Portable BBQs

Portable BBQs add a lot of convenience for camping.   There are a large number of options to choose from, ranging from small, disposable, table-top charcoal units to fancy gas powered grills designed primarily for residential use.  Some RVs have BBQs built in to an outside compartment.  You can usually find a place (cabinet or roof pod) to bring along a small portable unit if it isn't built in.  You might be able to tote a home BBQ if you have space in the bed of a pickup or in a utility trailer but portable units can usually go just about anywhere in any vehicle.  Portable BBQs are modest in size and all fairly simple in design but they do require a certain amount of maintenance to keep them in optimum working order.  Charcoal grills only need to be cleaned periodically.  And that means removing the ashes and burned on grease from the bottom as well as brushing and cleaning the cooking surface itself.   Give your grill grid a good scrubbing with a BBQ brush, then rub it down with  a wad of newspaper for the finishing touch.  There are aerosol cleaners designed specifically for BBQ grills to help remove burned on grease.  Gas BBQs have burners that also need to be cleaned when you clean out the debris.  Usually all this takes is a good brushing along the sides of the burners where the perforations for the gas are using a wire brush.  Sometimes you may still have problems getting adequate gas flow after cleaning the burners.  This is often caused by spider webs inside the gas lines and fittings.  For some reason spiders seem drawn to these locations.   It may be the cozy physical configurations but some theories say they are attracted by the repulsive smell of the gas itself.  By the way, that nasty smell isn't the propane.  It is a chemical added to make it smell so leaks can be detected.  Regardless of why spiders do it, their webs and nests will restrict gas flow.  You would think the pressure of the gas would just blow it out, but it doesn't.  Tubing can be cleaned using a special brush usually available where ever BBQs are sold.  It looks like a screen door spring, about 1/4" in diameter and 12-18" long with a small patch of bristles about the size of a dime at one end and a handle on the other.  In addition to cleaning the tubes you may have to clean or replace the orifices.  These are brass fittings with the right sized opening for proper gas metering.  If they get plugged or even partially closed off with spider webs, grease, or debris, or enlarged by wear or abusive cleaning, they will not function properly.  The best way to clean them is with compressed air.  Using a metal probe often damages them and makes them unusable.   If you distort or enlarge the hole, you will have the replace the orifice.  If you must use more than compressed air to clear a clog, use a wooden toothpick or a piece of soft wire, not a hardened tool like an awl or an ice pick.  I've seen skilled folks use the RIGHT SIZE drill bit to clean an orifice.  If you resort to this procedure, anchor the orifice securely and squarely on the table of a drill press so you can drill straight and true.  Trying to drill it with a handheld drill is pretty much a recipe for failure.  A hand held drill will wobble slightly in even the steadiest of hands and it takes only a tiny wobble to ruin the orifice.   It may also introduce shavings into the piping and you run the risk of drilling into your hand!  Just trying to hold the orifice steady while you drill it will be difficult and very likely painful.  Sometimes soaking an orifice in vinegar will be enough to remove deposits.

Most portable BBQs are fueled by gas or charcoal.  Alternate heat sources include wood, electricity, and sunlight.  Contrary to some beliefs, gas BBQs actually emit less carbon dioxide than charcoal, so don't feel guilty if you choose gas over charcoal for convenience.  For really "green" grilling, choose a solar grill.  You can find plans on the Internet to build your own inexpensive grill or by one ready made. Some even "store" heat for after dark cooking, but for the most part you'll have to limit your cookouts to time with plenty of sunshine.  You will probably have to buy it on line and they aren't cheap.  Expect to pay $100 to $400, plus shipping.  Speaking of prices, better quality BBQ grills not only last longer but are more environmentally friendly than cheap ones and are less likely to leave undesired contaminates on your food.  Many people prefer the smoky taste of charcoal.  To ensure the best taste as well as minimize air pollution, avoid using charcoal that contains a lot of coal or other additives.  The best charcoal for grilling is natural wood charcoal.  By the way, did you know the famous Kingsford brand of charcoal was a byproduct of Henry Ford's early auto factories?  Ford collaborated with Kingsford to convert waste wood scraps from building Model T's and Model A's into a viable consumer product:  charcoal.  Together they promoted BBQs during outings using automobiles.

Most portable gas BBQs are designed to run off the small, 1-lb propane cylinders.  They are small, light weight, easy to transport, readily available, and easy to attach to the BBQ.  You can get adapters, such as so called "Extend-a-flow" kits for motorhomes, to run your portable BBQ off the large tanks on your motorhome.  Adapters also also available to connect portable BBQs and stoves to removable trailer tanks and standard portable propane tanks.  Having a larger tank reduces the chances of running out of gas while cooking a meal and bulk propane is usually cheaper per gallon than the small cylinders.  Portable gas grills are typically about 1' to 1 1/2' wide, about 1 foot deep, and about 10-12" tall  with the legs extended.  You can also buy single use charcoal grills for camping.  They usually include the charcoal in a heavy aluminum foil tray.  They are very convenient but as is often the case, convenience comes at a price.    They are intended to be disposable -- used once and tossed.  But it might be worth it to avoid hauling around a bulky BBQ and a bag of charcoal if your space is limited and you don't plan to grill multiple times in an outing.  Be careful where you set them.  The trays get very hot so they can damage wooden or plastic tables.  An ideal place to put them is on the grill of one of the permanent standup BBQs you sometimes see in parks and campgrounds.  Lacking one of those  you might have to put them on the ground.

