Pie irons take campfire cooking to a delicious new level

Published 10:42 pm Saturday, August 21, 2010

Camp cooking doesn’t have to be just hot dogs and toasted marshmallows. With a pie iron you can build anything from a simple grilled-cheese sandwich to a three-course meal complete with apple pie for dessert.

And what is a pie iron? It’s a simple cast-iron sandwich press on a 23-inch handle so you can hold it in or over a camp fire.

The basic ingredients for any pie-iron pie are: butter, bread (any kind) and the filling.

The technique is simple: First, season the pie iron according to the instructions that come with it. Then, coat both halves of the pie iron with ample butter.

Build your pie (more on that in a minute).

Once your pie is constructed, connect the iron’s two halves, which connect with a hinge, and close the pie iron. Stick it in the fire.

You can cook your pie iron a few different ways: slow and steady (resting on a grate or near the fire), resting right on a hot log, or deep in the center of the fire.

Here are some recipe ideas. Feel free to experiment. Invent your own. Have a cook-off with your friends.

Breakfast: French toast with bacon

Bacon

Bread

Egg and milk beaten together

Cinnamon

Cook the bacon in an open pie iron (each side holds two pieces of bacon).

Soak your bread in egg and milk beaten together. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon.

Sandwich two pieces of bacon between the bread and cook in the fire.

You can also add cheese or substitute jam filling for a different stuffed French toast.

Lunch: Pepper poppers

Refrigerated biscuits

Cream cheese

Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Jalapeno peppers, chopped

Mix the cream cheese, bacon and jalapeno filling at home.

At the campsite, press a biscuit in each side of the iron and fill with popper filling. Cook slowly at first so the dough doesn’t burn before it bakes.

Dinner: Pizza pie

Bread, maybe garlic bread

Pizza sauce, shredded cheese, green peppers, pepperoni, fresh basil

Assemble the pie and stick the pie iron in the fire.

Dessert: Apple or cherry pie

Cinnamon swirl bread

Pie filling such as apple or cherry

Assemble the pie and stick the pie iron in the fire.

Resources

Equipment: www.pieiron.com; available online and at local hardware and sporting goods stores.

Cost: About $16.95 and up for various models and packages.

Recipes: www.pieiron.com/recipes.htm, www.chuckwagondiner.com/pieiron.html, www.greatcamps.com/pie-iron-dinners-recipes-contest-7.htm