Cooking Outside

[sovereignrwe]

Grew up with gas. Need to learn the skills of charcoal. Everyone says taste is better. Not sure I could tell.

[uwe]

If it's more family and friends than just my wife and myself, we use a propane grill outside, and also a 2-burner propane camping stove.
Sometimes, it's just more fun to hang out outside and use the simpler appliances, even though the Airstream has a great galley.
If it's just the two of us, then we typically use the galley only, with a few interludes by the propane grille. I just recently got a vegetable cooking attachment for the grille, can't wait to try it out.
At home, it's charcoal in the Weber Kettle - no exceptions.

[norbert]

here is the definative answer....form follows function.....so whatever the conditon(weather, wind...) use what works for you and seize the moment!
enjoy....isnt that what we bought our coaches for?
norby

[Over59]

Steak right on the coal. Best there is. Lighter fluid is for cigs not beef.

[Pick]

We cook a lot on the Airstream's stove. Dinner is usually on the charcoal grill. If you use lighter fluid sparingly, and let the coals get completely white, the fluid is all burned off by then, and it does not affect the flavor, which by the way comes from the fat dripping down on the coals. I've heard throwing the meat right on the coals is the way to go.

[norbert]

ahh.....you carnivore you.....

[DavidsonOverlander]

We use a Coleman stove that runs on the small propane cylinders. We also cook on the campfire - either hobo dinners (hamburger, potatoes, carrots, oinions, sweet potatoes, etc. wrapped in foil) or in pie irons. The pie irons are great for pizza, grilled cheese and especially cherry pie! We've been trying charcoal on the fire as well to see if we get more even heat in the coals. No lighter fluid!
The kids also use the fire for hotdogs and marshmallows. They're not going to be impressed when we pull into the first campground that doesn't allow fires!

[Stefrobrts]

This seems like as good a time as any to add that if you get a chance, catch the 'Q' episode of Good Eats on Food Network, where Alton shows how to BBQ a boston butt using a homemade smoker. The entire episode takes place in and around his 70's vintage AS!

We haven't cooked outside yet. Seems like one more accessory to drag along. We cook inside and often eat outside. I might be tempted to try it someday though...

[59toaster]

Well I am still contemplating how things will be with the Airstream becasue we are still in restoration.

Typically tent camping and the redneck special I have a propane stove for pots pans and anything like that. and I have a small charcoal grill that folds up. I use Match light so I don't have to mess with the lighterfluid at all.

Now most of that camping is just one or two nights and it's usualy just me.

The Airstream is going to change this game a little and will be feeding 4. So my plan is to get an adaptor so I can run my propane camp stove off the camper tanks and not have to mess with the little bottles. Why cook inside and heat up the inside of the coach when I can cook outside so even with the stove I probably will not cook on it much unless the weather is poor.

Now what I like to do is smoke my meats. My home smoker is 4.5ft tall Brinkman so it's too big for camping. I have been trying to come up with a way to make a smoker that is small enough I can bring with me and handles a tender loin and a couple salmons. I have a couple ideas but not made it to the top of the project list.

[sovereignrwe]

Utilizing the A/S tanks for grilling is surely a thought that others have implemented. Anyone provide us with tricks and tool suggestions?

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by argosy20

Mae West said she made a campfire by rubbing two boy scouts together... Terry
(for those of you under 60, Mae West was a movie star in the mid twentieth century, whose physical attributes caused, among other things, the nicknaming of inflatable life jackets Mae West's)

There was one occasion, Mae West's bra caught on fire.."Took the Fire Dept, 4 days to put the flames out!<@@>" lmao
Yea, she had em rolling on the floor~
ciao
53FC

[norbert]

Originally Posted by sovereignrwe

Utilizing the A/S tanks for grilling is surely a thought that others have implemented. Anyone provide us with tricks and tool suggestions?

you can get all the goodiies at camping world
norby

[67caravel]

We use a Cobb Grill (charcoal) and fatwood (to light it). The Cobb is incredible and won Time Magazine's new invention award a couple of years ago.

