Mountain pie iron offers plenty of variety over campfire

A  writer with a pencil (or pen or laptop). A carpenter with a hammer. A Little Leaguer tightening a grip on his Louisville Slugger.

We can call these tools of the trade, and we culinary campfire chefs have a few of our own. But few few of those tools are more useful and necessary in your campfire cuisine arsenal than the mountain pie iron.

The concept is very simple. Two cast iron “pans” are joined with a metal hinge. Wooden handles cover metal shafts that run into the cast iron cooking section.

The contraption provides a neat cooking utensil that heats food fairly thoroughly, especially if you keep turning the pie iron regularly over the heat.

You don’t need a grill to cook with a pie iron — you can actually place it directly into the coals. Just be sure to keep adjusting it, flipping the iron regularly so that food cooks evenly without burning.

The options of what you can cook in a mountain pie iron are nearly endless.

The standards include the tried-and-true grilled cheese, various forms of pizza and regular pies with many different variations. We’ve used our mountain pie irons to cook breakfast items and grill toppings for pizza, among other things.

If treated correctly, the cast iron portions of the pie iron are pretty well non-stick. However, the basics of mountain pie cooking involve two pieces of bread with something cooked inside.

Much like when making a grilled cheese, it is a good idea to start with spreading a layer of butter on the outside of each piece of bread — the parts that touch the actual pie iron.

Once they are laid out, butter side down into the two sides of the mountain pie iron, you can add whatever filling you’d desire. During a recent camping trip, we simply added some blueberry pie filling.

Then it is simply a matter of closing the pie iron and cooking over a campfire. The key to making your creation to perfection and not burning it comes in constant checking and turning.

The closer to the actual coals, the quicker it will char, so be diligent. It could be the difference between a tasty meal and ending up with a charcoal briquette.

With fruit pies, we’ve found the perfect way to top them off is with a sprinkling of confectioner’s sugar.

Of course, you can tweak however you’d prefer and season with cinnamon or whatever else suits your fancy.

Different variations can also come in replaceing the bread outer shell with other options. Crescent roll dough from the can, pizza dough, pretzel buns, English muffins, soft taco shell, pita bread or even slices of cake or other dessert-friendly option such as graham cracker crust.

I know one person who uses slices of corn bread on the outside with a generous helping of chili and shredded cheese cooked to gooey perfection inside.

What are your favorite mountain pie creations? I’d love to hear about them and share them with readers.