BBQ recommendations

DennisF

DennisF

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Hi all,

I’m thinking of getting a BBQ for my Westerly Berwick for the coming season. I don’t have an external gas point fitted, so getting a gas BBQ would be a bit of a faff. Naturally, I also worry about hot charcoal in close proximity to fiberglass! I have seen the holders of instant BBQs that attach to the pushpit, which may be an option, but there are also people who swear by the Cobb BBQs that allegedly remain cool to touch on the outside. Has anyone got any recommendations for BBQs that work well on a boat?
 
DennisF said:
Hi all,

I’m thinking of getting a BBQ for my Westerly Berwick for the coming season. I don’t have an external gas point fitted, so getting a gas BBQ would be a bit of a faff. Naturally, I also worry about hot charcoal in close proximity to fiberglass! I have seen the holders of instant BBQs that attach to the pushpit, which may be an option, but there are also people who swear by the Cobb BBQs that allegedly remain cool to touch on the outside. Has anyone got any recommendations for BBQs that work well on a boat?
Click to expand...

We find the Cobb works brilliantly, especially as an oven. Favourite last year was to spatchcock a chicken, slather it in tandoori marinade and chuck it in the cobb - perfectly cooked - moist and with just the right amount of ‘burnt’ bits like in a proper tandoor. The ‘cobblestone’ fuel discs and overall design mean little to no risk of burning embers. But it is a bit bulky, and tricky to clean onboard, so I think we are going to fit a disposable holder on the rail for those times when we just want to flash a quick steak or some kebabs, for which the cobb is too much faff.
 
We use a Cobb when camping. Brilliant bit of kit as an oven/cooker but not really a BBQ. Too big and bulky for the boat, especially for cleaning.
On the boat we use a C-Chef disposable holder which works well. I've cut a sheet of aluminium to fit inside, this allows almost any size of disposable to be used with no risk of dropping bits out of the bottom. Sometimes we will re-fill a disposable from our own bag of charcoal. I've also got my own griddle that will sit on top so don't need to re-use the disposable's grid.
Can't find the website any more, maybe he has retired.
 
We have had a frame which holds a disposable one one the rail but found it was not too good in wind and you had to plan disposal of tray. Also slow to cook so would say better than nothing but not ideal. Now have a Cobb which is excellent and lives in its bag in a locker. To keep clean use disposable insert trays. Only suggestion is to have something to put under it to catch grease but otherwise works well. Can also be used under the cockpit tent so more opportunities . Although many cruisers in hotter climates have rail mounted gas ones might not be so useful in uk climate. Just take the Cobb home for cleaning or pressure hose it down of course. Would agree the cobs can be slow to heat but it does beer can chicken very well . Clearly though you buy a lot of disposable ones and a cheap rail frame for the price of cook but pleased with our investment and saves on eating out . If space permits a small table to place cook on assists for caockpit or pontoon.
 
Yes never use a charcoal tray inside a cockpit tent but with the stern ramp down and stern flaps of tent Rolled up cooking on the stern ramp is fairly safe as if all else failed you could just push the Cobb into the briny as the great thing about them is the outside stays cool to touch. Clearly if worried just cook on pontoon though
 
Stern cockpit. We have a charcoal Magma BBQ the small one which is fine for two people to cook the whole meal or meat/fish for four. It cantilevers nicely off the pushpit. I use a chimney about 10 inches high and 5 in dia to get it going. French firelighters and not that smelly BBQ starter fluid.

I use locally made charcoal in the Eastern Caribbean and sometimes add some mesquite chips.

It does take a bit of learning but I can reliably produce nicely roasted taters [ parboil first and slather with oil ] juicy juliened carrots [ wrap in tinfoil and open for the last two mins. ] juicy Mahi Mahi [ tinfoil w lime juice ] or just seared then move to the slow side. AND of course BBQ chicken and pork ribs, these must be marinaded first and frequently basted.

A head torch is useful to see how things are doing and I always have a bucket of water at hand just in case but have never had to use it even when a splash of oil added to the chimney to encourage reluctant coals has produced a column of flames.

My Magma is 9 years old and still in good nick as everything is SS steel. Some makes fall apart in 3 years.

Yes it is a bit of a faff to clean, start up and wait till the coals get going but IMHO it is worth it. After all I amretired and time is not my master.

As for gas barbecues I have never seen the point, I might as well use the oven and or grille.
 
