Cooking Outside

[johnboy]

Originally Posted by RivetED

Now that I'm getting used to it, the indirect heating of the Holland 'Companion' grill is wonderful. .

I got to test drive a full sized holland one full weekend. I cooked a ton of food on it. My impression was that yes...it "baked" things well but if I wanted baked food, I found it easier to use the oven. There was zero on the flavor scale.

I returned the unit and ended up buying the Weber 3-burner deal. This was my first gas grill of any kind. I'm sure that was 10 years ago and I still have that grill. Never been covered, sits on the front (south) porch, it's always covered with snow. Get's used minimum once a week, all year round and I've never put a penny into it. Still not as nice as cooking on wood fire but I know I use it more than I would if I had to start a fire.

of course, ymmv.
jb

[Tarheel]

Carol cooks the veggies and makes the tea or coffee inside the trailer. I usually cook the meat on the grill unless she decides to fry up some catfish or chicken. We use the crockpot and electric fry pan and griddle from time to time and lets not forget the microwave. Some of the best potatoes and onions you have ever tasted come right out of it.

[Pahaska]

Not exactly on the poll, but I buy a bag of the self-lighting charcoal each spring and keep the bag well sealed. I have never noticed any odor or taste from this product. It does get a bit hard to start when it gets old; I carry a bottle of starting gel for that purpose. I just dab a bit of the gel here and there on the lowest layer of the charcoal, light it off, and the heat quickly fires off the upper layers. I like the fact that the self-lighting stuff is ready to cook on very quickly.

The reason that I carry the gel is that in a previous SOB trailer, vibration wore a hole in a plastic bottle of starter fluid and the leakage destroyed the carpet. The gel is thick enough that it has to be squeezed fromn the bottle and I don't think there could be appreciable leakage. I carry it wrapped in bubble wrap inside the samll, cheap grill that I use.

[Stefrobrts]

What brand do you buy? We have bought Matchlite brand in the past, and there's definitly a taste/odor from the briquetts. I prefer propane to using those self-lighting briquetts, but maybe I'm just using the wrong brand.

I've already told my husband I want that Cobb BBQ for Christmas. It looks like just the thing to replace the little propane grill. Maybe we'll do some outdoor coooking on the road next year!

[zamboni]

We use hardwood charcoal only for smoking and BBQin', Kingsford brickettes for dutch oven cookin'.

There are great cooking recipes on RFD-TV (Dish 9409) Campfire Cafe show and Dutch Oven Cooking. They have a web-site and even a camping/cooking "school" weekend.

Actually heading to Murphysboro IL for a BBQ Cook-Off this weekend 9/23/04. There is a Catfish cooking event on Thursday night, Smoking and BBQing all day Friday and BBQ judging on Saturday afternoon. We cook PORK (Whole hog 14-16 hours, shoulder 8-10 hours, ribs 4-6 hours)...DRY RUB...LOTS OF BASTING (the meat too ). COME on down, just off route 51 in heart of downtown area...should have about 20 - 30 teams cooking. Winners get a bid to Memphis In May World Champion BBQ Cook-Off.

[norbert]

im having bbq delirium tremens......btw...how bout some smoked lutefisk....
norby

[silver suz]

Johnboy, please be careful and check that your hardwood has not been treated in any way with preservatives. Especially that greenish stuff that contains arsenic your hand can asorb the arsenic (That's been proven with kid's playground equipment) and you can breathe in the smoke. It is now banned, but lumber companies are allowed to use up their stock. silver suz

[silver suz]

Oh. Must tell the story of how my son won the Boy Scout camp prize for wilderness survival. Seems each scout was allowed to bring what they would normally carry in their pockets, plus 1 liter of water. They were led up to the top of a nearby "mountain" and left in groups of 4 overnight with 3 matches. My son discovered that his suntan "Bullfrog Gel" was a wonderful fire accelerant, so his group had a great fire to stay warm all night!!! It was a well kept secret in his troop! silver suz

[johnboy]

Originally Posted by silver suz

Johnboy, please be careful and check that your hardwood has not been treated in any way with preservatives. Especially that greenish stuff that contains arsenic your hand can asorb the arsenic (That's been proven with kid's playground equipment) and you can breathe in the smoke. It is now banned, but lumber companies are allowed to use up their stock. silver suz

I don't believe there is such a thing as treated hardwood. Most decking material is made from softwoods such as southern yellow pine. I know the smell of my wood and that's why I use the cowboy charcoal.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Stefrobrts

What brand do you buy? We have bought Matchlite brand in the past, and there's definitly a taste/odor from the briquetts. I prefer propane to using those self-lighting briquetts, but maybe I'm just using the wrong brand.

I use Matchlite and have noticed no odor or taste, nor has my wife. By the time the coals are ready to cook, all of the starting accellerant seems to have long been burned away.

My grill is a little el-cheapo that I bought Cabels's in Colorado years ago for about $12. It is just big enough for 2 steaks and all comes apart to fit in a bag. Easy to carry in the under-bed storage. After many years of use, it is getting pretty ratty and I'll probablly replace it one of these days. We'll very shortly have a local Cabela's; maybe I'll celebrate by buying a new grill.

[dbtolman]

Propane here.

Hank Hill would be proud of us, I tell you what.

;-)

[Tom Nugler]

Originally Posted by 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

Hi Suz,
Yes, I brown the meat right in the oven ,with a little oil, with the pot on the coals. We bring along a few small bottles of Merlot or Burgandy and add water until the meat is about half covered. I've done them in the coals but I think I have better luck hanging the oven form a tripod. I think it's easier to control ther heat. Usually take about 2 hours.
Somewhere else in this thread is mention of Alton Brown on the Food Network. I would highly recommend his book, "I'm only here for the food."
By the way, the next/last trip of the year is in Mukwonago Wis. Great private park called Country View.
Good Eats, Tom.

[silver suz]

Thanks, Tom for the recipie clarification! I use wine too. Also whole cloves, bay leaves, mustard seeds and whole peppercorns- which are taken out at the end. My husband's boy scout troop cooks turkeys and whole chickens from the tripods , held by wire. They say it's really good.

Johnboy, I'm glad to hear about the hardwood. There has been a problem recently with hardwood kid's toy blocks that have been treated. They are probably from developing countries, so USA wood is probably fine. In TX, mesquite, considered to be a pest tree, is used for smoking fires. But Pahaska would probably know more than me. We have LOTS of oak if anyone is near enough to get it. Even stovesize-LOTS, you cut, you take-free!!!. silver suz

[markdc]

I have used propane and charcole until about a month ago. I got a Woodflame grill and wow, I really love it. Especially traveling around in the coach. Experimenting with different woods for taste and smell, any ideas or wisdom would be great here.
Markdc