Advise on how to get anything decent off those park grills

500

Heading to OBX tomorrow, and the house has one of those park grills, that I can never get anything good off of.  Tried steaks one time years ago.  Couldn't get it hot enough.  Briquets or lump and why?  Maybe wrap the thing up mummy-style in HDAF to try and contain some heat?  Suggestions needed.  Will be great except for not having the Large there to cook on.

Mayberry

Buy a mni max and set it on top of the park grill.  It'll be the perfect height and stellar results every time.  

THEBuckeye

Peanut Butter and Jelly will work out just fine.

johnmitchell

Brats, wings, hamburgers, wrap a couple of onions and spuds in foil and place down in the coals.. Maybe use a mix of lump and briquets for added heat..

Ozzie_Isaac

Lots of briquettes, use a chimney to start ... stick with cheap easy cuts.

500

I was thinking I needed to get the chimney starter out and buy a bag of briquets.  Haven't used either in a long time.

SmokeyPitt

I would Grab a weber jumbo joe.  I think it is easier to bank and stack the coals compared to one of the camp grills.

When we went to OBX you could get a fire permit for the beach so I'm assuming you could use grills as well.  That would be fun to cook on the beach. 

DaveRichardson

If you can keep the coals swept to one side so that will be the HOT zone for the final crisping and the cooler zone for bringing up to temp like doing a reverse sear.

Or get one of the baskets like some folks use for meatballs.  The perforated metal / stainless ones.  that was you can contain those crumbly burgers much better.

fishlessman

hotdogs always come out good off those grills try caveman style with the steaks for the sear then roast up on the grill, ive had good luck with small pieces boneless lamb leg that way

Skiddymarker

If the cook is small, the Weber Smokey Joe Gold is a great portable grill. It has side vents so the ash never falls out the bottom when you are transporting it. Otherwise, the Jumbo Joe is a portable 18" Weber. 
BTW - noticed my local Costco (Bellingham, WA) had Kingsford Competition briquettes, 2X18# bags for $16. 

HeavyG

Cooking over open flame or a bed of coals in an open grill is great except in very windy conditions.

The OBX usually has very windy conditions...

Big_Green_Craig

nolaegghead

Clean the grill, make sure you can get plenty of air, lump burns hotter than briquettes.  Caveman.

Legume

Fajitas using flap meat or skirt steak works fine.  Anything hot and fast that you can keep moving.

Thatgrimguy

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1188735/forgot-my-egg-still-smoked-meat-while-camping#latest

I like using the camp grills.   They are best for using some real wood in and letting it burn to embers.

Ozzie_Isaac

nolaegghead said:

Clean the grill, make sure you can get plenty of air, lump burns hotter than briquettes.  Caveman.

Seriosly?  The flavoring/seasoning on camp grills is phenominal.  Squirel, rabbit, squid, salmon, burger, noodles, carefully applied for a decade!

I bet you scrub your cast iron too.

nolaegghead

Ozzie_Isaac said:

nolaegghead said:

Clean the grill, make sure you can get plenty of air, lump burns hotter than briquettes.  Caveman.

Seriosly?  The flavoring/seasoning on camp grills is phenominal.  Squirel, rabbit, squid, salmon, burger, noodles, carefully applied for a decade!

I bet you scrub your cast iron too.

You really need to clean burn those public grills to ash the used condoms, syringes, etc. that are incompletely burned from the previous occupants.

Toxarch

Hot and fast is the way to go if you can get a decently clean cooking surface. If not, I'd use the oven and a CI skillet for reverse sear steaks. 

johnnyp

Honestly, I'd probably be inclined to stop at the Walmart/lowes just over the bridge and pick up a weber kettle for the weekend.  

Take it home if you wish or leave it for the next guests.  But, personally, I'd happily spend an extra $90-ish for better, cleaner food all week

Carolina Q

Can you build a campfire? All sorts of mighty tasty ways to cook on an open fire! Failing that, just buy a $30-$100 Weber kettle.

Not my pics. Grabbed from Google...

Ozzie_Isaac

NPHuskerFL

We used these all the time in the 70s, 80s, 90s did they suddenly change?  Fire, Fuel, Oxygen & proteins. How long has man cooked over an open flame?  Don't complicate the uncomplicated. 

Ozzie_Isaac

NPHuskerFL said:

We used these all the time in the 70s, 80s, 90s did they suddenly change?  Fire, Fuel, Oxygen & proteins. How long has man cooked over an open flame?  Don't complicate the uncomplicated. 

Wwhhhhaaatttttt?  That is what we do here.

Is this lump the best, where do I light it, where should my platesetter be, how much smokewood, wbat kind, what temp.  How long is it good, what rub, salt first pepper second, how much to trim, what pot, is this oil ok, how long do I brine, do I brine, what is clean smoke, when does meat stop taking smoke, raised or lowered, direct, indirect, air gap, aluminum foil, glazed stone, thick stone, woo or AR, controller, no controller, vent settings, reverse sear, t-rex, flip a lot, smash or no smash, how much butter, what is good bark, paper or foil or naked, baby back or spares, ribeye or strip, pool of liquid on brisket, sous vide, induction, what pans, what knives, sharpener, hone, how often, end grain or edge grain, thick board, thin board, maple or hardwood.....

johnnyp

@Ozzie_Isaac ......and?  What is the correct answer to all of those questions?  I would like the definitive, objective truth.  None of this opinion nonsense

nolaegghead

Correct answer below:

CtTOPGUN

 A makeshift fire grate under the coals will bring more air to the party. That will get the BTUs up.

500

Hey, a bad day of cooking at the beach is better than a good day at work, right?  Don't know how I lost sight of my roots for cooking outdoors. I'll make it work. I'll add more beer if I need to. 

tgs2401

Ever since a scouting trip to a State park where we discovered a pile of human excrement on the grid of one of these community grills, I will not go near them. Build a campfire and use a dutch oven or hot dogs on a stick, but avoid the camp grill at all costs......

johnmitchell

tgs2401 said:

Ever since a scouting trip to a State park where we discovered a pile of human excrement on the grid of one of these community grills, I will not go near them. Build a campfire and use a dutch oven or hot dogs on a stick, but avoid the camp grill at all costs......

I am interested to know how you identified it as human excrement.. .. Well not really..

Legume

Corn

nolaegghead

because no other species eats corn.  Only humans.