat to fit all the other toppings into the biscuits once cooked.
- Chopped lettuce- I finely chopped romaine lettuce and placed it into a gallon freezer bag with a paper towel to absorb water and keep it fresh (after washing).
- Diced onions- finely dice a sweet onion for extra crunch and texture.
- Salsa or Pico de Gallo- I make sure to have canned salsa year-round, but fresh pico de Gallo or diced tomatoes will work.
- Shredded cheese- I grated a marbled Colby-style cheese, but I’ve used cheddar cheese before, too.
- Sour Cream- to top off the tacos.
How To Make Woof Em Sticks:
For step-by-step images, go to the recipe card below.
- Make ahead the taco meat and warm it up before serving.
- Pull a refrigerated biscuit over the roasting stick (wolf em stick) and place it over the fire. Avoid cooking over direct flames to prevent the dough from burning.
- Cook the biscuit dough over the heat for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. The dough is done if it comes off the stick easily. It will resemble the shape of a cup once cooked, perfect for stuffing.
- Place the cooked biscuit onto a disposable plate and fill it with all your favorite taco toppings. I fill mine with taco meat, lettuce, shredded cheese, onions, salsa, and sour cream.
- Enjoy by the campfire with friends or family.
Did you make these delicious woof em sticks at your camping adventure? I’d love to hear how it went for you! Comment below and rate this recipe to help readers like you discover this recipe.
Recipe Card with Step-by-step Photos:
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Woof Em Sticks (Campfire Tacos Recipe)
Equipment
- 6-8 roasting sticks
- assorted freezer bags, (for easy prep and storing ingredients)
Ingredients
Taco Meat:
- 2 lbs ground beef , (85% lean and 15% fat)
- 1 pint canned pinto beans, (or one 15 oz can, drained)
- 5 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 1 tsp Achiote (spiced annatto seed paste), (optional* see notes)
- 1/2 cup water
Biscuits:
- 32 oz Pillsbury refrigerated biscuit dough, (2 tubes) or make homemade biscuits *See notes
Taco Toppings:
- 1 romaine lettuce, (chopped)
- 16 oz monterey jack cheese, (shredded)
- 1 onion, (diced)
- 1 pint canned salsa, (or dice two tomatoes)
- 16 oz sour cream
Instructions
Directions:
- Make the taco meat. Brown the ground beef in a deep skillet then add 1 pint of drained beans, taco seasoning, beef bouillon cube, Annatto, and water. Simmer it for 10 minutes over low heat and set aside to cool.
- Prep all of the desired taco toppings. Chop the lettuce, grate the cheese, and dice the onion. Place the prepped ingredients into freezer bags. Transfer ingredients into a cold cooler or fridge.
- Make homemade refrigerator biscuits or use 2 tubes of store-bought biscuit dough. To make dough, combine 2 cups buttermilk or milk kefir, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1.5 teaspoons salt, 1 Tablespoon sugar, and 4 cups all-purpose flour. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Place into a floured gallon-sized freezer bag.
- At the campground, when the campfire is going, place a slice of the store-bought biscuit dough over a roasting stick or scoop 1/4 cup of the homemade biscuit dough and shape it into a ball, then pull it over the stick.
- Roast it in the fire for about 5 minutes, rotating it occasionally, until it's done.
- It's ready when it comes off of the roasting stick easily.
- Fill the roasted biscuits with your favorite taco fillings such as a spoonful of; taco meat, lettuce, cheese, salsa, diced onions, and sour cream. Serve!
Notes
- Add additional flour to make a stiffer dough if needed. This is important for an easier-to-work-with dough.
- You can make the taco meat at the campground using an electric skillet. Keep in my you will need to bring all of the taco meat ingredients to prepare it there, which is why I do this step at home to skip it when camping.
- You will need to drain the ground beef if using anything less than 80% lean ground beef.
- Annatto is a dry compressed seasoning that can be found at Walmart in the Mexican aisle. It makes the taco meat taste like Taco Bell ground beef!
- To Make Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits: combine ingredients in the following order and place in a floured gallon-sized freezer bag. Store refrigerated or in a cold cooler; 2 cups buttermilk or milk kefir, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1.5 teaspoons salt, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 4 cups all-purpose flour. Add enough flour to make a soft dough.
- Use other toppings as desired, such as olives, bell peppers, and jalapeños.
- Pull the biscuit dough over the roasting stick at least 3-4 inches long to cook more evenly. The thicker the dough, the longer it needs to cook over the fire.
Nutrition (per serving)
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