Camp cooking has a hierarchy, and skewers sit near the top. They're quick, they need one heat source, and they give you char — which is the flavour most camp dinners are missing.
These lamb skewers earn their spot because the marinade does its work before you even light the fire. Bag it at home, cook it three minutes a side, and dinner's on the plate before the coals have gone cold.
What You Need
Ingredients
- 800 g lamb forequarter or shoulder, cut into 3 cm cubes (or boned lamb loin chops)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 lemon — zest and juice
- 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into thick batons
- 300 g Greek-style yoghurt
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint or oregano (1 tsp dried is fine)
Gear
- Grill grate over coals (a small gas BBQ works too)
- 4–6 flat metal skewers, or bamboo skewers soaked for 30 minutes
- Long tongs
- A shallow container or zip-lock bag for the marinade
- Small bowl for the yoghurt, and an enamel plate for resting
- Space in the Engel or 12V fridge for the lamb
How to Make It
- Marinate first. Combine the olive oil, oregano, garlic, lemon zest and half the lemon juice with the salt and pepper. Toss the lamb through it. Thirty minutes is enough; overnight in the fridge is better.
- Burn the fire down. Give it 30–40 minutes. You're after coals covered in grey ash with a steady orange glow underneath — no flames. Flames are for looking at, not cooking on.
- Thread the lamb. Slide the cubes onto flat skewers and leave a small gap between each piece. Crowded skewers steam; gapped skewers char.
- Dress the zucchini. Toss the batons with a splash of oil and a pinch of salt.
- Grill the skewers. Set the grate about 10 cm above the coals. Cook 3–4 minutes per side, turning once, until the edges are dark and the middles are just pink — press one with your thumb and it should feel springy, not firm.
- Char the zucchini. Three minutes per side, until you've got bar marks and it's just tender. It should still have some bite.
- Rest them. Three minutes on the plate. Skip this and the juice ends up on the plate instead of in the meat.
- Finish the yoghurt. Stir the remaining lemon juice and the herbs through the yoghurt with a pinch of salt. Serve everything together while it's hot.
Camp Tips
- Prep at home. Cube the lamb and bag the marinade before you leave. Frozen flat in a zip-lock it doubles as an ice block on day one, and it's thawed and marinating by the time you stop.
- Go for forequarter or shoulder. More flavour and far more forgiving over hot coals. If you're using lean loin, pull the cook time back to 2–3 minutes a side.
- No skewers? No problem. Cook the cubes loose on the grate and turn them with tongs. You lose nothing but the presentation.
- Watch the coals, not the clock. If the fat starts flaring, raise the grate or knock the coals apart. A flare-up blackens the outside before the middle is anywhere near cooked.
- Leftovers are lunch. Slice the cold skewers into a wrap with the leftover yoghurt and whatever salad you've got. It's better than it sounds.
Where It Fits
Skewers and a grill grate are about as simple as camp cooking gets, but the meal still leans on the boring stuff — a fridge that genuinely holds temperature, and power that survives a few days between towns. If you're sorting the vehicle side of that before summer, our 4WD and camping range covers the bits that make a trip comfortable rather than merely survivable.
