Best BBQ for a sailboat

[midlifesailor]

Originally Posted by ereiss

When we bought our Freedom last fall it had a Force 10 kettle. Hated it. Not hot enough, not enough effective cooking area. Bought the small Dickenson rectangle Bar Sea Q and couldn't be happier. Has blown out a couple of times in strong winds (only complaint). Have sailed with it on the rail and lost the drip pan, blame that on the stupid captain (me).

Rail mount is beautifully made.

Recommend the brand.

I scoured the web reading all I could about grills and have yet to find someone that was not very satisfied with their Dickenson Sea-B-Que. We bought ours 2 years ago during Defenders annual sale and its been great. We've never had ours blow out, but I did have to turn it off once when strong winds caused the blue hot flame to project through the hole for the lighter focusing like a blow torch on the plastic of the rain mount.

That was as a gust front from a TS hit though so its not something we encounter very often.

I do like the idea of the "juice proof" grill bag. We never sail with the grill on the rail and there have been times when I worried about drippings messing up something in the cabin.

[Omatako]

Originally Posted by CharlieCobra

Ah folks, no charcoal on a saltwater boat. It combusts spontaneously doncha know, after exposure to saltwater.

Actually I can't find any compelling info that supports this suggestion. All of the stuff that I have been able to find acknowledges the concept but then goes on the describe it as a myth or similar. None of the references I have read even allude to saltwater.

I grew up with charcoal as a means of BBQ and have been using it for decades - I had never heard of the spontaneous combustion principle involving charcoal until I read this thread. I guess ignorance is bliss.

I have a charcoal BBQ, I burn by preference hardwood charcoal from Namibia (even in NZ) and when that is done, I pick driftwood up off the beach and burn that.

As another post said, if I want to cook on gas, I'll do it in the galley.

[tdw]

Coal of course can and does spontaneously combust, I didn't know that charcoal did as well. I guess charcoal is really only juvenile coal so maybe maybe maybe. Still and all, I've never heard or seen it happen.

I like the idea of bbqing with charcoal but don't like the idea of having to carry the stuff. Not from a safety angle, more dirt and dust. The major reason we bbq is to get the heat and cooking smells out of the cabin. The Wombette is not a fan of the smell of seafood cooking.

Andre.....what do you store your charcoal in ?

[bubb2]

My favorite little grill, great on the boat. Cobb grill

[jhack82]

Has anyone tried using a Weber 1520? its the litle portable box that i saw almost nothing but good reviews of. I like its $50 price tag as opposed to a kuuma $150 with rail mounts.

[roadranger]

Char-coal does not combust with salt water. Char-coal is NOT even remotely related to anthracite coal. Char-coal is made from wood (or wood pulp) that has been charred in an oxygenless container at a very high temperature, in order to remove all of the water and much of the oils.

I, too, love the taste that burning charcoal gives to meat. If you use a gas-grill you can place one or two pieces of charcoal on the grill and get it burning just prior to tossing on the meat. When the lid is closed, all that wonderful charcoal smoke will add the same sweet smoky flavor. Mmmm.

[2Gringos]

Anyone know of any marine or outdoor supply oriented companies that will ship internationally? I have been trying to buy a Cobb Grill system, the one with all the pieces, from Cobb America in Florida, but their online ordering system is one of those with a very incomplete list of countries. I have emailed twice trying to order one, and the answers are just that the online ordering should work. It doesn't.

Anyone know someone like West Marine, Bass Pro, Cabelas, etc. that carries the Cobb AND will ship out of the US? (None of those stock it, I tried already)

[rbaron]

Used charcoal for years. In my economy days used a mini square weber grill [way cheaper than the stainless seagoing kettle]. BUT the charcoal is slow, and throws dust and filth all over the cockpit, and is a pain to get rid of and store and keep dry. Plus there is the newspaper to store and keep dry if you use one of those [rust prone] convection chimney starters. finally went to a gas unit. Yippee. instant heat, no filth and the women on board look at me with new found interest. "I hear you cook with gas" they say. YUP

[seaspot]

Charcaol is for grilling, gas is for cooking.

I have a charcoal burning Magma on my boat and LOVE it. When I get a bag of charcoal I split it up into gallon size ziplock bags. One bag, just filled not stuffed, is the perfect amount to grill with on this grill. You can use half a bag if you just going to grill a couple burgers. Then I just take along how ever many bags that I think I'll need.

I use lighter fluid to light the charcoal, because I don't feel like messing with my charcoal chimney on the boat. Yea, yea...I can hear it now "but lighter fluid is flammable". Yuppers, you're right. So is that metal encased bomb you have filled with propane and all those bottles of booze you have, and the tank of gas for your dinghy, etc. If you're smart about it, and you all seem to be, you would know you have to properly store flammable items on your boat to prevent any such accident.

[zeehag]

after fighting with magma and force grills on the rail not staying lit in wind, i found that on my formosa 41 a weber smokey joe kettle does absolutely awesome for cooking--and i use mesquite --from mexico-- awesome results!!! i have even seen weber kettles adapted to railing mount!!! had to laugh at that one---but i guess it works...