How to Use Pie Irons for Camping

The little cast iron sandwich maker is a powerhouse campfire cooking tool. Here’s everything you need to know to use a pie iron in your camping kitchen.

If you’ve never tried cooking over the fire in a pie iron, you should.

And if you have used a pie iron (also known as a mountain pie maker or hobo pie maker) before, my guess is that you try to work at least one pie iron recipe into almost every camping trip.

If you’re camping with kids, they will love making their meals in pie irons as well.

Cast iron sandwich makers are one of my all-time favorite camping cooking tools (right alongside my cast iron dutch oven). I can’t think of a camping trip over the last 5 years that we didn’t use ours at least once.

How to clean and season a new pie iron

A lot of new cast iron pie irons claim to be pre-seasoned, but you definitely don’t want to skip this step of seasoning your cast iron before you ever cook with it.

If you do skip this step, everything will stick to it and you’ll have a very difficult mess to clean up later. In fact, it may even make you want to never use cast iron again, which would be a huge shame!

Supplies to Clean and Season New Cast Iron Before First Use

• dish soap
• lint-free towel
• heat source (stove top and oven OR a grill OR a campfire)
• cooking oil (that has a high smoking point temperature)
  • grapeseed oil (this is what I use and love)
  • canola oil (I use this when I don’t have grape seed oil)
  • shortening (I’ve seen many people swear by Crisco!)
  • cast iron seasoning oil or spray
• coffee filters (or lint-free cotton rag or paper towels)

Clean Your New Pie Iron

Just like any other new cooking tool, you’ll want to clean it first. Unscrew the cast iron ends from the metal poles (this makes cleaning and seasoning way easier).

Use dish soap and warm water to clean the inside and outside of the pie iron.

Use a clean, lint-free towel to thoroughly dry the cast iron pieces.

Season Your New Pie Iron

Cast iron cookware requires a seasoning layer for food to cook properly and not stick. This develops over time, and you’ll notice that after a couple of uses of your pie iron (when following all of the steps in this post), less food sticks to it and it’s easier to cook with and to clean up. This is because it is developing a solid seasoning layer!

For new cast iron, we have to speed up this process by building a seasoning layer to start, before we ever use it.

Here’s how to season a new cast iron pie iron:

1. Heat your oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Be sure you’ve washed (and thoroughly dried) your cast iron pie iron pieces (follow the steps described above).
3. Pour a small amount of oil (about 1/2 tsp.) into each side of the pie iron.
4. Rub the oil all over the cast iron (both the inside and outside of the pie iron!). Use a coffee filter or lint-free towel to rub in/remove any excess oil.
5. Place the cast iron pieces on a large baking sheet and put them in the oven. (Or, you can also do this step on the stovetop or over a campfire.)
6. Heat the cast iron for about 30 minutes and remove from the oven. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Use a coffee filter to remove any excess oil left on the
7. Repeat steps 3-6 at least two to three more times to develop up that seasoning layer. The more time you take to do this now, the less mess you’ll have later on during that first use. I promise it’s worth it!
8. After the last round in the oven, turn off the oven and leave the pie irons inside until the oven cools down. Those pie irons are now ready to use.

How to Cook in a Pie Iron

During the first several uses of your pie iron, it’s important to use oil, butter or cooking spray before adding any food inside.

This helps to build up the seasoning of the pan and keeps food (especially eggs and proteins) from sticking.

Then, add your ingredients, close it up, and then place it over the campfire.

You can cook with your pie iron on a cooking grate over the fire, or place your pie iron right on top of hot coals.

Be sure to turn your pie iron halfway during cooking so both sides toast up and cook.

How to clean cast iron camp cooker after use

Cleaning lightly soiled cast iron

1. Use a pan scraper to remove any excess food. This tool works very well to remove any stuck on remnants as well.
2. If any food remains, use warm water and a chain mail scrubber or sponge to remove it. Do not use soap!
3. Dry thoroughly with a clean towel.
4. Place a small amount of oil and rub it on the inside and outside of the pie iron.
5. Place the pie iron over the campfire and heat it up for about 10-15 minutes. This helps prep your pie iron for the next use and ensures that the oil doesn’t get sticky when it’s packed away.

Cleaning heavily soiled cast iron

1. Use a pan scraper to remove as much stuck on food as possible.
2. Pour warm water into the pie iron and place it over the campfire. Bring the water to a slight boil.
3. Remove from heat. Once the water has cooled enough to the touch, use a scrubber or sponge to scrub the stuck on food. You should be able to remove it with the help of the hot water.
4. Follow steps 3-5 listed above.

The goal of both of these processes is to avoid using any kind of soap. Soap removes the seasoning layers and you’ll need to re-season following the same process you used with new cast iron.

How to store Pie Irons

Even a slight bit of moisture can easily rust a cast iron pie iron. (If your cast iron does rust, don’t worry, it still can be saved! It will just take time to clean and re-season.)

When storing pie irons (and all cast iron), I use a canvas bag. I detach the poles and places scrap towels between the cast iron. This helps remove excess moisture, and keeps the pans from banging against each other.

To really keep moisture at bay, you can place a silica pouch (found in shoe boxes) in with the cast iron pans. This is one of my favorite camping cooking hacks!

Once you use pie irons for camping meals, you’ll never travel without them. Let me know your favorite pie iron recipes in the comments!