It's Easy To Make Gooey Grilled Cheese By The Campfire With One Tool

The grilled cheese is one of the most classic sandwiches out there. Not only can you upgrade this sandwich with an array of tasty add-ins, but you can also sit back and enjoy the simplicity of two slices of bread and a couple of slices of cheese nestled between them. 

Grilled cheese sandwiches can be made just as easily outdoors as on the stovetop. The one tool that you will need to master the grilled cheese over a fire pit, though, is a pie iron. This tool is essential for easy campfire cooking. 

All you need to do is place your bread slices into the bottom well of the sandwich, add your cheese and fillings, and then place the top slice on. When you close the long handle of the pie iron, you'll find that it easily secures and keeps the sandwich in place. That way, you can flip, rotate, and cook your sandwich to gooey, cheesy perfection over the flames. 

While the setup of your sandwich inside of the iron is important to ensuring a tasty sandwich, you'll also need to pay attention to the heat you're creating in the fire pit. You'll want to avoid cooking your grilled cheese sandwich over an uncontrollable open flame. Instead, keep your coals at a rolling heat. It can be helpful to push any stacked logs over so that you can make room for your pie iron. Then, hold your pie over the coals — kind of like you're cooking an oversized and heavy marshmallow. Like a marshmallow, this is one recipe that you don't want to leave in the fire and walk away from, as it can cause it to overcook and burn. You may only need to leave it over the heat for a matter of minutes before it's gooey, melty, and ready to enjoy. 

You'll also want to prevent anything from sticking to your iron. Like a cast iron skillet, these small, portable pie irons must be well-seasoned. You can rub a stick of butter around the inside of the iron before assembling your sandwich to prevent the bread from sticking to the hot metal — and it doesn't hurt to coat your bread in a little butter to improve its flavor and crispiness.