A Better Way - Camp Chef pairs great food to the great outdoors.

It’s a good bet that anyone who has spent any amount of time camping, hunting, or fishing has had to suffer through burnt, overcooked, and bland “camp food.” Many of us believe that this is simply a rite of passage, a price we pay for spending time in nature. But for 36 years, Camp Chef has been on a mission to change that way of thinking, and they’ve consistently delivered the products that prove that great food and the great outdoors can go hand-in-hand. 

“You don’t have to sacrifice the quality of your food when you’re in the outdoors,” says Steve McGrath, marketing director for Camp Chef. “You can enjoy some phenomenal meals in wild places; you just have to have the right equipment.”
The right equipment is exactly what Ty Meason set out to create in northern Utah in 1990. 

“Ty’s first stove was born out of necessity,” McGrath says. “He was taking youth groups out camping and found the equipment lacking for feeding larger numbers of campers.”

Realizing there had to be a better way, Meason used his engineering background to create that better way, and the first Camp Chef stove was born. 

“Camp Chef started out as high-quality, heavy-duty equipment that was built to be portable and built to last,” McGrath says. 

The designs have evolved since then, but the quality, durability, and portability remain hallmarks of Camp Chef and are instantly apparent in products such as the iconic Camp Chef Explorer grill. Available in either a two-burner or three-burner model, the Explorer’s burners each push out an impressive 30,000 BTUs. This might seem like a bit of overkill when compared to the stoves in most homes that feature 10,000- to 12,000-BTU burners, until, of course, you consider that the Explorer isn’t meant to be used indoors.

“When you’re outdoors, you have to do more than cook; you have to combat the elements,” McGrath says. “You might not always need that much power, but if it’s 10 degrees outside with 20 mph winds, you’ll be happy that you have the flexibility to use all 30,000 BTUs.”

Portable enough to take almost anywhere and durable enough to stand up to the harshest elements, the Explorer is the stove for those customers who don’t want to just settle for traditional campfire fare when they’re outdoors. 

“We set out to give people the ability to eat great food in unbelievable places, and that’s what the Explorer does,” McGrath says. “We’ve sold millions of these stoves because of the price point and because it’s so capable.”

But Camp Chef’s ability to give people access to great food in the great outdoors isn’t limited to the Explorer. Their offering also includes the Pro 14 propane stove that features two 30,000-BTU burners, matchless ignition, and a built-in windscreen. The real genius of these units, however, is that they aren’t just a durable and portable stove, they’re actually a complete stove system that gives you the versatility to cook even the most gourmet of meals anywhere the road might take you. 

“In a camp setting, you have limited space, so you want something that isn’t just one-dimensional,” McGrath says. “You want something that can do anything you need, and then some.”

And that’s exactly what Camp Chef’s stove systems are designed to do. Regardless of what kind of food you’re interested in cooking, the Camp Chef system has an accessory that you can fit onto the Explorer or Pro 14 and turn the base unit into something so much more than a standard outdoor stove. 

Want BBQ ribs or grilled trout at your campsite? Camp Chef has a BBQ Grill Box you can add to your stove that features a patented heat diffuser system designed to convert flames into infrared heat, which minimizes hot spots and gives you perfectly grilled food every time. 

Want to serve up pancakes, bacon, and hash browns for a whole troop of hunters in camp? There’s a griddle accessory that slides right onto the stove and features high sides and a convenient grease drain. Camp Chef has even gone so far as to create an Artisan Pizza Oven accessory that you can add to the stoves so you can have gourmet wood-fired style pizzas even when you’re miles away from any Italian eatery. 

“Really, there’s no end to the kinds of food you can cook with this system,” McGrath says. 

And because Camp Chef recognizes that the great outdoors isn’t limited to scenic campgrounds in far-away places, they’ve also developed a full line of flattop grills designed specifically for tailgating. 

“When you think about it, tailgating is all about the food,” McGrath says. “The rabid fans are always there, sharing great food and having a great time with each other.”

And for those customers who want to add some extra flavor to their outdoor entrées, Camp Chef has developed a line of wood pellet stoves. 

“Propane cooks hot and fast,” McGrath says. “The pellet stoves cook longer at a slower temperature and add a wood-smoke flavor to your food.”

Regardless of what you want to eat, or where you want to eat it, Camp Chef has developed a solution to fit your needs.
“Camp Chef has been at the forefront of bringing people together in the outdoors for 36 years,” McGrath says. “This world is so divisive these days, but the one thing that still brings us all together around the dinner table is great food. And that’s what Camp Chef is hoping to do, bring people together—regardless of where that dinner table might be.”