Charcoal, gas, or electric grill?

[mvweebles]

Relatedly, any thoughts on using the propane quick disconnects onboard? I've started using them at home and like them a lot, though the handle on the ball valve is plain steel and rusts. It's a bit of a pain to retrofit an appliance designed for green bottle as the regulator needs to be removed and some adapter parts installed, but manageable.

Example picture of my Blackstone 22" griddle at home - note the small lever handle that is the ball valve so easy to turn on/off. Thoughts or concerns for use on a boat?

 

[ranger58sb]

I have been a lifelong charcoal user and that's what I want on my boat when the times comes. How many of you use charcoal compared to electric or gas? And how do you handle the ashes after the fire is out?

I don't even use charcoal at home. For camping, maybe, if we have to... but then we haven't been land camping for 15 years or so... Otherwise, it's just too much work.

Magma, propane with small bottles, on the boat. It's just easier... and it gives us an alternative to our electric galley in case there might be some temporary AC issues. Or if we don't want to start the generator for whatever reason.

Haven't tried an electric grill, but would do if we get around to it.

-Chris

 

[catalinajack]

I am going to guess that I am the only boater to have a propane Camp Chef, two-burner camp stove aboard. It's two powerful burners on top of which is placed a modular cooking surface. The bottom is steel which is heated by the burners. It produces radiant heat, the same type of heat produced by charcoal. Ordinary gas grills cook food with heated air, not radiant heat. The result is food cooked just as if it were a charcoal fire. I also have a domed pizza oven that I use on the burners. I can get the stone up to 750 degrees although I cook pizzas at about 600 degrees. I make my own dough and pizza sauce from scratch.

 

[mvweebles]

I am going to guess that I am the only boater to have a propane Camp Chef, two-burner camp stove aboard. It's two powerful burners on top of which is placed a modular cooking surface. The bottom is steel which is heated by the burners. It produces radiant heat, the same type of heat produced by charcoal. Ordinary gas grills cook food with heated air, not radiant heat. The result is food cooked just as if it were a charcoal fire. I also have a domed pizza oven that I use on the burners. I can get the stone up to 750 degrees although I cook pizzas at about 600 degrees. I make my own dough and pizza sauce from scratch.

I looked at these after your last post on the topic --- was definitely interested. The system is a bit big for my Willard 36, but looks great. Thinking about buying one of the pizza domes to fit atop a Blackstone burner as I enjoy making pizza too.

Thanks for the reminder - there is much, much more to outdoor cooking than the Magma/Dickensen marine propane cookers. I've had both - disappointed with both. If I returned to a propane grill, it would be the Weber Q, Much better heat distribution and easily/inexpensively replaced when the time comes. But that won't happen - super pleased with cooking performance of a flat-top griddle.

Peter

 

[caltexflanc]

I’m getting hungry

Here you go...

This meal was courtesy of our old Magma while anchored out off Elliot Key.

 

[mvweebles]

Here you go...

This meal was courtesy of our old Magma while anchored out off Elliot Key.

That's a good effort, but I think you still need a bit of practice. Happy to take a bullet for the team and volunteer to be your next guinea pig.

 

[wkearney99]

We've got a Miele built-in electric grill and it works quite well. When we've rafted up with others they use a Magma propane grill. Both provide the same cooking experience with the exception that the Magma can close the lid and get a bit more 'baking' heat from a low flame. We also have a Force 10 propane stove/cooktop below.

No way I'd ever want charcoal or any other fire that resulted in long ember burning times and the result left over ash. Too much risk dealing with a smoldering source of heat, too much clean up hassle.

One added note, the latest generation Magma grills have a better setup for using feet, to see it up on a picnic table on shore. My old one didn't. The new one has feet that fold back, but are tall enough to not require removing the rod holder mount from the bottom of it. While we were cooking various things down below on the Force 10, our friends were on shore grilling salmon with the Magma (marina frowns upon grilling on the boat).

 

[wkearney99]

This meal was courtesy of our old Magma while anchored out off Elliot Key.

Heh, strip steaks and asparagus was a go-to on our Magma also!

 

[Codger2]

No way I'd ever want charcoal or any other fire that resulted in long ember burning times and the result left over ash. Too much risk dealing with a smoldering source of heat, too much clean up hassle.

We agree! As far as taste goes when comparing gas to charcoal, fill a small juice can with water soaked wood chips of your choice and put it in the gas barbecue. When you are done you won't be able to tell the difference between charcoaled meat or gas.

 

[caltexflanc]

We agree! As far as taste goes when comparing gas to charcoal, fill a small juice can with water soaked wood chips of your choice and put it in the gas barbecue. When you are done you won't be able to tell the difference between charcoaled meat or gas.

