Charcoal, gas, or electric grill?

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?

Propane for the grill we had. One tank lasted an amazingly long time--no ashes.

The small green tanks or a full size gas grill tank?

HeadedToTexas said:

The small green tanks or a full size gas grill tank?

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We used strictly the small green tanks and get 5 or 6 meals easily on one tank. depends of course on what we cook.

This thing is bad ass. Velocity grill. Uses a few chunks of hardwood and will get to 1000 degrees. Check out review on YouTube.

Gets super hot but is controllable and will also cook at a low temp.
Plugs into 110 or also can run off the battery pack (AA’s or something).
Base stays cool
The whole thing will be cool to the touch including the inside by the time you are eating.
What little ash it produces wipes up easily with a damp paper towel

The negatives are mostly my fault. I like to cook on high heat but that makes quite a bit of smoke. I swear people must have thought our boat was on fire at times.
It didn’t last more than 2 years from rust. I would sometimes put it away with a little ash in the bottom and this causes it to rust. I’m going to get another one and will be better about keeping it clean.



We also just got a foodi ninja grill/air fryer for the inside. It “grilled” burgers pretty well with no smoke. Also air fries and does a bunch of other things. Great multi tasker.

I still prefer my 1000 degree blow torch of a grill though.

Kenyon electric. No ashes. Run off batteries/inverter. Love it.

Weber Baby Q gas grill on our boat with 20 lb supply tank and Weber Q electric at our home. I would not hesitate to use the Weber electric grill on our boat if ever needed, it heats fast and cleanup is easy.

We had a really nice Magma double burner for most of our cruising and living aboard.





When that needed a rebuild and we were beginning to slowly transition back to being land-based, I bought w Weber Q 200 (the one with a thermometer) on the rec of a boater we were berthed to, and never did get around to refurbing the Magma. Both use the small green bottles, which while not economical, are useful. We take the Weber camping too. I wouldn't want the messes and ashes with charcoal, myself. We've been very happy with our gas grills. You can use soaked hardwood chips, or various types of planks (hickory, maple, alder, cedar etc. ) to get flavoring if so desired

George forman electric grill, cooks everything. Steaks at night and bacon in the morning, drip pan and easy clean up, and stores easy....

When we cruised full time almost 20 years ago I was a wood zealot for grilling steaks and burgers. The flavor of the wood smoke was particularly noticeable with steaks. It was a bit difficult to do. Since we anchored out most of the time, we would bring back wood from shore and keep enough for 2-3 grillouts at a time. After the ashes cooled, we would dump them overboard.

Once I did screw up and a large ember dropped on the teak coaming top and I had to grind it out and fill it with epoxy

Today I wouldn't do that. I have found that searing a steak in a cast iron skillet with butter and garlic gives it a great flavor. Not the same as wood smoke but equally great. We also cook burgers on a cast iron skillet with just salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder seasoning. Tastes just as good as a wood fire grilled burger.

So today I am not sure I would even have an outdoor grill on our boat whether it was wood, charcoal or propane.

OTOH when we go camping on our RV we always grill steaks and burgers on a small Weber propane grill outside. Being outside rather than inside is the motivation.

David

Steve91T said:

This thing is bad ass. Velocity grill. Uses a few chunks of hardwood and will get to 1000 degrees. Check out review on YouTube.

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Whoa, that thing is impressive. Too bad they don't make a stainless version! Did you plug it in to run the fan?

I prefer cooking with charcoal, so the very first grill I ever mounted on a boat (1985) was a Magna charcoal grill. That was the last charcoal grill I ever put on a boat! Too much mess to deal with afterwards.

I Hank Hill it now, with propane!

Weber Q-- Small green propane tanks. Awesome grill.

HeadedToTexas said:

Whoa, that thing is impressive. Too bad they don't make a stainless version! Did you plug it in to run the fan?

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Yep. Plug it into an outlet or it runs off a small battery pack

Lots of impressive grills mentioned!


I guess I'm an outlier in the ABSOLUTELY NO GRILL ON BOARD camp, however. With relatively frequent opportunities to grill ashore, I don't see a compelling case to introduce any risk of fire on board. Okay, I admit, I miss it while on the hook...

caltexflanc said:

We had a really nice Magma double burner for most of our cruising and living aboard.

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We do too for outside cooking. When it's cold or rainy we use a NuWave Induction Cooker inside.

Sea B Que

Dickson which is similar to the Magma stainless grill. Love it. Turn the dial and in two to three minutes ready for dogs/hamburgers, chicken or veggies. Last night salmon and corn on the cob. No embers to worry about. I wouldn't consider wood or charcoal on the boat. However, if wood/charcoal is your thing, store it and take it ashore - much safer! Solo stove fire pit and cooker too. Or another double walled stainless cooker.

Like this,
https://www.amazon.com/Cobb-PREMIER-Roast-Rack-Thermometer/dp/B00A4DKYEU/ref=asc_df_B00A4DKYEU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312087850491&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2624053869766276731&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9060522&hvtargid=pla-567953662787&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=61712676466&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312087850491&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2624053869766276731&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9060522&hvtargid=pla-567953662787

Some marinas, mine included, prohibit open flame on the dock or boat. We have a built-in electric grill which works ok, not my preference but I get no hassles from the marina owner.

