We’ve seen some creative ideas this year for Thanksgiving dinner leftovers: waffles, paella, or any of these awesome recipes ideas shared on koolaidmoms blog. But our favorite (and possibly a new family tradition) is Thanksgiving Leftover Hot Pies!
What is a Hot Pie? It’s flat iron sandwich maker that comes by many names: Poochie Pie Maker, Pudgie Pie Maker, Hobo Pie Toaster, Pie Iron, Mountain Pie Maker – the list goes on! Chances are you’ve run across one of these bad boys in your camping or scouting adventures.
Our iron is usually reserved for apple pie desserts or ham cheese sandwiches, but here’s how we got creative with the Thanksgiving leftovers sitting around.
1.) Butter two slices of bread and lay them butter side down against each section of the pie maker.
2.) Fill the bread with your choice of leftovers. Some of us went all out including everything: turkey, stuffing, green beans and mashed potatoes. Others kept it simple with just turkey, stuffing and some cranberry sauce. The real debate was whether to include the gravy on the inside, or keep it as a dipping sauce for the finished product.
3.) Once you have your sandwich filled, hook the two halves of the iron together and place the empty bread piece iron on top of the filled piece. (We do not recommend trying to assemble this the other way around.) Lock your iron in place by closing the clasp and sliding it down the bar as far as possible.
4.) If you have decent bread, you’ll notice some of the crust sticking out around the pie iron. Some people like to let this burn off in the fire, but we prefer to cut off the edges to keep things clean (especially when using a charcoal grill.)
5.) By this point, hopefully your fire has a nice section of amber hot coals ready for cooking. You can either place the pie iron on a grate above the coals, or stick it directly in the embers. Cooking time will vary depending on how toasty you like your sandwich.
6.) When you think your sandwich is done, use a hot pad to unlock the iron, and slowly open it to see the level of toasted your meal has become. If you are satisfied, tip your sandwich onto a plate, add sides and enjoy!
This was a delicious, toasty way to enjoy some of those leftovers. We’d love to hear other uses for campfire hot irons as well. Please share in the comments below!
P. S. – Our little charcoal fire did a great job cooking Smores as well! We would have loved to have a full campfire, but the campground we were in did not allow it.
Wandering with the Williams Family 