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We only stick to a few camping recipes that always work and take very little thought to prepare. Other favorite campfire recipes include Woof’em Sticks, Pork Shish Kabobs, Camping Breakfast Potatoes, and Campfire Baked Potatoes.
What Are Mountain Pies?
I first got introduced to a mountain pie from our good Mennonite friends. They invited us over one summer evening to celebrate their daughter’s birthday and set up a table outdoors by the campfire with all the sandwich toppings to make a delicious mountain pie.
On the table, they had sandwich bread, luncheon meats, eggs, cheese, pizza sauce, and pepperoni for everyone to make their own, and however they’d like it.
So, basically, to make hot mountain pie sandwiches, you’d spray the mountain pie maker with cooking spray on both sides, add a slice of bread, fill it with the desired sandwich toppings, and cover it with a second slice of bread. Then close up the sandwich in the mold and cook it over the fire for about 10 minutes until it’s crispy.
These are so delicious and take very little effort to prep. Simply set the table with bread and ready lunch meat, and have everyone make their own. It’s recipes like these that don’t require much work or prep time, and everyone’s happy.
Where To Buy a Mountain Pie Maker?
Iron pie makers are campfire sandwich irons that can be purchased at Walmart, some Country sporting stores, or Mennonite stores like Goodsstores.com often carry cast-iron cookers for camping. We own some double pie irons, which are so handy as you can make one for yourself and another for a little one all in one shot.
How Long To Cook a Mountain Pie?
We learned that the longer mountain pies cook over a low, steady fire, the easier they come out of their mold. The key is to cook it in a well-greased mold, over a steady low heat and preferably indirect heat, meaning the flame is not directly on the mountain pie maker. Depending on how strong the fire is or where it’s sitting by the fire, it takes about 10 minutes for a well-done mountain pie to cook. Cooking mountain pies directly over flames can burn your bread. For best results, put your pie maker in ember (glowing wood) and set the timer for 10 minutes, then check to see if it releases from the form easily.
How To Clean a Cast-Iron Mountain Pie Maker:
We use our mountain pies strictly for camping, so they can get pretty rusty. The best way to clean them is to place them on the fire to get them really hot. Remove them from the fire and place them on a picnic table. Then, using a high smoke point oil, squirt the oil evenly over the molds on both sides (preferably enough to coat a base layer, not drenched). Place them back on the fire and let them go for one hour to season them well. Cool completely before using to prevent serious burns when handling.
Mise en Place
Equipment:
- Cast-Iron Mountain Pie Maker (double or single)
- Sharp knife or fork (to remove the pies from the mold)
- Cooking Spray
Ingredients for Mountain Pies:
We made breakfast mountain pies for this particular morning; however, if you skip the eggs, they will simply be hot ham and cheese sandwiches.
- Sandwich bread- I made my own whole wheat sandwich bread loaves the day we went on our camping trip (check-in was late afternoon, so I had some time). I sliced the loaves with an electric knife and put them into a bread bag before we left.
- Ham lunch meat- we used honey ham that we got in bulk from Costco.
- Colby Cheese or American slices- any cheese you’d like, such as baby Swiss or cheddar cheese.
- Eggs- if making breakfast mountain pies. Use whole AA-grade eggs or leftover scrambled eggs.
See instructions and images for Mountain Pie Pizza below.
How To Make Mountain Pies:
For step-by-step instructions on how to make mountain pies, go to the recipe card below.
- Make sure you thoroughly clean and season your mountain pie maker per instructions before using.
- Grease your mold very well on the insides of your mountain pie maker.
- Top with a slice of bread, then add an egg (it cooks faster if cracked directly on the bread instead of being nestled in the middle of the sandwich), two slices of ham, and a slice of cheese. Cover the sandwich with a second slice of bread and close and latch the cooker.
- Trim excess bread if you want them to seal and look like breaded Pop-Tarts. Toast until golden brown (about 10 minutes over low heat).
- Remove them from the fire. Bang, the mountain pie maker closed on the picnic table to help release the sandwiches. Sometimes it takes a sharp knife to get them out.
- Carefully open the latch with a kitchen towel (or bath towel in my case, we were camping by a lake) and remove the sandwiches from the mold. If they are sticking or breaking easily, they need extra cooking time. We have learned that the ones that cook dark brown come out much easier.
