[FTC Standard Disclaimer] Certified Angus Beef is one of our sponsors and GrillGrates is an equipment sponsor.
We did a quick 1 night camping trip at Norris Lake a few weekends ago to test out our truck tent and to see how Ramsay would deal with camping.
 |
| The tent is fitted to the truck, so it pops up in the bed. The plus side is you are sleeping a few feet off the ground, making it less likely for ants, snakes, and creepy crawlies from bothering you. The down side is that you have to break camp if you need to drive anywhere. |
 |
| We stayed on the East side campground and it was nice because it wasn't crowded at all due to vacancies. |
 |
| Our site's previous occupants left us a stake on the grill. Not sure if this was a meant as a pun (steak/stake on the grill) or if they made this for self defense against nearby Sasquatches. |
 |
| Turns out, Ramsay likes camping. |
 |
| For dinner, Alexis bought and packed a few Certified Angus Beef ribeye steaks and some fresh corn. I brought a small grill because you never know what type of grill equipment you'll get at a campsite. |
 |
| I brushed the corn with some melted butter and grilled it about 6-7 minutes. |
 |
| I brought the GrillGrates because I use them anytime I am using a small grill, like this one or a BGE Mini-Max. That is because small grills typically have the food closer to the coals, which exacerbates any hot spot issues. The GrillGrates even those temps out. |
 |
| Good quality beef, like Certified Angus Beef, doesn't need much help. I just seasoned the steaks with my Beef Rub V.2 and grilled them about 5 1/2 minutes per side until reached an internal temperature of 127°f. |
 |
| It's a simple cook, the way camping fare should be. Minimize ingredients, limit equipment, and streamline the process. |
 |
| It was absolutely delicious - perfect for sitting around a picnic table and enjoying the evening dining al fresco. |
 |
| After dinner margaritas. |
 |
Kind of looks like an M.C. Esher piece of art, it's actually looking up, underneath a power line tower.
|
 |
| Once the sun went down, it actually got cool enough for a campfire. |
 |
| Anyone trying to sneak into our tent would find themselves face to face with Ramsay. He seemed to enjoy the experience, especially being able to look out of the tent screen door all night. |
 |
| I took a walk just before dawn. |
 |
| Later, Alexis and I took Ramsay on a few of the hiking trails since it was National Trails Day. |
 |
Well, that's not creepy at all......
#BlairWitch meets #ChildrenOfTheCorn |
 |
| Norris Lake from the end of one of the hiking trails. This is a popular weekend destination for people around Knoxville. |
 |
| Norris Dam and the West side marina. |
 |
| The business side of the dam and the reason why there are so many electric towers in my pictures. |
 |
| We got back to camp around 9 and headed back home. |
It was a brief but fun camping trip. Our next planned one is for the
Porkopolis Eggfest in Cincinnati on Saturday, July 18th. We're camping nearby with a group of our Egghead friends and it should be another great time. My friend Josh and I are going to have a taco throwdown at the camp site with our friends being the judges, so that should be brutal, but fun.
