Pudgie Pies are my family’s second favorite camping food. No, it’s not their favorite. Campfire toasted marshmallows take the number one spot with pudgie pies running a close second.

No matter how long or short our camping trip, pudgie pies are on the list for at least one meal and always as a night-time snack while sitting around the campfire. The family’s number one requested pudgie pie recipe is Reuben pudgie pies. Here’s how to make them:

Reuben Pudgie Pies
Ingredients and equipment needed for each pudgie pie:
pudgie pie maker of your choice - also commonly called pie irons. Look for them in the camping/outdoor section of your favorite sporting goods store
2 slices pumpernickel bread
enough butter to generously cover 1 side of each piece of bread (approximately 1-2 teaspoons)
3 ounces thinly sliced or shaved deli style corned beef
1 slice Swiss cheese (we prefer regular Swiss cheese, not baby Swiss)
1 or 2 heaping spoonfuls of sauerkraut
1-2 tablespoons thousand island dressing (eyeball it, using enough to spread a thin layer on the sandwich)
salt and pepper to taste (I use salt and pepper grinders and put one grind of salt and two to three grinds of pepper on each sandwich)

Directions:
Butter one side of each piece of bread. Place each piece of bread, butter side down, into each side of the pie iron (pudgie pie maker).
On one slice of the bread put on the corned beef, thousand island dressing, sauerkraut, salt and pepper, Swiss cheese. Carefully close the pie iron, making sure to keep all the ingredients inside the bread slices.
Place the pie iron in the campfire (It works best with a fire that has burned down and has wood that looks ashy and has glowing embers. If your campfire has a lot of flames, let it die down a little before making the pudgie pies).
You’ll have to do a little trial and error to see how long it takes your sandwich to cook because the heat of campfires varies. Generally, leave the sandwich in the fire for one minute, turn, leave in another 30 seconds; then remove it from the fire and check it. It is done when the bread is toasted.
After removing the cooked sandwich from the fire, let it rest in the closed pie iron for a few minutes to make sure all the ingredients get warmed though from the residual heat.
Remove the sandwich from the pie iron, cut in half, and enjoy!

Do you have a favorite pudgie pie or pie iron recipe you would like to share? Please let us know using the comments section below.