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Propane grill attached to LD
Yahoo Message Number: 50775
I've finally convinced Mimi that the ease of use of a propane grill makes up for her purist feelings about charcoal.  So, now I want to find a grill that will attach to the side of the LD when we want it, connect through a quick connect to a T in the reefer or hot water heater and store in as small a space as possible.  I searched Art's great archives as I remembered a long discussion about propane vs charcoal but couldn't find any specific recommendations that mentioned the above.  I also googled and searched the Camping World site but nothing jumped out as the perfect solution.  Anyone have one that can connect to the LD tank that may also attach to the outside?  That part is negotiable but I do not want to use the portable bottles so it has to have the ability to connect to our tanks.  My perfect solution would have brackets that attached in the rear of our RB on the passenger side behind the reefer and would store without being disassembled in a fairly small space.  I'm thinking we can use the propane hose we already have for the Wave6 heater to connect it.

It's too hot here to do a lot of cooking inside and setting up the charcoal grill takes too long most times, we have been cooking on our friends propane grill on the back of his tow truck - sometimes it is great to have friends with a 5th wheel, they can carry so much stuff.
Plus, we don't want to leave our grill outside all the time, the salt air will rust it out and there is always the chance someone would steal it.

Jonna, parked right on the beach 100 miles south of Puerto Vallarta
Re: Propane grill attached to LD
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50778
Quote from: Jonna"

[snip] "So, now I want to find a grill that will attach to the side of the LD when we want it, connect through a quick connect to a T in the reefer or hot water heater and store in as small a space as possible."[snip]

Jonna, parked right on the beach 100 miles south of Puerto Vallarta

Jonna, I have no experience with propane grills, but I remembered seeing something like you described in the Welcome Aboard (marine) catalog.  Check it out at:
 http://www.mailordercentral.com/welcomeaboard/

Sharon N.
Re: Propane grill attached to LD
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50783
"Jonna"  wrote:
 "I've finally convinced Mimi that the ease of use of a propane grill makes up for her purist feelings about charcoal.  So, now I want to find a grill that will attach to the side of the LD when we want it, connect through a quick connect to a T in the reefer or hot water heater and store in as small a space as possible."
 My "purist feelings" are the same about barbecuing using nothing but red oak, but the logs just don't fit in my Pyromid!

Try this link; it sounds like just what you want!
 http://www.cabelas.com/products/Cpod0021449.jsp 
Joan
2003 TK has a new home
Re: Propane grill attached to LD
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50784
Quote
I've finally convinced Mimi that the ease of use of a propane grill makes up for her purist feelings about charcoal.  So, now I want to find a grill that will attach to the side of the LD when we want it,
I really recommend against attaching any grill to the motorhome in any way. Flare-ups are common with propane cooking too, as grease drips in. Smoke will billow out at times and in any near open window or doors, as well as grease-laden vapors, if you aren't a strict vegetarian. I have even used ours under the awning in inclement weather, but in a completely portable state. I MUST be able to fling the whole mess in an emergency. I think too most do not find tapping off the house propane as appealing later as it seemed at first. A separate tank is far more convenient and easier to hook-up.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: Propane grill attached to LD
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50786
Quote
I really recommend against attaching any grill to the motorhome in any way. Flare-ups are common with propane cooking too, as grease drips in. Smoke will billow out at times and in any near open window or
A p.s. - we use exclusively the propane grill mostly for ease of fuel storage. The speed of preparation for cooking is a minor boon to our camping style, and the speed of being able to pack for shipment slightly moreso. BUT - the grill becomes and stays messier as a result, compared to charcoal. The grease and food residue just does not burn off as well as during the extra hour or two of burn-off you typically get with charcoal.

A REAL advantage of propane - at altitude and cold weather, the charcoal grill may not be able to sustain sufficient combustion to properly cook - or even stay burning. Propane is basically unaffected by that except in the extreme.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: Propane grill attached to LD
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50808
Great info everyone.
 Sharon, thank you for reminding me of Welcome Aboard.  I've bought a ton of stuff from them (nesting pots, sleepsack, small pressure cooker, etc) and I knew there was someplace that I wasn't remembering.
Also the Cabella's link was good, thanks for that Joan.  I found the same BBQ on both sites that seems like it will do the trick.
 http://www.mailordercentral.com/welcomeaboard/prodinfo.asp?number=WA918&variation=&aitem=1&mitem=1

There are attachments for deck or hull and it can be attached to a regular propane tank.  It's also stainless steel so should rust slower.

Steve, I may end up giving up using it with our onboard propane but most of these units can also be used with small bottles.  Storage of those small bottles is significant for us as every square inch counts.
In addition, either we have to throw them away and try to find more here in Mexico or we have to haul them to the propane place to have them re-filled.  The gas trucks that come around everywhere in Mexico don't have the nozzle to refill the small tanks but they can fill our onboard tank. It just makes it a lot easier if we only have one propane source to fill and haul.

