The Free Range Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The quest for the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich.  Yes, certainly not quite on the same scale as the quest for the Holy Grail, but still a worthy pursuit.  Of course, one could argue that there is no such thing as the “ultimate” grilled cheese sandwich.  We are a culture that embraces superlatives, particularly in food writing.  “These are the best ________ you’ll ever eat,” I’ve read so often, only to be massively disappointed when my life remain unaltered by a brownie recipe or a scrambled egg dish.  

But, back to the grilled cheese sandwich.  After numerous trials with and by fire, we have arrived at the following grilled cheese recipe.  Simple but effective.  And most importantly, cooked over an open fire preferably beside a river and during a Canadian winter.  (The river need not be frozen, but if it is, all the better.)  I can say that at this moment in time, this is our Ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwich.  But, of course, this may change with further experimentation.  

And it may not be the “ultimate” grilled cheese sandwich for your particular tastes.  To reach “The Ultimate” in your world, you must launch into the great unknown of grilled cheese and set out on a quest of your own.  I can assure you that it’s a pretty pleasant quest, as quests go, so have fun with it. 

Free Range Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

What you need:

• 2 slices of homemade sourdough bread
• softened butter
• grated gouda cheese
• bacon cut into 1/2” pieces
• cast iron camp cooker
• firewood
• matches 
• newspaper 
• gasoline (very optional and dangerous)

Prepare the sandwiches at home:

1.  Fry the bacon and preserve the bacon fat.
2.  Slice the bread to a reasonable, average thickness
3.  Grate the cheese onto one slice of bread
4.  Pour the bacon fat over the cheese
5.  Apply the second piece of bread, sandwich style
6.  Spread butter on the outsides
7.  Wrap in plastic wrap

The Cooking Part

Get a small but boisterous fire going, then place the sandwich (after removing the plastic wrap, of course!) within the camp cooker.  Cook over the fire, turning once in a while.  When both sides are golden brown and to your liking, release the sandwich from the cooker’s grasp and onto a plate.  Beware!  These can be very hot right off the fire, so proceed with caution when applying teeth to sandwich.