A grill thread

[minimotos95]

I was thinking about something as I was listing my grill on CL for trade, we don't have a grill thread? A quick search gave me nothing, we have so many stove threads about peoples preferences but no grill thread until now. 

So how about grills? propane, charcoal or infrared? table top, folding or fullsize?

I am looking at trading my big uni-flame grill for a smaller propane grill, I have a hard enough time keeping myself and my van clean without charcoal and IR is plain just out of my budget. I never cook more than 2 racks of ribs, 6 leg quarters or burgers so I've never came close to using all of my grills cooking surface.

I would post some pictures of some ribs or something but after 15 minutes of digging through my pictures I couldn't find any.

 

[SoulRaven]

I have one of these that I use, it will work over a campstove or a campfire too.

 

[eDJ_]

I've always carried a Tripod Grill in my Van.  I'm used to cooking over an open camp fire and a simple $20
dollar tripod grill is quite suitable where there is a fire pit in a camp ground.  Otherwise I clear off a 10 ft diameter
circle and gather stones together to make a ring about 30 inches in diameter to build a small camp fire within.

These can be found at WalMart and other places.  The left side leg has a locking slide so the grill height
above the fire can be adjusted.   Mine has a small pulley the cable runs over at the top center and the cable
travels down the leg with the locking lever. The weight on the grill locks the lever.   If there is a creek or brook near by I set the grill in the water
overnight.  Those little catfish minnows do a fine job of cleaning the grill and all that's left for me to do is hit it with a soap pad to finish cleaning it so it will be ready for the next time.

 

[SoulRaven]

I too have, use, and love my Tri-Pod grill. The only problem is when campfires are not allowed, which seems to happen to me almost every summer. Looks like no campfires all summer this year in Washington. What a shame. Glad I have my stove top unit though.

 

[eDJ_]

Off Grid, I've seen those grills devices like you are showing (in the photo) in yard sales etc..  What are they called ?  How do they work ?  Are they made of metal ?

 

[Almost There]

Off Grid, I've seen those grills devices like you are showing (in the photo) in yard sales etc..  What are they called ?  How do they work ?  Are they made of metal ?

Not OG but I used one for years.

Here's a link to them on Amazon - wow have they gone up in price, sure wish I knew where my old one went!

http://www.amazon.com/Smokeless-Indoor-Stove-Piece-Grill/dp/B002W2Q4OK

They work best over an open flame like propane. Basically, you fill the lower ring with water (beer works too... ) and just set it on the stove. The top plate diffuses the heat, you keep the flame from coming up to the metal. They're non stick so it's easy to clean.

The water filled ring allows any fat to drip down in to it so you don't have any mess.

Wonderful for one or two people and allows you to turn a gas stove into a barbecue without having to wait for the Barbie to come up to temp and for use where you couldn't use a barbecue like inside or during fire bans.

 

[eDJ_]

Thanks Almost There, now I finally know what those things are !    The first time I saw one at a glance I thought it was a hub cap. 

If I see another one in a yard sale I'll grab it.

By the way, on my Tripod Grill I got to going to the Dollar Store and getting one of those big Turkey roasting pans that's about 6" deep.   I has an old wooden thread spool and took a screw driver and punched a hole
in the center of the bottom of the Foil Turkey Pan.  Then I used a washer and a small wood bolt to screw it into the wooden spool to make a knob......so the Foil Pan could be used as a lid to cover the grill.  It had a knob on top of it this way and I could do some grilling & smoking of the meat I was cookng on the camp fire. 

These make fine light weight lids that will slide in between the three chains that hold the grill and cover the meat.

I've also picked up a couple of those wide satellite dishes that had been discarded.  I'd like to see if I could
build a Solar Reflector to use with the Tripod Grill like in this photo.  They are getting to be rather common
now days.

If I can find some of that silver mirror window covering I'd bet I could glue it to the surface of the  dish.
I'm sure I could stow it in the front compartment of my High Top over the driver and passenger till needed.


This is an  old shot of some marinated Jamaican Chicken I'm grilling and the foil pouch in the coals contains
Potatoes & Onions with some sliced up jalapeno's in there.  And you can see the details of fire place set up.

And on the table

with some sliced cucumbers & onions in dilled vinegar.

My view from the picnic table

 

[SoulRaven]

Yummmmmmm.....

Almost There, gave you as accurate description as I can, so I'll leave it at that.

I actually got two pieces at a garage sale, both the grill and this alcohol cooker:



Between the two, it makes it a very portable and handy unit.  I usually just use it  on my campstove, but if I need an extra burner, it sure comes in handy.  II really like this type f alcohol burner because it is totally stable.

 

[ZoNiE]

Infrared here...