It packs down to a very small package and uses only 6 briquettes to cook. The fatwood is easy to light and makes for a pollution free experience.

You can even get a wok for it.

Check it out.

[crazylev]

My favorite is the Pyromid. Uses nine briquets and folds to 1" x 12"x12" and is made of Stainless steel, so you can throw it in the dishwasher. Sadly, they went out of business a few years ago, but I did hear that an British company might staart making them again. It is definately worth a look to see this thing:

http://www.solosite.net/pyromid/Setup.htm

I hope they start making these again, as we have really enjoyed ours.

Jonathan

[Royce]

Hi All,

The other I use is the Woodflame Grill Delecto model. It uses only hardwood blocks, is ready in under two minutes, temp easy to control and the food tastes great. you can check it out atWoodFlame www.woodflame.com


Royce

[grizzy]

In Arizona, and much of the Southwest propane is often the only choice for cooking outside. The country is just too dry after 9 years of draught. We picked up Toolbox Grill from Camping World (www.toolboxgrill.com). Its fairly compact and does a nice job of grilling. Its about $62 at Camping World -- I see that its $49 at amazon.com.

[Tom Nugler]

Lean pot roast braised over the coals, Dutch Oven, small onions, red potatoes and carrots, small turnip, cut up, garlic fresh cracked pepper. 10 days 'till the next trip, I can't wait.
Tom

[silver suz]

Tom, do you roast the pot roast on a spear over the coals or in the dutch oven with a little oil when it has heated up? Do you roll the roast in flour? What liquid do you use?. Do you put coals on the top of the dutch oven? Approximately how long does it take to cook. And Finally where do you camp that you are allowed to have a campfire? Last is just funny- no open fires allowed in the dry southwest. I cook this a lot at home and a couple of times in a solar oven- but the oven, I didn't bother with browning the meat first. I'm salivating too! suz

[johnboy]

I use a charcoal called "Cowboy Charcoal". I'm sure it's sold under different names. It's made from cutoffs from furniture factories and other hardwood sources. It burns cleans as anything, lights easy and has no odor other than that hardwood taste that I like.

This is the only fuel source I use when I fire up the smoker for ribs, pulled-pork, smoked turkey..etc. I usually run the smoker for 6-7 hours straight and I only clean out the ashes about once a year and even then, the ashes wouldn't fill a cigar box, even after 8-10 bags of charcoal. That K*ngsf*rd cr*p usually leaves a bucket full just from one burn. That tells you how much filler they use.

The average bag weighs much less than the same size bag of the ob. The only downside is that you do have to feed it more often since the stuff doesn't last very long. But at $3 a bag (size of k*ngsf*rd 20lb), I don't mind.

DO NOT buy the stuff in the box..I think it might be called "chunk charcoal". I've found that it is not always made from hardwood, often containing softwood. For those not in the know, if you want to cook or smoke something, you want hardwood (maple, hickory, apple..etc). Softwoods like pine, cedar & spruce will produce a bitter yucky taste.

I start mine with a chimney and 2 pieces of newspaper. For years I used 2 coffee cans wired together but got sick of them rusting thru about every year so now I have the fancy ($10) model made from something that doesn't rust. It also has a handle that is nice for keeping your hands from burning and I oughta know since I blow glass for a living <G>.

Anyway...We bring a tri-pod grill setup that allows us to cook on the campfire. I'm pretty good at producing my own coals to prevent out-of-control cooking fires. The tripod adjusts up and down for easy control.

jb

[maxandgeorgia]

Tom, you make me think we need to fire up the "Regional Food Specialties" thread again. Reading your post made me remember all those delicious descriptions posted here on the Forum. I'll bet others have come up with good ideas since this was active. A good winter project: compile those into an index to take on the road next summer! Hmmm. . . .