Ham and Cheese Campfire Sandwich Maker Recipe
This campfire sandwich maker recipe is the perfect camping twist on a classic deli sandwich – ham and swiss.
Cooked over the campfire in a pie iron with crescent roll dough instead of bread, it’s almost as if you’re eating a hot ham and swiss on a toasted croissant!
Pie iron sandwiches are one of my favorite recipes to make while camping because there are so many ways to vary a simple sandwich and please every camper in the group.
The crescent roll dough creates a toasted, flaky crust that makes whatever you throw inside taste even better!
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Camping Grilled Cheese Sandwich Ingredients
- Crescent Roll Dough: This dough adds a unique twist on a traditional ham and swiss sandwich and it cooks up perfectly in a cast iron cooker. Obviously, any kind of bread will work just as well in this recipe.
- Butter: Butter helps to toast up the crust of the crescent roll dough to a nice golden brown color. I would recommend spraying the cast iron cooker with cooking spray and also spreading butter on one side of the dough.
- Ham: Sliced deli ham is delicious in this sandwich, but you could also use thicker sliced ham pieces as well. Or, substitute any other kind of deli meat.
- Swiss: Of course, ham and swiss made the perfect combination! However, if you don’t like swiss, swap out any other cheese in this sandwich.
- Dijon Mustard: For all you mustard haters out there, you can substitute any dressing here or omit it all together. Mayonnaise works well, but my personal favorite is horseradish sauce.
a note from Jenny
When I make these for my family, I need to swap out the mustard because everyone hates it except me. As long as I do that, everyone loves these hot and toasty sandwiches.
If you have some people in your camping crew that don’t like ham and swiss, you can easily have other deli meat and cheese options and each person can make their own version of a croissant sandwich.
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Equipment To Make Pie Iron Ham and Cheese
Cast Iron Pie Iron (Camp Cooker): Pie irons are made of aluminum or cast iron, but I highly recommend using cast iron as they withstand much higher temperatures for longer periods of time. However, aluminum pie irons do not require seasoning and can be cleaned like all other dishes, so there are benefits to using them as well. If you do not have a pie iron, you can also make these in a skillet over a propane stove. (See notes on this cooking method below.)
- Round cast iron camp cooker
- Square cast iron camp cooker
- Double cast iron camp cooker – allows you to make twice as many sandwiches with half the work prepping and cleaning!
- Aluminum pie iron camp cooker – although I don’t like the way they cook as much, they are easier to use because they don’t need to be seasoned and can be cleaned like all your other dishes.
Portable Over the Fire Cooking Grate: While cooking in hot coals or embers is ideal for cast iron pie irons, you can also cook over a fire by using a fire grill grate. It’s perfect for a wide variety of campfire pits and can easily be adapted to work at your site. It’s also great if you just started your fire and want to get cooking right away! Simply place your pie irons on the grate and turn halfway through cooking.
How to Make Campfire Sandwiches
In this section you’ll find a step by step tutorial of how to make this recipe with photos. The full recipe with exact measurements, steps and a printable card can be found at the bottom of the post.
Scroll to see step by step photos ->
1. Unroll crescent rolls and divide into fourths
Unroll both sheets of crescents rolls. Pinch the seams together and then cut each sheet into four equal pieces. You’ll have eight total pieces of dough. Spread butter on one side of each piece of dough and set aside.
2. Add dough to camp cooker
Spray the inside of the pie iron with cooking spray. Lay one piece of dough, butter side down, into the bottom of the cast iron cooker. It’s okay if some dough hangs over the edge.
3. Assemble the sandwich
Spread a little mustard on the piece of dough, and then layer the swiss and ham. I love cheese, so I use two slices of cheese – one on each side of the ham. Then, top with one more piece of dough, butter side facing up.
Close the pie iron over the ingredients and trim off excess dough.
4. Cook over campfire
There are two options when cooking with a pie iron: in the coals or over the flame. I find that cooking in the coals is faster, but sometimes can result in over cooking/burning more easily. Cooking on a grate over the fire is usually a few minutes slower, but you have a bit more control over the temperature.
- Hot coals: Place pie iron directly in the hot coals and embers from your fire. If your fire has been going for awhile, simply pull a pile of coals a bit to the side and place the camp cooker on those hot coals.
- Over the flame: Use a grill grate to create a flat cooking surface over the fire. Place the camp cooker on the grate and let it cook.
Don’t have a cast iron camp cooker? This recipe would also work well cooked in a skillet using a propane stove as well. Just be sure to cover the sandwich with a lid while cooking so the crescent dough is able to cook. Or, replace the crescent rolls with slices of bread and cook like any other grilled cheese sandwich.
5. Enjoy!
Remove the sandwich from the pie iron and enjoy!
Pie Iron Ham and Cheese Croissants
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz. tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
- 2 tbsp. butter (or garlic butter)
- 8 oz. sliced ham
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
Instructions
- Unroll crescent roll sheets and cut each sheet into 4 squares. Push the dough together to join two triangles in each square.
- Spread butter on one side of square and lay the crescent square, butter side down, in one side of the pie iron.
- Spread some dijon mustard on the crescent dough and then layer one slice Swiss cheese, ham slices, and one more slice of Swiss cheese.
- Top with another crescent roll square and spread butter on top.
- Close pie iron and lay on hot coals or next to direct heat to cook. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
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