The place I want to attach the BBQ is at the back passenger side of our RB, just outside the shower.  It is close to the reefer and hot water heater, far enough back to be out from under the awning, and there are few windows nearby.  If the wind were blowing the wrong way we could close the shower window and the small kitchen window and keep the smoke out.
 I'm going to look at it some more, run it by my resident BBQ chef and maybe order it when we get back to the US in March. I'll let you all know how it works out.
 Jonna, on the coast of Jalisco.  The PR name for this coast is Costa Alegre, they have big plans for the area and it won't be this unspoiled for long.
Re: Charcoal at altitude and Los Alamos, NM
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50817
Quote
At what altitude did you find that charcoal would not stay lit?  Are you sure it was dry?
Dry as a (dry) bone. We have had problems at 6000' when temperature was about 40F, for example. That is at our cabin. When we used to take charcoal on trips, I noticed a significant decrease in performance or extinction under similar conditions. More charcoal - left stacked longer before spreading - was my usual solution. Still, cooking a big pork roast could get dicey. The oven finished off a few meals.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: Charcoal at altitude and Los Alamos, NM
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50841
Steve,
 Strange.  Maybe my memory is failing me.  It's been 25 years since I grilled
Re: Charcoal at altitude and Los Alamos, NM
Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50846
Quote
Steve,

Strange.  Maybe my memory is failing me.  It's been 25 years since I grilled in Los Alamos.  We've been back last summer, but no
grilling.
 
Quote
Next time we go I'll try it and see if I notice a difference.

Barry 01 r rb tx
I've never had problems cooking with charcoal at altitude.  We have camped above 9000 a number of times and will break out the charcoal everytime.  Cooking with charcoal is a tradition for us when camping.  It's a nice treat.  Camping is the only time when I have time to wait for for the coals to get hot.  I pull out the charcoal chimmney, then promptly open a beer and wait.

-Victor
Re: Charcoal at altitude and Los Alamos, NM
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50850
Quote
"I've never had problems cooking with charcoal at altitude.

-Victor
Victor and others

Me too, just make sure the beer is cold.

I've been using charcoal for my Dutch Oven cooking at elevations over 6,000 ft. for over 40 years. The only time I've had problems is when the coals inadvertantly get damp.
 Mmmm, can't wait for that 1st peach cobbler the latter part of April when trout season opens in the Sierra.

Steve S.
Lazy Bones
Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!
Propane Grill
Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50792
Jonna, Mimi, and Sharon In the days with our sailboat, "Essence" I purchased the propane "Magma Party Grill" from West Marine and thus made the switch from charcoal to propane. I also used it on the back porch at home by buying accessories that allow the grill to clamp on to a circular railing. That railing was a short bathroom grab rail mounted vertically on the porch.  I don't remember the diameter of the grab bar, but sizing was of importance. It worked very well and the convenience over charcoal was a plus. But, frankly it did not have the heat output that charcoal produced. It always required preheating with the cover on to get it cooking hot and I always felt it was more like "baking" than "broiling". The boat and grill were eventually sold and the search for a new grill commenced. Primarily because of "connivance" I stayed with propane and thus my main criteria for buying was the btu output.  That output is not always mentioned by the manufactory or seller. I eventually brought the replacement from "Camping World", but at present it sits back home in Washington State while we are in Tucson and thus I can't tell you the model. All the best and many thanks for all the information that you generate.

Bill, Bess, n Buffy

"Merlot" 2002 RB
Re: Propane Grill
Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50805
Jonna, Mimi, Sharon and  Bill,

I also bought a portable grill from Camping World (well made, about $80).  After using it for about a year, and experincing the same problems as Bill  with pre-heating and '"baking" than "broiling"', I finally gave up and removed the burner and regulator.  Now I continue now to use it as a portable charcoal grill.

Barry 01 r rb tx
 
Re: Propane Grill
Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50811
Bill,
 Thanks for that additional info, I will look at the BTU ratings before I buy.  I think that is one of the reasons Mimi was reluctant to switch to propane, it didn't get hot enough.  I doubt we will stop carrying her Pit-2-Go BBQ for locations that work for it.  I'm also wondering if those deck rail attachments would work on the ladder in back, that might be an even better place to mount it.

It is just that when it is hot and you just want to make some pork chops or a flank steak quickly, the propane grill is up and ready and easy.  All those things would probably be better on a real fire, and some of them I could cook inside but keeping the heat outside and not having to wait so long to put it all away are also pluses.

It is also not easy to buy charcoal in small towns here, we've only found it in WalMart size stores.  So, while we "could" cook on driftwood - waiting for that size fire to get to coals also takes awhile and doesn't work well for those, "hey, I'm hungry what can we eat" moments.  I carry a freezer packed with meat that I can defrost and cook in a very short time, the problem point is the grill.

Jonna, sadly I'm emptying out the freezer now as our time here gets down to less than 2 weeks.  We had some wonderful Amish rib eye steaks last night that I bought and froze last fall in Indiana.