 

[SoulRaven]

I've played with different methods of solar cooking. I never had much luck with the dish style, but if you're looking for a coating, think mylar emergency blanket.

What I did have and liked, and used in conjunction with my tripod grill, was a deal I got on ebay, that was like a pedestal mirror, except instead of a mirror, it had a typing sheet size +/- fresnel lens mounted in it. So, what I did was put a flat mirror on the ground, under the grill, then I aimed the lens at the mirror which in turn went to the bottom of a cast iron skillet on the tripod grill.

It didn't work well with just the grill, but it would heat up the frying pan just like it was on a campstove. except it was really a pain to try and adjust the heat levels. For all intents and purposes, the only setting you had was on high.

I enjoyed playing with it for a while, then passed it on to someone else at a rally. In the end, I have gotten away from solar cooking, ovens especially because I've gotten very sick from food cooked in solar ovens both by myself and others. It looked cooked well, but evidently looks can be deceiving.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have one of these http://www.campchef.com/smokers-grills/grills-bbq/deluxe-bbq-grill-box-30-accessory.html . however if there aren't burn bans in effect I prefer a traditional charcoal/hardwood bbq. I have an idea to build a fire ring one because I don't care for the tripod ones. to do anything on them you have to reach out over the fire. mine will pivot away from the fire. highdesertranger

 

[SoulRaven]

I have one of these http://www.campchef.com/smokers-grills/grills-bbq/deluxe-bbq-grill-box-30-accessory.html .  however if there aren't burn bans in effect I prefer a traditional charcoal/hardwood bbq.  I have an idea to build a fire ring one because I don't care for the tripod ones.  to do anything on them you have to reach out over the fire.  mine will pivot away from the fire.  highdesertranger

I had a store bought pound a stake in the ground rotating jobs, and it was a PITA because it was almost impossible to get it to where the grill was level enough that stuff wouldn't roll off.

For the tripod grill which is the best I've found so far, I just use long handled BBQ tools, and that seems to work really well for me.

 

[akrvbob]

I use a Weber Go Anywhere portable propane BBQ frill and I love it. Very conventional and it makes delicious food.
Bob

 

[eDJ_]

I'm beginning to think I'd just use the Solar reflector for heating water now.   That could be handy for instant coffee, tea, water to wash dishes, or bathe with.   I've seen some small submersible water pumps that deliver about 2 gallons a minute on 12 VDC.  I could imagine heating the water to just right and setting the pump
into the water and switching it on and off to get a shower in the wilderness.

As for that stove top grill,  I knew little about them till just now.  But the alcohol burner to use it with is
real news to me.  Never seen one of those.

Again, it's nice to have the propane counter top stove in the Van to fall back on.  I've acquired about 4
Sterno stoves in yard sales now.  But the stuff is so expensive.  LOL 

But here is a tutorial for making your own Sterno "canned heat".

Instructables:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-quotSternoquot-Flaming-Jelly-from-Antacid/

 

[SoulRaven]

One of the fondue type alcohol burners should work in those sterno stoves.

I just used rubbing alcohol from the dollar store, worked fine.

You can find these burners at yard sales too.

 

[minimotos95]

I use a Weber Go Anywhere portable propane BBQ frill and I love it. Very conventional and it makes delicious food.
Bob

That's actually what I'm working on trading my big grill for, if I can get the regulator for the Weber Go-Anywhere tomorrow it's a sure thing,  I like the size and shape,  everyone I know with a WGA loves it.  I tried using a vortex 14.5" round tabletop grill yesterday and had nothing but problems grilling something as simple as steak,  plus the round shape and fixed legs are not space efficient.

 

[akrvbob]

The great thing about the Weber, is you can do aluminum foil cooking. You can bake almost anything on it and cook whole meals or just vegetables. I've cooked a turkey on mine by debonning it and wrapping it in foil. A friend makes pizza on his.

Put the lid on and control the temperature and it becomes an oven.
Bob

 

[minimotos95]

Well in light of not being able to find the regulator, a replacement being half the price of a new grill and with the 2014+ models getting negative reviews. I have decided to skip the Go-Anywhere and started saving up for the Char-Broil X200 infrared, they are built solid and have a 5 year warranty on the main parts(except the regulator) I think I can expect a long enough life to justify the price. Should be able to order it in 2 weeks, I will post back after I use it.

 

[SoulRaven]

A reversible grill/griddle will give you a similar cooking experience, and you can use a roasting pan for a lid.

 

[LowTech]

I've been think of a grill as well, but I also need to have an outside burner. Heating up my well insulated shelter when it's triple digits out is not something I enjoy.
Did some searching and came up w/ this  ColemanGrill.  It's a bit pricey so I was wondering if anyone has any experience w/ them. Didn't really find a alternative and don't really want to fab up something right now, have enough to work on