Outdoor Baked Blueberry Pie: Rustic Campfire Recipe

Last Updated July 20th, 2022 at 07:08 am by Lisa

Bake this Blueberry Pie Recipe outdoors on a gas or charcoal grill. Using a grill like an oven keeps your kitchen cool during hot summer days and produces a perfectly baked pie with a golden, flaky crust.

Try this method for chicken pot pies, fruit dessert pies, casseroles, and other baked dishes. Serve this grilled dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream at cookouts and summer gatherings. Enjoy every delicious moment of summer.

How To Bake In A Grill

This outdoor baking approach comes from friends in Texas who cook in the heat of summer and prefer to bake outside. It’s simple, effective, and fun. Below are the tips and steps I learned that make grilling-baked pies reliable and delicious.

Set Up The Grill To Bake

• Buy fire-rated bricks made for pizza ovens from a builders supply store (not regular red building bricks).
• Wrap each of six fire bricks in heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Place the foil-wrapped bricks on the grill grate to act as a heat diffuser.
• Use a surface thermometer and an oven thermometer to monitor grill temperatures accurately.

Top Outdoor Baking, Pie Crust, and Filling Tips

• Temperature Gauges: Surface and oven gauges are inexpensive and essential for keeping the grill at the right baking temperature.
• Blueberries: Frozen blueberries release more liquid when baked. For a less soggy crust use fresh blueberries; if using frozen, add a thickener like cornstarch.
• Grills: Grills vary. Keep the internal temperature below 400°F to avoid burning the crust. If the crust browns too quickly, shield the edges with foil and reduce burner heat.
• Rotate: Rotate the pie a quarter turn every 10 minutes to even out hot spots. Opening the lid while rotating helps even heat distribution and lets excess heat escape.
• Pie Crust: Chill pie dough in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes before rolling for a flakier crust.
• Pie Dishes: Use glass, ceramic, or metal pie dishes—just keep them over the fire bricks, not directly over flames, to avoid cracking or burning.
• Grill Heat: Start at medium-high to preheat, then reduce heat as needed during baking. Opening the lid briefly while rotating will lower the temperature temporarily.

Blueberry Pie Recipe

PRO TIP: Keep your house cool by baking outdoors on very hot days. Prepare your pie ahead and then bake it on the grill for a perfect summer dessert.

Pie Dough Crust

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
• ¼ cup ice water

Blueberry Filling

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup flour
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into tiny pieces
• 5 cups fresh blueberries (frozen berries will produce a runnier filling)

PRO TIP: Fresh berries yield a firmer filling. If you must use frozen, toss them with a bit of cornstarch to help thicken juices.

Pie Crust

1. Sift flour, sugar, and salt together.
2. Cut cold butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, cutter, or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Add ice water a little at a time and mix until the dough comes together into a ball.
4. Divide into two halves, wrap tightly in plastic, and chill for 60 minutes.
5. Roll out the chilled dough, line a 9-inch oven-safe pie dish, and chill again to ensure a flaky crust.

Blueberry Pie Filling

1. In a bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter cubes. Gently fold in the blueberries and set aside.
2. Roll out chilled dough and fit the bottom crust into a 9-inch oven-safe pie dish. Chill the crust for up to an hour for best flakiness.
3. Pour the blueberry filling into the chilled crust.
4. Add the top crust. Seal and crimp the edges. You can create a lattice or decorative top; an egg wash is optional. Note that high grill heat may brown the top quickly, so watch it closely.
5. Bake on the grill at 375–400°F for about 50 minutes.
6. Rotate the pie every 10 minutes a quarter turn to promote even baking. The pie is done when the crust is golden and the filling bubbles. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Rotate the pie every 10 minutes a quarter turn to compensate for grill hot spots and ensure even browning.

Grill Pie Baking Tips

More Pie Recipes

• Apple Crumble Pie with a buttery crumble topping delivers classic comfort and flavor.
• American Flag Pie baked in a sheet pan is festive for July 4th and other patriotic holidays.
• I perfected an Apple Pie Filling recipe that’s easy, delicious, and freezes well for make-ahead pies.

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