WHAT IS A PIE IRON?
A pie iron is a sublime cooking tool made up of two cast iron or aluminum plates, each having a long handle that hinges together and clamps shut like a clamshell. A simple, elegant utensil, you can use it for cooking directly on a fire, grill, or stove.
A cousin of the panini press and waffle iron, the pie iron became popular in the mid-century United States for campfire cooking. Outside of the United States, pie irons and their variations have a rich history, often used by street vendors to make inspiring toasted sandwiches.
Names for the pies themselves vary by region. Depending on where you are in the world, they might be called pudgy pies, jaffles, toasties, campfire pies, mountain pies, or hobo pies (as I was taught to call them).
I've traded hobo pie for the more charming and less offensive campfire pie (or camp pie, for brevity's sake).