A pie iron is a mold made of two aluminum or cast iron bread trays that hinge together and have long handles for cooking over a campfire. A pie iron is ideal for cooking over a campfire as it seals the flavor between two slices of bread. A book of pie iron recipes is a good way to begin your family tradition of pie iron, campfire cooking. Pie irons are fun to use, and make terrific sandwiches and desserts. The variety of scrumptious meals that can be made in a pie iron is endless.
The following are some suggestions on how to put your pie iron to use on your next campfire (and don’t forget they work great in fire places, on wood stoves, on grills, and even on your kitchen range). Today campers make hobo pies and grilled sandwiches in pie irons that are inserted right into the campfire. You place a filled pie iron over coals (not directly in the fire) or on a grate over a less-hot area of your campfire turning every 3-5 minutes. After the pie iron has cooked for approx 5 minutes on each side, gently open the pie iron to check its progress. Below are two of my favorite pie iron recipes that can be a complete meal. All you need is some bread, some butter, a can of pizza sauce, some shredded cheese, and a can of pie filling.
For the main course, we will be preparing some pie iron pizza! Start by buttering both sides of two slices of bread. Open the pie iron and place one slice of bread in each half of the pie iron. Spoon some pizza sauce on one of the slices of bread. Next, sprinkle some shredded cheese on top of the pizza sauce. Finally, take the other slice of bread and place it on top of the “pizza.” Now, close the pie iron tightly and clamp the handles together. Place the filled pie iron over the coals (not directly in the fire) or on a grate over a less-hot area of your campfire turning every 3-5 minutes. After about 5-7 minutes, open the pie iron and check each side of the pizza. You want the bread to be toasted a golden brown with the cheese all melted and gooey. Remove the pizza and enjoy!
For dessert, we will be making a fruit pie. I love blueberry pie so I usually have a can of blueberry pie filling but you can choose whichever flavor you like best. Start by buttering both sides of two slices of bread. Open the pie iron and place one slice of bread in each half of the pie iron. Spoon some pie filling on one of the slices of bread. Don’t put too much pie filling that it oozes over the side, but make sure you fill it fairly good. Finally, take the other slice of bread and place it on top of the “pie.” Now, close the pie iron tightly and clamp the handles together. Place the filled pie iron over the coals (not directly in the fire) or on a grate over a less-hot area of your campfire turning every 3-5 minutes. After about 5-7 minutes, open the pie iron and check each side of the fruit pie. You want the bread to be toasted a golden brown with the fruit filling hot and steamy. Remove the pie and enjoy!
These are the basics for pie iron cooking. You are limited only by your imagination. Instead of pie filling, try chocolate and peanut butter, or chocolate and marshmallow. For breakfast, add some egg to make a complete breakfast. You certainly can’t go wrong cooking in a pie iron!