As mentioned, I have had really good results cooking on a wetted plank, particularly things like chicken thighs, fish, and ribs. I don't put those things straight onto the grill anymore.

Steaks and chops, we now either sous vide (would have been a wonderful thing to have on the boat, wonderful for roasts and tenderloins) or sometimes for steaks, the cast iron skillet sear and bake technique. These methods make it virtually impossible to screw it up.

 

[boatpoker]

Love the Weber gas grill but too big and heavy for our permanent installation.
Two 20 lb. tanks supply our stove and Magma.

Both our stove oven and our Magma are fitted with pizza stones, No flare-ups and much more even heating.
We cook everything on our pizza stone ... even pizza.

 

[caltexflanc]

I got turned on to the Weber Q by some marina transient neighbors who had one on the aft deck of their Defever 44. They had bolted it to a fish filleting cutting board and used standard rail attachments to secure it. They were full time and pretty experienced and ardent cruisers, and reported that it held up well in all kinds of sea conditions. I never got around to mounting it on our boat, it was more convenient to stow it; plus we liked taking it to the beach.

The pizza stone is very handy, we use one here at the house a lot but I prefer planks or direct grilling for meats.

 

[catalinajack]

Peter: here is a picture of a pizza going into the oven.

I looked at these after your last post on the topic --- was definitely interested. The system is a bit big for my Willard 36, but looks great. Thinking about buying one of the pizza domes to fit atop a Blackstone burner as I enjoy making pizza too.

Thanks for the reminder - there is much, much more to outdoor cooking than the Magma/Dickensen marine propane cookers. I've had both - disappointed with both. If I returned to a propane grill, it would be the Weber Q, Much better heat distribution and easily/inexpensively replaced when the time comes. But that won't happen - super pleased with cooking performance of a flat-top griddle.

Peter

 

[mvweebles]

Peter: here is a picture of a pizza going into the oven.View attachment 105043

Hmmm.....looks pretty good, just a bit more practice and you'll have it right Oh well, guess I'll have to come over and give you a chance to try a few more....

Seriously, great picture. I really like the Defever 44s (and 44+5). It's one of the most skipped-over boats in the world of trawlers and passagemakers. For serious coastal passagemaking between Maine and Alaska, hard to find a better value.

Peter

 

[wkearney99]

Both our stove oven and our Magma are fitted with pizza stones

What'd you do, take an angle grinder to a stone and trim it down? That's impressive.

For avoiding flare-ups I've had decent luck with high-heat grill sheets. The issue to watch out for is heat being dumped out the sides. Our electric grill is recessed a bit and too much heat out the sides is hard on the surround.

 

[wkearney99]

Peter: here is a picture of a pizza going into the oven.View attachment 105043

Ok, that gets a prize.

Me, I'd be horrified at the clean-up inconvenience of working flour on the boat.

 

[rsn48]

With propane tanks, particularly for the bbq, I get the exchange ones. And, I spray paint the bottom stand with a clear epoxy, this prevents rust on the most exposed to the water elements part. Because the paint is clear, I never have problems in the exchange process. And it takes about one minute to spray the bottom.

 

[Knot Fast]

(another)+1 for the Weber Q 1200 Gas Grill. We had a spare when we consolidated households. It's AL body and SS grate have held up perfectly for 2y in Tampa Bay. I have it clamped to rail and run a quick connect gas line from a 17# fiberglass tank. The tank ran empty yesterday! After 23 months of use at least 1/wk.

 

[HeadedToTexas]

(another)+1 for the Weber Q 1200 Gas Grill. We had a spare when we consolidated households. It's AL body and SS grate have held up perfectly for 2y in Tampa Bay. I have it clamped to rail and run a quick connect gas line from a 17# fiberglass tank. The tank ran empty yesterday! After 23 months of use at least 1/wk.

Wow, that's a helluva recommendation. I'll check into the Q 1200. Thank you.

 

[catalinajack]

No mess, really. Put 250 grams of flour in a food processor. Mix 150 grams of water with two or three teaspoons of yeast, one teaspoon of salt, mix, and slowly add to spinning processor. Two minutes and you have a nice ball of dough. Place on a cutting board, spread some olive oil over surface, and cover with plastic wrap. Four hours later the dough is ready. Better yet, make the day before, put in fridge overnight, take out in morning for final rise.

Ok, that gets a prize.

Me, I'd be horrified at the clean-up inconvenience of working flour on the boat.

