Cook hotdogs over the campfire in a whole new way with these chili cheese dog hobo pies.
This twist on a classic campfire dinner creates a full meal in one handheld pocket that cooks up over the campfire. The cheese melts into the chili and the bread toasts up beautifully in the cast iron pie iron.
So, although it’s not roasting hot dogs on a stick, it’s still a fun meal family camping meal that everyone will love. Best of all, if someone doesn’t like on of the ingredients, they can easily make their own campfire toastie sandwich with exactly what they like.
Using a cast iron pie iron opens up endless possibilities for campfire cooking. I’ve heard these handheld meals called pudgy pies, hobo pies, mountain pies, or toasties.
But no matter what you call them, they crisp up some sort of bread that wraps around steaming hot insides that can only taste as good as they do because they were cooked over the campfire.
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Campfire CHILI CHEESE DOG HOBO Pie Ingredients
- Bread : You can use any kind of bread in this sandwich, just be sure to add some butter on the outside of the bread so it toasts up.
- Hot Dogs: Cutting them in half lengthwise helps the hot dog to heat through evenly.
- Cooked Chili: Canned chili makes this recipe super easy, but I prefer to pack a frozen bag of chili leftovers to use on our camping trips.
- Cheddar Cheese: Feel free to substitute other types of cheese here, but cheddar is a classic cheese for chili.
- Butter: You can substitute mayonnaise on the outside of the bread for a wonderful toasty crust.
a note from Jenny
A ton of people on social media have told me that I made this all wrong because of my chili choice. I guess you’re not supposed to use chili with beans on a chili cheese dog?
Where has this information been my whole life? Somehow I missed the memo on this one.
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Equipment To Make Pie Iron CHILI CHEESE DOG SANDWICHES
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.
- 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.
Steps to Make Campfire Chili Cheese Dog Hobo Pies
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. Prep the pies
Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place one piece of bread with the butter side down into one half of the pie iron.
2. Assemble the pies
Place a piece of cheddar cheese on top of the bread slice and spoon about 3 tablespoons of chili on top of the cheese. Slice a hotdog in half lengthwise and width, and then place the pieces on top of the chili. Top it off with a second slice of cheese and the other slice of bread, butter side up.
3. 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.
4. Enjoy!
Remove the sandwich from the pie iron and enjoy! Just be careful – the inside is going to be screaming hot!
Let me know if you try out these pie iron chili cheese dog sandwiches on your next camping trip!
Pie Iron Chili Cheese Dog Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 8 slices bread
- 1 tbsp butter
- 8 slices cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cooked chili
- 4 hot dogs
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the pie iron with cooking spray.
- Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place one piece of bread, butter side down, into one half of the pie iron.
- Lay a piece of cheddar cheese on top of the bread and spoon about 3 tablespoons of pre-cooked chili on top of the cheese.
- Slice a hotdog in half across the length and width and place the pieces on top of the chili. Top with a second slice of cheese and a slice of bread, butter side up.
- Close the pie iron and cook over a campfire elevated on a grate or in campfire coals.
- Cook long enough for the outside of the bread to toast up and to heat the contents of the sandwich and melt the cheese. This usually takes about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.