Pro-tip: generously grease mountain pie makers with oil before each use. Cook mountain pies over an ember (glowing wood) rather than a direct flame. Cooking pies over a direct flame will burn the sandwiches before the fillings are fully cooked or heated.
Mountain Pie Pizza:
To make Mountain pie pizzas, grab a loaf of sandwich bread, a pint of pizza sauce or your favorite pasta sauce, some mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni slices. Set them out on the picnic table and make mountain pies with all your favorite pizza toppings, such as bell peppers, olives, onions, and jalapeños or red pepper chili flakes. Follow my cooking instructions (above) to make them successfully and give them time to get golden brown and crispy!
Successful Tips For Making Mountain Pies:
- Use a well-seasoned cast-iron pie iron. Aluminum pie irons have a non-stick coating if you don’t want to keep up with the maintenance of a cast iron.
- Cook mountain pies away from direct flames so they don’t burn. It is key to cook mountain pies over ember (low heat) so they can release from the irons easily. Removing them too soon and they tend to rip or break.
- Always grease your mountain pie molds with cooking spray or oil before each use so the dough or bread doesn’t stick.
- If your mountain pies just don’t want to come out, scrape the bread or particles out the best you can with a knife. Generously oil the iron and place it over the fire for 3 minutes. Remove and fill with desired fillings, then try again. Be sure to fully cook your pies at the recommended time of 10 minutes for the best results.
- Trim off excess bread so the sandwiches form a pocket and come out of the mold easier. Usually fillings ooze out and tend to make a mess if not trimmed.
- If your fire pit comes with a rack, you can set the heavy cast iron molds directly on the rack.
- Make sure the embers are at least 6 inches away. This depends on the type of wood being used. We know that hardwoods tend to have hotter burning ambers than softwoods.
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Mountain Pies (Campfire Hot Sandwiches)
Equipment
- 5 campfire sandwich irons, (we own two double and 3 single irons)
- 1 sharp knife, (to pop the mountain pies out)
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 loaf whole wheat sandwich bread, (2-pound loaf sliced)
- 1 pound honey ham slices
- 7.5 oz Colby Jack cheese , (sliced)
- 1 dozen eggs , (if making breakfast sandwiches)
- **For mountain pie pizzas see notes below
Instructions
Instructions:
- Get the fire going in your fire pit. Season the irons if needed**. Once there are some embers, you can begin making mountain pies. Spray the insides of your mountain pie maker with cooking spray.* Place a piece of bread onto each half.
- Add sandwich toppings. For breakfast, build your sandwich with an egg (cracked directly onto the bread), a slice of cheese, and two slices of ham.
- For Mountain Pie Pizza, spread 1 Tablespoon of pasta sauce, 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, and 5 pepperonis.
- For Ham and cheese sandwiches and a slice of Colby cheese on each piece of bread, and 3 slices of ham.
- Close the mountain pie maker, and trim any excess bread (this seals the sandwich). Close the iron shut and latch on the cooker and place over hot embers or a low flame. Cook sandwiches for about 10 minutes flipping once in-between.
- Remove the mountain pies and carefully open the pie iron, if they are stuck to the iron close it shut and cook for another 3-4 minutes over a low flame or embers. Gently bang against a picnic table before opening, so they release from the mold easily.
- Transfer your hot sandwich over to a disposable plate and enjoy with your favorite condiments or sauces.
Notes
- Season*: To quickly season mountain pie makers, place the irons over an open flame for a few minutes. Then remove and grease well and place it back over the fire for 3-5 minutes. Make a mountain pie.
- *Cooking spray can be switched with cooking oil.
- Be sure that your cast-iron Mountain pie maker is well seasoned before using.
- Grease pie irons very well before each use so the sandwiches don't stick.
- Use a knife to pop the mountain pies out if needed.
- Open mountain pie makers with caution; the latch can be very hot, so use a kitchen glove or towel when opening.
- We have found that mountain pies release out of the molds easier, when they have fully cooked (at least 10 minutes). Any sooner and they tend to tear.
- Cook mountain pies over a steady low heat, like a low flame or glowing embers. Cooking them over a high flame can burn the outside.
- If you are dealing with mountain pies that stick no matter what. Let them rest for a few minutes before removing them. Briefly season them before another use.
- You can season mountain pie makers after each use so they work easily on your next camping trip.
Nutrition (per serving)
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