Firebuggz Pie Iron Review: An Avid Camper’s Opinion

Camping and summer have gone hand in hand for me since I was a kid. In those days, it meant packing up my parents’ old 70’s model orange and brown Winnebago and heading to one RV park or another. Growing up camping in an RV, we had a fridge, a freezer, and an oven for cooking. I actually didn’t experience cooking all my food over a fire until I was an adult, so I’m always looking for unique techniques to try.

Before heading out on a camping trip, I usually scour Pinterest for fun camping tips and hacks, as many adult women are want to do. Besides the regular tin foil packets and skewer recipes (most of which are good examples of Pinterest fails, by the way), I was interested in trying a few pie iron recipes using Firebuggz’ Heavy Duty Cast Iron Pie Iron.

The first night we arrived at the campground, (we being my boyfriend, our dog, and me) it was already getting pretty late. To beat the darkness, we settled for roasting a few brats and hot dogs over the campfire. I’d tried the Firebuggz Fire Fishing Poles when camping last summer, and they are super fun to roast marshmallows, but to be plain, we’re not really marshmallow people. I was happy to find that the Crank-Eez campfire roasters work amazingly for hot dogs and brats!

My boyfriend went for an over-the-top roasting method, but I always go for the hot coals. I loved how I was in complete control to maneuver my hot dog into the perfect spot but wasn’t worried about dropping it or covering it in ash from the logs. I did find a ton of fun dessert recipes for pie irons, but, as I said, we arrived too late to be able to see what we were doing. When you’re trying something new, sight is important. Full and ready for a day on the lake, we called it a night.

Out of all the recipes you can make in a pie iron - and there are a lot of them - we chose two; a quesadilla concoction and a ham and egg and croissant breakfast pie. On our first morning, we had a quick, cold breakfast with plans for a big lunch.


We lined the pie iron with a spritz of cooking spray and a flour tortilla. Then came the experimenting. We tried different methods - packing one side with ingredients and closing it together with another tortilla, folding the edges over (this seemed to work best) and a few different cooking times and temperatures. Some worked better than others, but we noticed that the pie iron took hardly any time to heat up. To get the perfect ooey gooey cheesiness without burning the edges of the tortilla, resting the iron on the outside of the fire’s logs worked best.

My first attempt didn’t go so well. Here, my method of finding the perfect coals worked against me. The cast-iron of the pie iron became (and stayed) hot quickly, so extra-hot coals weren’t necessary and blackened the edges of my quesadilla.

Despite a bit of burnt, I wasn’t discouraged. I peeled these bits off and gave them to the dog. The rest of my pie was delicious!

If you’ve ever seen a Firebuggz Pie Iron, you’ll know that they have sayings cast into the metal that read, “Yummy In My Tummy” and “Grubbin’ Time”. I propose that these sayings weren’t added for kids, but for 34-year-old men. Maybe it has something to do with the cliche of a man’s need to cook over an open flame, but my darling camping partner found words imprinted in a flour tortilla hilarious. Even after I was long full, he kept making more and more quesadillas to get better and better prints.

We met friends for dinner and enjoyed the air conditioning and mosquito-free atmosphere of a small diner. Of course, as we had made plans to try the iron once more to make a delicious breakfast, Mother Nature sent us home early with a very noisy 5 AM thunderstorm. We even took measures to conserve firewood the night before, though, couldn’t be bothered to check the weather forecast. In our defense, camping is about disconnecting, am I right?

So even though we only got to try one new campfire recipe, we got a ton of insight from it. We’ll definitely take this fun contraption out on our next wilderness adventure and try even more recipes. I imagine some sort of sandwich will be in order, as “Yummy In My Tummy” probably shows up really well on bread.

Make Fall Fires More Fun with a Buggzy Pie Iron

Fall is nearing its peak, and soon Minnesota will see the snow once again. Before the frigid weather hits us again, remember that Fall is the perfect time of year for an outdoor bonfire!

Our newest grill and campfire accessory, the Heavy Duty Pie Iron, is perfect for making treats around the fire this Autumn. Its unique double cooking chamber lets you cook twice the amount of delicious treats—so you can make double the hamburgers, pizza, pies, quesadillas, grilled cheese or anything else your heart desires!

If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll love this scrumptious pie iron strawberry shortcake recipe. The combination of the angel food cake, strawberries, and dark chocolate warmed in a pie iron is guaranteed to make you go back for seconds. You will need:

• Buggzy Pie Irons
• Angel Food Cake
• Butter
• Strawberries
• Dark Chocolate
• A Campfire

If pies are more your thing, then this campfire pies recipe is for you! All you’ll need is bread, cinnamon, sugar, and seasonal fruit. Sprinkle the bread with cinnamon and sugar, fill your pies with fruit (or the ingredients of your choice) and cook over a roaring campfire. Don’t forget to spray your pie iron with nonstick spray beforehand.

Lastly, for the meat-lover, making a Reuben has never been easier by the campfire. You can make Campfire Reubens just like campfire pies, except using corned beef, sauerkraut and swiss cheese instead of fresh fruit between your bread—you might want to skip the cinnamon and sugar, as well. These delicious sandwiches can be whipped together in five minutes for a quick and simple campfire dinner for the family.

If you plan on spending some time by the campfire, make sure to pick up your own Buggzy Pie Irons for all your campfire needs. You can choose from two different sayings—“Grubbin’ Time” and “Yummy In My Tummy"—and four fun colors. All you have to do is put it on the hot coals for three minutes you have a delicious meal!