Charcoal is favored by many camp chefs over gas for the smokey flavor it adds to foods.   EZ light charcoal contains an accelerant which may affect the taste, but usually it should burn off before you are ready to cook.  Likewise, charcoal lighter fluids can affect the taste so use them sparingly.  The charcoal lighter will typically burn off long before you're ready to cook, but to be completely safe, use standard charcoal briquets and light them using crumpled newspaper or kindling.  If you do use any accelerant, be sure to allow enough time for it to burn off before you start cooking.  Hickory, cherry, and other wood chips may be added to enhance flavors.  A "charcoal chimney" can be used to get your charcoal going faster without accelerants.  Put a wad of paper in the bottom (a good use of old newspaper), add the amount of charcoal you need, and light the paper.  In about 20-30 minutes your charcoal will be ready to cook with.  Wood chips may even be used with gas BBQs to enhance flavor but be sure to check grill manufacturers restrictions and the instructions that come with the chips.  Charcoal is also the preferred fuel for Dutch oven cooking but you can also use a dutch oven in a campfire or in the coals from a campfire.  And advantage to charcoal for Dutch ovens is it is easy to put glowing briquets on the lid.  Use about 1 briquet for each inch of diameter of the oven.  If  you are cooking on a campfire, use coals from the fire to approximate the number of briquets.

For better tasting food as well as for health reasons, you will want to keep the grill surfaces clean.  Most of the time you can use a BBQ brush to clean away the burned, greasy deposits left behind by the last use.  Fire up the grill and let it get hot to soften and loosen or burn off the deposits, then brush away the residue using a grill brush.  For more complete removal of greasy residue, rub the grill with a wad of old newspaper.  Just make sure the grill isn't too hot or the flames so high that the paper catches on fire!  An occasional cleaning with a commercial grill cleaner will help keep it in tip top shape, but be sure to wipe it down well before using it so your hamburgers or steaks don't taste like grill cleaner.  If you are particularly concerned about removing all the grill cleaner residue, wash it with warm soapy water and rinse and dry it thoroughly.  Avoid using ordinary household cleaners on the grill.  They may leave an unpleasant taste and sometimes even toxic chemicals!  You can use cooking spray on the grill or brush it with cooking oil to help keep food from sticking, although the grease that comes out of a lot meats will be enough by itself.  The grease that drips out of meats as they cook creates much of the smoke that gives that BBQ flavor whether using charcoal or gas.

Lighting your BBQ.   Gas BBQs can be lit using a match, a long handled lighter, or a built in igniter.  If your BBQ doesn't have an igniter or it is worn out or broken, you can usually buy a universal replacement igniter kit and install it yourself, eliminating the need to track down matches or lighters to get your grill going each time.  As mentioned above, the best way to light charcoal is using a "charcoal chimney", which uses some wadded up paper to get the charcoal started.  Charcoal lighter fluid is another popular way of lighting charcoal but personally I don't like the smell it adds to the charcoal (and my food).  "Matchlight" charcoal is pre-treated with charcoal lighter to make it ignite easily so you don't need to carry charcoal lighter.  Avoid using gasoline to start your charcoal.  It is more likely to create unpleasant odors and taste than approved charcoal lighter fluids which are supposedly designed to burn away cleanly.

BBQs are mostly used for cooking hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, and chicken but you can also roast other meats and vegetables like corn and bake potatoes on them quite easily.  With the addition of a griddle you can do pancakes, eggs, or French toast. You could use them like a stove to prepare other foods in pots and pans but your trusty Coleman stove is usually a better choice for that with burners that are designed to apply heat directly to pots and pans and with more precise controls for setting the best cooking temperature.

BBQs can be difficult to use in windy conditions.  I've experienced situations where even with a wind screen around the cooking surface, the breeze through the burner compartment prevented sufficient heat from reaching the grill to cook hamburgers.  Typical wind screens attach to the top of the BBQ or stove to block wind from the cooking surface and the food thereon.  You may have to improvise to block the wind from whipping through the burner compartment -- or give up and cook on your RV stove or over the campfire until the wind dies down.  Sometimes just being on the leeward side of your RV or some other structure is enough to get you and your BBQ out of the wind.

We sometimes use our trusty R2D2 (washing machine tub fire pit) to cook burgers etc.  I fitted an old BBQ grill with a pipe I can slide into the center agitator tube of the R2D2 and we use regular firewood -- no treated wood -- for the cooking fire.

Throw another shrimp on the barby, mate!