Gas or charchoal?

[KennethW]

I use wood pellets for camp fire and grilling. Easy and legal to transport between parks.

[Bill n Robi]

Wood pellets - certified safe by rangers during fire restrictions. Fed the camp hosts and two rangers that were directing campers out of the evac zones during the Sequoia fires.

[Woodbutcher]

Charcoal for me.

[GTS225]

I use wood pellets for camp fire and grilling. Easy and legal to transport between parks.

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Could you elaborate on the "legal to transport" statement? I'm thinking in terms of legality of transporting small LP cylinders, (20lb or less).

Roger

[KennethW]

You can not transport wood(bugs) between parks. But pellets you can(no bugs).

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

[tony.latham]

We use this little Coleman. It works great for grilling stuff.





Tony

[KTM_Guy]

I guess I don't know much about the wood pellets. I use gas because in AZ with fire restrictions you have to have instant off. How do you do that with wood pellets?

Todd

[GTS225]

You can not transport wood(bugs) between parks. But pellets you can(no bugs).

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Aahh, wasn't thinking along those lines......Thanks.

Roger

[GPW]

For those that care , charcoal isn’t very Green because it has to be burned Twice and a good bit of the energy in the wood ( and carbon) is lost just making it … Wood pellets sound cool , because you can make a small or large fire as needed …. Now that we have Solar cooking ( and Coffee making) the dependence on other fuels is lessened … But a bag of wood pellets sure sounds like an easy way of carrying fuel for camping for early in the morning or when the sun's not out ... Have to try that !!!

[KennethW]

I use a big ss colander and a big soup can(to produce some draft). Put the pellets in a plastic tote. Then pour some veggable oil. On them so they burn easier. A little lighter fluid (or E85?) And you will have a small fire for about an hour and a half or more. To put it out. Just throw it in a fire ring and spead it out. Be out in about 10 minutes.

[Bill n Robi]

I guess I don't know much about the wood pellets. I use gas because in AZ with fire restrictions you have to have instant off. How do you do that with wood pellets?

Todd

I use a "Green Mountain" pellet grill/smoker/oven as it runs on 12 volts. An auger feeds the pellets into a firepot which has regulated airflow from a fan - once power is out, fire dies quickly as only 1/2 cup of pellets are burning at any one time. As the firepot is enclosed I would think it wold be ok in AZ. I take it on all camping trips but never had an issue there but didn't ask and no one said anything.

[KTM_Guy]

Those are cool, wish they were smaller. I could see having one of those for trips where you just hang out at camp all weekend.

This year the fire restrictions was very strict. Couldn’t smoke outside of your car. I don’t think this would have passed a lever 3 restriction. I drive past the forest service headquarters a few times a week and will see if I can stop in and check.

Todd

[working on it]

• I always cooked my meat items on a Coleman stove, using pans with ribbed bottoms for a semi-grilled effect, but envied other campers using actual grills (or even $500 smokers) at camp. Setting up the Coleman is fast & easy, and clean-up of pans and stove is quick, too, but the charcoal aroma was missing from the equation (the Coleman white gas smell is OK, but not the same).

• 

  cooking & grilling stand-bys.jpg (109.67 KiB) Viewed 1363 times

• Last time out, though, I took along a compact grill I bought at Ikea, the $20 Korpon, which folds-down to store in a 4" high x 14" square space in my trailer. I didn't want to try to bring along my Weber 22" grill, or my old Char-Broil offset smoker from home (due to their size and the excessive prep & clean-up time they require, not really worth the hassle for cooking a small meal for myself, since I travel solo), just to get the more flavorful meat that actual grilling/smoking provides).

• 

  Korpon from IKEA, for charcoal grilling.jpg (117.16 KiB) Viewed 1363 times

  I also bought a domed cover to accompany it, so I can cover the grill for heat retention, just like on a Weber kettle grill, but in miniature. Works just great for cooking a large rib-eye, or several burgers at a time...all I would ask for in a grill.

• 

  Chefmaster 9-inch domed grill cover.JPG (43.42 KiB) Viewed 1363 times

[Tripmaker]

Try using 100% hardwood lump charcoal for even better results. Bricketts are bound together with petroleum products.

[DaddyJeep]

This is how you cook a steak while camping.




I only cook over wood. Whether I am running one of my smokers or just some burgers for the family.