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Grilled Steak and Potato Packets (Hobo Packets)

Grilled Steak and Potato Packets (also called Hobo Packets) are stuffed full of meat and potatoes with tons of flavor and easy cleanup!

A CLASSIC CAMPING MEAL

Folks have been making these Steak and Potato Packets for years as camping meals. Hence the other name they go by, Hobo Packets. You can pop your meat and veggies in a foil packet, cook it over a campfire and you have a delicious and easy meal! These are so easy to customize to your preference. The best part? You don’t even need to turn on the oven!

an overhead view of grilled steak and potatoes in a crinkled foil packet with a glass of iced tea in the background.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Can I use other meat besides steak?

Absolutely! Chicken would work great as well as lean ground beef or even lean pork. I say lean meat because you don’t want the meat to produce too much grease while cooking. If you want to use ground beef, try my Hamburger Hobo Packets!

Can these steak and potato packets be made in the oven?

Yes. You will essentially make them just like you would on the grill. Just put them on a baking tray. Preheat oven to 350F degrees and cook for 35-45 minutes (oven times will vary) or until it reaches your desired doneness.

What is the best steak to use?

I think you should go with the steak that you prefer. If you like the taste of ribeyes, then go with those. You want to look for a steak that has good marbling, which means you want it to have little bits of fat running through the meat. Fat provides flavor and tenderness. You don’t want a steak that is too lean or it will dry out too easily.

What other seasoning can I use?

The seasoning is totally your preference. I use salt, pepper and steak seasoning. It might seem like too much salt but keep in mind that your potatoes are going to soak up a lot of that salt themselves. However, if you are trying to reduce your sodium intake, you can skip the salt altogether and use a sodium free seasoning blend.

How do you keep the steak from drying out?

The key is not to overcook. A meat thermometer is your best friend here. Cook the meat to your desired doneness. Just make sure your potatoes are tender. If you like your steak more rare, your potatoes won’t be fully cooked. So you could certainly parboil your potatoes before putting them in the potato packets to make sure everything is done at the same time. Also, I will put an ice cube inside the packets before grilling. This helps provide moisture and a steam effect.

What other veggies can I add?

Whatever you love. Peppers, mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots and broccoli are all good additions.

How do I store leftovers?

These are best eaten the day they are made. If you do have leftovers, remove from the foil and store in a covered container. Reheat in the microwave or on the grill (just take care as they will easily dry out and get tough).

a fork shown being inserted into a piece of cooked steak and potatoes in a foil packet.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

  • steaks – use your favorite steak here and what your budget can afford: sirloin, ribeye and even flat iron steaks work great!
  • olive oil – this adds a nice flavor but if all you have is vegetable oil then use that.
  • onion – if you aren’t a fan of onion, just leave it out. Or, if you like onion flavor but don’t really enjoy eating onions, leave them in while cooking, then just remove when they are done.
  • russet potatoes – if you want a slightly creamier potato, try using Yukon Gold potatoes. Make sure your scrub your potatoes with water because you want them nice and clean since we’re leaving the skins on. If you don’t like potato skins, you can certainly peel them first.
  • garlic – normally I am fine with the jarred garlic but I really think the fresh stuff works better here and is going to give you so much more flavor.
  • salted butter – I know we’re also adding salt and pepper to this, but trust me, you need additional salt because the potatoes will absorb quite a bit.
  • your favorite steak seasoning – I tend to use Montreal Steak Seasoning (see ingredient image below) or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute. Or, if you have a favorite homemade steak seasoning, please use that.
steak chunks, olive oil, onion, russet potatoes, garlic, salted butter, salt and pepper, steak seasoning.

HOW TO MAKE STEAK AND POTATO PACKETS (HOBO PACKETS):

Tear off 4 large square sheets of aluminum foil. Drizzle all 4 foil aluminum square pieces with olive oil. Put 1 Tablespoon of butter on each foil sheet. Dice potatoes into cubes (about 1-inch). Leaving the skin on. Divide up the cubed potatoes and place on top of the butter on each aluminum foil square.

Evenly sprinkle minced garlic and diced onion over each of the four servings. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil.

Put steak pieces on top of potatoes. Season with a bit more salt and pepper and your favorite steak seasoning. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and put another pat of butter on top. Also, another good tip to keep your meat from getting dried out while cooking is to add a large ice cube on top of the meat

Fold up each of the sides to make a nice little bed for the potatoes, making a square, so none of the butter and oil can escape while cooking. Preheat grill to medium-high heat (about 350F degrees.) Grill packets for about 35-45 minutes. Note: this will be to about a medium well doneness. If you like your steak more rare, then please pay attention to the internal temperature of the meat. You just need to make sure the potatoes are tender as well.

 Be careful when opening the packets because the steam is gonna come outta there fast and furious.

an overhead view of cooked steak and potato bites in aluminum foil packet with fresh parsley in the background.

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Originally published: July 2011
Updated & Republished: June 2023

Grilled Steak and Potato Packets (Hobo Packets) recipe from The Country Cook.