Never having used propane before on my boats, it is all I have now. This is not to be construed as an endorsement; it is just what came with the boat. We have a two-burner plus oven stove in the salon and a hanging on rail unit at the stern. The stove uses a larger built-in tank and the outside unit uses green bottles. I liked my prior Mainship's all-electric stove. Jury still out on propane. We do have a sensor and alarm for the inside unit.

Propane grill using a "smaller" 10 lb bottle. The propane bottle is stored on my swim grid attached to the dinghy davit support post. Personally, I don't like the small green bottles. They are cheaply made, often enough develop leaks, need a safe place to store extra bottles (either outside or in a properly vented locker), don't last that long (per bottle), etc. I don't want to reopen the debate, but will mention that some refill these "non-fillable" bottles (to lower the number they have to carry aboard) which is not a recommended practise (actually contravening propane safety standards). To be fair, apparently there is one brand of small green bottle that is designed to allow refilling?
Personally, I don't want to have to deal with the brickettes, combustible starter, cooling embers, and ash, so would not go with that type aboard a boat.
We grill quite a bit, and enjoy the food, keeping the galley cooler on the sometimes hot afternoons.

Colony,
Interesting how comfortable we get with what we are used to. Personally, I love using a propane stove and BBQ. We even use natural gas for cooking at home (stove and oven), with a propane BBQ outdoors.
On a boat, I don't want to be reliant on running the generator for cooking, plus, during the day underway, we make many cups of tea, and either running the generator constantly or having to start and stop it would be a pain.

Propane safety onboard is fairly easy. Keep the bottom vent clean and clear in the propane locker. Soap up the bottle connection looking for any leaks after a refill. Keep an eye on the small O ring seal and replace as needed. Pressure test the system periodically looking for a noticeable pressure drop. Keep the solenoid off when not actually using the stove.

On my tug, there is room in the propane locker to store a few of the little green BBQ bottles if that is the best for your grill. I go a different route using a 10 lb. bottle.
Happy Tuggin!

I currently use a Napolean stainless table top gas grill (no longer available). Considering taking that one to the house and buying a Blaze portable gas grill. Mine runs on 17 pound composite (fiberglass) propane tank.

You probably don't want to watch this.

https://youtu.be/UYkax4NYyoc

Ted

Another plus for the Weber Q BBQ. I have a propane stove/oven so if I can have an open flame on the stove, I don't worry about the bbq. And a 20 pound bottle, I do a lot of whole beer can chicken, don't want to run out in the middle of a roast. The propane I use for the bbq is independent of the propane I use for my stove/oven and heater.

I’m getting hungry

O C Diver said:

I currently use a Napolean stainless table top gas grill (no longer available). Considering taking that one to the house and buying a Blaze portable gas grill. Mine runs on 17 pound composite (fiberglass) propane tank.

You probably don't want to watch this.

https://youtu.be/UYkax4NYyoc

Ted

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Maybe I shouldn't have. That is very slick. I love the Flamethrower Ignition! Making me hungry too.

Magma propane grill but added a Webber smoking box to add flavor.

We had a Magma Kettle which used briquettes. Cooked well, heat lasted way longer than needed, messy. Then had an LPG/gas/propane Magma Kettle. Easy to use, fast, imparts surprisingly good bbq flavor. Some internal components seem to rust/degrade despite being ss, and are expensive to replace. In fact all the accessory/replacement parts seem to be gold plate priced in Australia. Current boat came with an electric grill with cover. It works, and that`s about it, I`d rather an LPG unit and will probably get one. Also dislike running genset to "grill" a steak.

The small green tanks or a full size gas grill tank?

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We had a 20 lb propane tank on a Magma grill. When that required some parts for repair (took a while to get them) we had the aforementioned Weber Q 1200 which can run on green bottles or can get a hose adapter for 20 lb tanks

I understand the convenience of the small green tanks. My economical side can't justify the cost of the propane. Then there's the rust if you don't use them quickly. While I really like my 2 composite tanks (left over from a failed propane dinghy outboard motor) if I were to do it again, they would be aluminum from the RV industry. The composites are more challenging to find someone to fill them.

Ted

DavidM said:

I have found that searing a steak in a cast iron skillet with butter and garlic gives it a great flavor. Not the same as wood smoke but equally great. We also cook burgers on a cast iron skillet with just salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder seasoning. Tastes just as good as a wood fire grilled burger.

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Agree 100%. I have gone with a small Blackstone flat-top griddle (propane), essentially a cast iron skillet on a burner except more room. Much more versatile than a grill, and much easier to clean. We recently purchased a pair of Lodge cast iron bacon presses that has taken our cooked meats from great to over-the-top fantastic by keeping the meat in contact with high heat source to produce a deep, consistent mahogany sear. The first bite of a smash burger will wobble your knees!

I can't imagine having charcoal and such aboard, but understand the appeal. The Velocity Grill someone else posted looks intriguing. Decent compromise.

I'd be interested in an update on what the OP decides, and how it works out.

Peter