KORPON grill grill, from IKEA
Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 3:12 pm- I want to tell you about a small, fold-able charcoal grill from IKEA, that I tried last night, for grilling steaks. I've been a Weber griller for 45+ years, and usually (always) use my 22" Weber for that purpose, but wanted to try my small grill, bought just for camping. I never could find the right way, or space to carry a small Weber, or an Aussie grill on or in my little 4x8, or in my truck bed (in which I'm trying to reduce the gear load, anticipating an SUV soon), so when I saw this IKEA grill (out of the corner of my eye), it was an impulse buy I couldn't resist.
- It comes in a 14"x"14"x 3" box, which was what first attracted my attention: it can be stored just about anywhere, even in my cramped galley/storage area. The second point of attraction was the perforated stainless grill itself, which has an attached handle; the perforated grill will prevent some foods from slipping thru, into the coals, and the handle can be used to carry items to and from the grill, and makes it easy to turn the foods to a different spot (in case you don't have an even temperature from the coals). And, the grill locks into the fire bowl, so it stays flat and won't tip foods into the fire, as some grills tend to do when turning/flipping items being cooked.
- I previously used my Coleman dual-fuel camp stove, and either a lodge cast-iron skillet (with ribbing), or an IKEA GRILLA grill pan (also with ribbing) to "grill" my meats at camp. I truly love using my Coleman, but I've become envious of those people that used smokers or grills at camp, just for the aroma/taste that charcoal imparts. One guy used a Lodge Sportsman grill, that I've wanted for awhile, but it's real heavy (I could've fit it in, but the galley is already too heavy), and $100, and then there's my friend Ronnie's Traeger...way out of my price range for camping grills. So, I bought the $17 KORPON, just to see how it would work out for me. So far, everything I've bought at IKEA worked great, so I expected this simple grill to follow that pattern.
- My wife unexpectedly bought some steaks for her birthday dinner yesterday (my birthday dinner was cold ham sandwiches while we were moving into our 20 ft trailer...see http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=69239). She wanted them grilled, so I suggested trying the KORPON, instead of the Weber. I added that I had bought some Pecan charcoal briquettes, and a no taste/odorless Sterno starting gel to light up the coals, instead of my usual plain Kingsford, and regular starter fluid. OK. I followed the IKEA instructions, but I think I used more briquettes than recommended, and the grill was ready in 30 minutes. When I fetched the steaks from the house, I found out that they were 2" thick, with McCormick Montreal Steak rub on them, and there were four of them. I decided to cram all four on the small grill, so I could give it a real test (by reducing the airflow to the coals). After 25-30 minutes, repeatedly flipping them, and rotating their positions, I judged them ready (2 medium rare, 2 medium). They were great! We each ate one, saving the others for tonight, perhaps. I just let the perfect coals burn to ash; a pity, since I had no other meats ready to grill. The pecan taste was surprisingly good, not conflicting with the rub. My go-to is Mesquite charcoal and Stubbs rubs.
- IKEA KORPON grill.JPG (90.98 KiB) Viewed 4092 times
- In summation, the Korpon grill will be a perfect small, inexpensive substitute for my other favorites, that are too big, heavy, and expensive for my camping needs. Try one and see!