Firebuggz pie irons are made from quality cast iron so they are guaranteed to last for years to come. It’s our mission to provide you with the best campfire supplies so cooking can be a breeze and making memories will be your number one priority. Visit the Firebuggz online store for this and more fun campfire accessories.

Grilling Recipes Perfect for Camping

With a few months left of the summer camping season, planning your trips and getting all your meals ready can be stressful and overwhelming. The classic go-to meal while camping is hot dogs and hamburgers cooked over the fire, but try mixing it up for your next camping trip with a few of these mouth-watering recipes:

Campfire Chili Cheese Fries

This quick, easy and delicious recipe is perfect for a camping snack or meal. All you need is tin foil, fries, chili and cheese. Cook the fries over the fire, add the chili and cheese, and wait for the cheese to melt. This recipe is simple and quickly ready for you and your family to devour.

Campfire French Toast

Instead of pop tarts or granola bars for breakfast, try this delicious French toast recipe. All this easy, low maintenance recipe includes is egg creation French toast blend and a loaf of bread. Just pour, dip and cook—it’s that easy.

Campfire Spinach Dip

If you’re looking for an easy appetizer or snack, this campfire spinach dip is the perfect recipe for you. This simple, easy dip includes sour cream, cream cheese, parmesan cheese and chopped frozen spinach heated over your campfire.

Cheesy Dutch Oven Potatoes

Add these delicious cheesy potatoes as a side dish to make the perfect campfire meal. All you need is potatoes, bacon, cheese, onions and salt and pepper… it’s that simple. If you don’t like onions, leave them out or if you really like cheese, add more! The choice is yours.

Caramel Apple Pie

Who doesn’t love dessert? This mouth-watering apple pie is easy; just chop your apples, chop the cinnamon rolls, mix it with brown sugar, cracker crumbs, pecans, and cinnamon. Once it is cooked, add the caramel and cream cheese frosting and dig in!!

We have listed a few recipes to get you started, but now it’s your turn to implement them into your next camping adventure. Whether you are heading up north or out back, our Firebuggz Fire Pits and Firebuggz Accessories can improve your camping experience and add FUN for everyone.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Building a Fire

Need some help to build a bigger, better fire? At Firebuggz, we like to think we are experts on the subject. Take a look at our do’s and don’ts for building the best campfire.

Do: Gather the ingredients for a fire

Before you start a campfire, you are going to have to forage for some materials to get it started. Tinder and kindling—the smallest and easiest burning components—are an essential place to start. Tinder includes dryer lint, cardboard, commercial fire starters, or wadded newspaper. This is the ingredient that will ignite your fire. What will really get your fire going are small pieces of dry wood and bark - or kindling. Search the forest floor for twigs, dry logs, and branches. Don’t forget to bring matches and lighters!

Do: Take advantage of a fire pit

If your campsite has a fire ring, clear it out before starting your own. Scoop out any existing charcoal, ash, and debris from previous fires - especially if it is damp. Fire pits make it easier to start a fire, but make sure it is ready for a new fire before you begin.

Don’t: Be intimidated about building your own pit

Clear away a decent-sized space for your fire. This typically means a 4-foot space for the fire itself and a greater circumference of 8 to 10 ft. to avoid fire-catching debris. In your pit, dig down several inches to construct the fire. As a barrier to your fire, you can compact the dirt around the circle into a mound, or use rocks to insulate the fire.

Do: Build the proper fire for your purpose

Don’t waste time building the wrong camp fire. For cooking, you will want to use a “teepee fire” or a “lean-to fire.” A “cross fire” and “log cabin fire” will be best for long-lasting bonfires, but don’t get as hot, therefore aren’t as good for cooking. Learn how to build these different fires below:

• Teepee Fire: Arrange your kindling into the shape of a teepee over the tinder. Then, build a larger teepee from firewood over the kindling. Once you light your fire, the flames will rise up through the kindling to create a roaring fire.
• Lean-to Fire: To begin, stick a long piece of kindling into the ground above your tinder at a 30-degree angle. Lean smaller pieces of kindling against the long stick to build a tent shape. Once the kindling catches fire, add more kindling followed by firewood.
• Cross Fire: A simple one to build, begin by layering kindling over tinder in a crosshatch shape. Follow with firewood.
• Log Cabin: Begin by creating a kindling teepee over your tinder, then place two logs on either side of the kindling teepee. Add two more logs to form a square. Build vertically to form a cabin-shaped fire. Add a “roof,” by using more kindling.

Do: Start and maintain your fire

Once you have the right structure in place, get your fire roaring. For best results, light the tinder from several sides, and gently blow air to build heat and intensity. Control the fire by only feeding it enough firewood to keep it going. To safely turn firewood, take a look at our Original Log Lugger. The Log Lugger is an excellent tool for turning logs and gathering kindling and firewood for the campsite.

Don’t: Forget your fire etiquette

Take caution, and don’t let the flames soar too high. Keep a fire extinguisher, extra water, and extra dirt with you at all times, and never leave a fire unattended. As a famous bear once said, “Only you can prevent forest fires.”

Do: Put your fire out

For smart and safe campfire usage in the woods, put your fire out when you are done with it. Lightly sprinkle your fire with water while stirring the coals around to ensure they are thoroughly soaked. Continue until you no longer feel heat from the fire pit. Don’t douse it with water because you or another camper may soon use it again.

A campfire can involve many elements, but by knowing the do’s and don’ts of how to build a campfire, you will soon be on your way to camping success! For more camping and campfire tips, follow Firebuggz on Twitter and Like us on Facebook!