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The Cobb is great. Using the Cobblestone fuel, they light instantly with no need for firelighters. A couple of minutes with low flame and the lighting compound has done its job and burnt out and you’ve got a grill ready to cook on. They’re at their best doing roast type stuff; chickens, leg of lamb and the like but produce very acceptable kebabs, sausages and burgers. They really are cool to the touch: the outside of the lower part is mesh and doesn’t get hot, the lid on the other hand does, so needs careful handling. We use ours either on the foredeck or on the sugar scoop when afloat: beach bbqs are easy to do using the Cobb.
Three downsides: they’re a complete pain to keep clean and the original Cobb is too small for traditional BBQ fare for more than 3 people. Cobb does make a bigger one now which is about double the size of the original. Finally, the Cobblestone burns for about 2 hours, so unless you’re doing a long rolling BBQ or you’re doing a roast, you’ll wind up wasting a fair bit of fuel.
 
We use our Cobb regularly for roasting and smoking. Would be ok for sausages but doesn’t get hot enough to sear a steak and keep it medium rare.
We have hot smoked fish, pork fillet and mussels all to good effect, often smoking fish for dinner and a pork fillet or mussels for next day lunch cold (to make best use of the cobblestone). Roast chicken and lamb is great as Duncan says. But it’s just not a bbq IMHO.
 
+1 for a Cobb. Actually a 'nearlyque'. Not quite a BBQ but on the boat they are great.

Really a very sexy oven with the option to slightly burn your food, if you like it that way. Great for doing Mackerel and Fry up breakfast.
Have roasted chicken, steaks and joints on board - very nice.

Not cheap, but its boating. Cobble stone things are neat and tidy to transport, use and dispose of.
Ours came with a bag and fits easily in the cockpit locker or under one of the berths.

Will not be included when we sell the boat!
 
One poster mentions refilling a disposable from his bag of charcoal; well done, that man. Another mentions dousing it in seawater and binning it; would'nt it be better to bring it home, put the foil part in the recycling bin and add the charcoal ash to the compost heap to give it some extra potash?
 
Topcat47 said:
I won't have any sort of BBQ anywhere near my boat, especially those throw aways in a foil case.
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I will have any sort of BBQ anywhere near my boat, especially those throw aways in a foil case ..... which is probably more helpful to the OP. ;)

We have a BoatBQ stainless steel frame which clamps to the pushpit and takes the smaller style disposables. During the sailing season we leave the clamp part on the pushpit so it's a two-second job to remove the frame after cooking so people can't bang into it. It works perfectly and is easy to clean and we've been using it for 10 years now without a single issue.

BBQ are £1 each, bought as clearance at season's end, and we always have a stock of them on the boat. They last for years although sometimes the older ones need a bit of a kick to get them going. I could explain how I achieve this re-boot but if I did that it would probably bring about the end of the universe as we know it. :o

Richard
 
RichardS said:
I will have any sort of BBQ anywhere near my boat, especially those throw aways in a foil case ..... which is probably more helpful to the OP. ;)

We have a BoatBQ stainless steel frame which clamps to the pushpit and takes the smaller style disposables. During the sailing season we leave the clamp part on the pushpit so it's a two-second job to remove the frame after cooking so people can't bang into it. It works perfectly and is easy to clean and we've been using it for 10 years now without a single issue.

BBQ are £1 each, bought as clearance at season's end, and we always have a stock of them on the boat. They last for years although sometimes the older ones need a bit of a kick to get them going. I could explain how I achieve this re-boot but if I did that it would probably bring about the end of the universe as we know it. :o

Richard
Click to expand...

Thank you - very helpful. I think I’ll start with the pushpit rail type holder, and see how much I use it. The Cobb May be an option for the future, but it’s really a BBQ I was after.
 
had my stainless steel magma rail mount charcoal one for 30 + years transferred it to 4 different boats and wouldnt dream off sailing without it , essential piece of kit , fresh fish , steak even sausages , best value piece of kit i ever bought for the boat even if it did appear expensive at the time...
 
I love the BBQ. I hate the fancy prices for something that is unnecessarily complicated. I purchased a stainless steel document box off eBay for about £30 and a stainless steel griddle that fits inside. They are about 10 inches deep. Bolted to the stern rail, and all that is needed is an inch or two of coals and its beautiful in the warmer weather - use it all the time. Sod the fire risk, there is a bucket to the side and its 5 seconds to douse the BBQ if required, after all as sailors we are meant to be able to deal with such simple technology arent we?
 
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