Steak and Potato Packets (+Video)

Grilled Steak and Potato Packets (also called Hobo Packets) are stuffed full of meat and potatoes with tons of flavor and easy cleanup!
4.84 from 24 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2-3 pounds steaks, cubed (ribeye, sirloin or flat iron steaks)
  • olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced or sliced
  • 2 large russet potatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced minced
  • 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
  • salt and pepper, to taste to taste
  • your favorite steak seasoning

Instructions

  • Tear off 4 large square sheets of aluminum foil. Drizzle all 4 foil aluminum square pieces with olive oil.
  • Put 1 Tablespoon of butter on each foil sheet.
  • Dice potatoes into cubes (about 1-inch). Leaving the skin on. Divide up the cubed potatoes and place on top of the butter on each aluminum foil square.
  • Evenly sprinkle minced garlic and diced onion over each of the four servings. Then sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.
  • Drizzle with a little bit more olive oil.
  • Put steak pieces on top of potatoes. Season with a bit more salt, pepper and your favorite steak seasoning (use as little or as much as you like).
  • Drizzle with a tiny bit more olive oil and put another pat of butter on top. Also, another good tip to keep your meat from getting dried out while cooking is to add a large ice cube on top of the meat.
  • Fold up each of the sides to make a nice little bed for the potatoes, making a square so none of the butter and oil can escape while cooking.
  • Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill packets for about 35-45 minutes (this will cook the steak to about medium well). Check periodically for your preferred level of doneness for the steak (just make sure the potatoes are tender).

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
  • Be careful when opening the packets because the steam is going to come out of there fast and furious.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 772kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 55g | Sodium: 327mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Recipe Rating




41 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hey, I love camping and I love these meaty packets, too. I also like to put carrots in them. With the issue of the under-cooked potatoes, what I usually do is throw the potatoes in the microwave for a few minutes to soften them before I cut them up and add them to the packets (assuming I'm making the packets while I'm camping, I cook the potatoes and carrots a bit in the micro before I leave, and then cut and create the packets at camp). Otherwise, I've had the same issue; under-cooked potatoes and perfectly cooked meat. And meat-wise, you GOTTA try the marinade mix on the side of the Montreal Steak Seasoning jar. Soy sauce, MSSeasoning, and a little veg or olive oil. Perfection. Yum! b

  2. Hello
    I camp LOTS!!! what a great thing to cook quickly and looks like you could predo them and put in a zip bag then it is just cook it wow love it Thanks

  3. Hi Nicole! That is so awesome to hear! So glad you liked how it turned out. I guess I should have been more specific in the post about what size to cut up the potatoes. I'll get that corrected. It's a good question about the frozen potatoes. I haven't actually tried them with this. They just might work. Gotta be real careful about the mush factor though. Would be a fun experiment to try!

  4. 5 stars
    I made these the other night, and the meat was AWESOME. So much better than I've ever managed before. My only problem was that the potatoes were still hard, even after I extended the cooking time. Comparing to your picture, I don't think I diced them up small enough so I will try that next time. But it got me thinking..have you ever used the precooked/frozen ones, like Ore-Idas, for this recipe? Do you think those would work or would they get too mushy?

    I'm loving your blog! I've got cube steaks in the crock pot right now, the 3rd recipe of yours this week. 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    I like that idea so much and so excited not to wash any pot and pans…so excited in fact, it's getting served up right in the foil! Now, I just need to stock up on the plastic cutlery and I'm all set.

  6. 5 stars
    Looks yummy! We make something similar to this at our house, except we use chicken and mesquite seasoning (the dry mix by Grill Mates). We throw some onions and green beans in there too, as well as the potatoes, and it's rather heavenly. My hubby just calls it "campfire chicken". It's a favorite at our house.

  7. Oh Brandie I love the name of these! You make me laugh and I love the whole inner cave man part! He he :). These look delicious by the way

  8. My mom made these with hamburger patties and added carrots. Hm…I think I have dinner for tonight. Thanks!

  9. As a Girl Scout we used to do this with chicken and it was delish- I am trying your version on our next camping trip!

  10. 5 stars
    My inner cavegirl is telling me Yum! I remember these when I was camping. Why is it food tastes so good when you are camping?

  11. 5 stars
    Brandie-I have made these packets before using ground beef, but yours using steak look pretty good. The meat and potatoes have a wonderful flavor, when cooked together. Thanks for sharing.

  12. 5 stars
    This sounds delicious..your second photo from the top gave me an illusion that you tossed it in the air:)) looks awesome and great idea!

  13. Oh my goodness! This looks so good and so easy!! I'm from Tennessee and we love our meat and potatoes down here!!

    God bless.

    Ella

  14. What a great and easy recipe. I think everyone loves the potato/meat combo. The butter reminds me of Paula Deen, she gets carried away with butter as well!

  15. Wow do I love packets. Yours just looks fantastic as always. Come over and visit. We have a great grilled squash recipe today in a packet. We must think alike right?