 

[mvweebles]

No mess, really. Put 250 grams of flour in a food processor. Mix 150 grams of water with two or three teaspoons of yeast, one teaspoon of salt, mix, and slowly add to spinning processor. Two minutes and you have a nice ball of dough. Place on a cutting board, spread some olive oil over surface, and cover with plastic wrap. Four hours later the dough is ready. Better yet, make the day before, put in fridge overnight, take out in morning for final rise.

A few tips I've found to make working with flour easy. First, dedicated container with large opening to store the flour. I started by putting the paper bag of flour in a ziplock, and that doesn't work well. Next, a dedicated 1-cup measuring cup to leave in the flour. If you use bulk yeast instead of the small envelopes, have a dedicated container with a dedicated 1-Tbls measuring spoon.

Usually, pizza dough recipes make enough for two pizzas. We will double-up and make four. They can store in a ziplok in the fridge for several days (caution - they need room to expand).

We eat a lot of sandwiches, including breakfast sandwiches. So making 6-rolls at a time is easier/cheaper/fresher than storing bread. Once you get the hang of it, it goes pretty well.

Peter

 

[RLKramer]

Only use propane. Had charcoal on sailboat in the 80's and I remember at anchor, the wind would howell through the grill and blow embers behind us for 15-20 feet. No problem behind us, but if the wind changed, watch out.

Now we use gas grill with a 10# tank. Kind of an odd size tank, but it came with the boat.

 

[Exctyengr]

I used charcoal aboard my 42 foot ketch, Shalimar, for heat and some cooking. Charcoal is messy and you MUST find a way to keep the charcoal dry at all times. And you must find a way to dispose of the ashes. Eventually, we switched from charcoal to a Magma gas grill for grilling keeping the charcoal for heat in a solid fuel stove. My only caution is to be very careful. If you are using it on deck be very careful about sparks and ash being carried down wind. Have a sealed container for ashes and for charcoal storage.

 

[Todd2]

Magma continuously mounted on rail with two 10# bottles of propane in swimstep locker. I can use the green bottles if need be. Only problem, I have: two temperature ranges - hot and hotter.

 

[rsn48]

Magma continuously mounted on rail with two 10# bottles of propane in swimstep locker. I can use the green bottles if need be. Only problem, I have: two temperature ranges - hot and hotter

That's why folks switch to the Weber Q1200 bbq.

https://www.weber.com/CA/en/grills/gas-barbecues/q-series/51060001.html

 

[Todd2]

Magma continuously mounted on rail with two 10# bottles of propane in swimstep locker. I can use the green bottles if need be. Only problem, I have: two temperature ranges - hot and hotter

That's why folks switch to the Weber Q1200 bbq.

https://www.weber.com/CA/en/grills/gas-barbecues/q-series/51060001.html

That looks like my next one.

 

[Beaverlake]

Has anyone had experience with the CharBroil Grill 2Go? Seems similar to the Weber, larger cooking area, less expensive. Weber is predictable quality, but curious nonetheless.

https://www.amazon.com/Char-Broil-G...B00BFPMLI8/ref=psdc_10124195011_t3_B00FDOONEC

 

[wkearney99]

Has anyone had experience with the CharBroil Grill 2Go? Seems similar to the Weber, larger cooking area, less expensive. Weber is predictable quality, but curious nonetheless.

https://www.amazon.com/Char-Broil-G...B00BFPMLI8/ref=psdc_10124195011_t3_B00FDOONEC

The stem for the tank seems a bit long, potentially a breaking point with boat wave action beating on it? Comments in the reviews about needing to add a valve would extend it further. It's one thing to have it sitting stable on a tablet/ground, another to have it rigged up to a rail carrying the bottle. Just a thought.

 

[rsn48]

I'm a bbq freak and use my bbq twice a day often, being doing that for years. Also hanged out in bbq forums (yes they exist). My advise is - get a Weber - they are simply one of the best bbq's out there. Don't compare spec's, as more BTU's are less important than evenness of cooking and no flare ups, really important. Its one of those pieces of kit that works and works well, more expensive but the value is still there.

 

[catalinajack]

Charcoal for heat? Just curious, how did you deal with the carbon monoxide?

I used charcoal aboard my 42 foot ketch, Shalimar, for heat and some cooking. Charcoal is messy and you MUST find a way to keep the charcoal dry at all times. And you must find a way to dispose of the ashes. Eventually, we switched from charcoal to a Magma gas grill for grilling keeping the charcoal for heat in a solid fuel stove. My only caution is to be very careful. If you are using it on deck be very careful about sparks and ash being carried down wind. Have a sealed container for ashes and for charcoal storage.