Cobb BBQ - Brickettes recalled

[Talulah]

Any idea why they were recalled? I bought some at the Boat show in Jan and found one a pain to light.... I've started looking for firelighters to speed things up. Not the idea. No doubt I'll need to find the receipt ......

The last time they were recalled that I know of is because they wouldn't light. They supplied additional lighters FOC to get around it. I don't know the reason this time.

 

[PhillM]

Ordered some on Saturday from the Cobb website and I have just had an email saying they will be with me tomorrow. I shall light on over the weekend (weather permitting) and let you know.....

 

[sarabande]

that's not true charcoal.
To make charcoal you need to heat wood in a vented enclosure to minimize the oxygen content and it needs to get hot, real hot for a few hours to turn the wood into charcoal.

Our local charcoal burners on Exmoor run their kettles for at least three days.

 

[ianj99]

I make charcoal. I think the phrase is, to burn in restricted air, To remove a lot of the water, volatile acids, tar, etc.

But leave the carbon.

Charcoal still leaves ash, more in percentage weight than wood.

Same principle that was used to cook coal to make 'town gas' and coke in the days before North Sea gas.

* tastes as good as the other coke to me - don't ask how I know~!

 

[Victoria Sponge]

We just use ordinary briquettes in our Cobb, which work just fine. The Cobb things seem very expensive to me.

 

[sailorgirl]

We just use ordinary briquettes in our Cobb, which work just fine. The Cobb things seem very expensive to me.

Here in DXB authentic Cobb fuel is not available but there are plenty of pretenders which burn more than adequately often leaving us wonder what else we can cook as the coal as good for another hour or more. Just look for round-ish shaped or hexagon shaped "briquettes" and you can roast a large joint of beef rib or a couple of chickens.

 

[Heckler]

I make charcoal. I think the phrase is, to burn in restricted air, To remove a lot of the water, volatile acids, tar, etc.

But leave the carbon.

Charcoal still leaves ash, more in percentage weight than wood.

its the same process that used to be used to turn coal in to coke. The volatile bits, light ends in oil field parlance, are burned off, the bit that is left is almost pure carbon.
Stu

 

[BlueSkyNick]

The last time they were recalled that I know of is because they wouldn't light. They supplied additional lighters FOC to get around it. I don't know the reason this time.

I didnt know about either recall and have struggled with lighting the current pack - I have simply used a small piece of fire lighter from the living room.

You learn something every day around here!

 

[FairweatherDave]

Decided to contact Cobb direct who gave this helpful reply. Simultaneously sorting out my shed I found my firelighters so I've got it all covered.....

"The Cobblestones have not been recalled for lighting problems, it's only for
a packaging issue. Some previous batches of Cobblestone have varied in their
ease of lighting, in these situation, here is a little tip that works for
me. Use one of the dividing pieces of cards in the Cobblestone box, scrunch
it slightly and light it under the fire basket in the Cobb, this should burn
for long enough to get any Cobblestone lit."

Useful very loosely boaty thread .... very very useful if surrounded by very hungry boaty people

 

[Greenheart]

How likeably honest, and practical, the Cobblestones' spokesman sounds! Not defiantly defensive, or wrapped up in legalese..."just burn a bit of the box the charcoal comes in"...

...I'd buy that! He reminds me of the days when customer-commonsense was a reasonable presumption by manufacturers.

 

[paul.norton]

Decided to contact Cobb direct who gave this helpful reply. Simultaneously sorting out my shed I found my firelighters so I've got it all covered.....

"The Cobblestones have not been recalled for lighting problems, it's only for
a packaging issue. Some previous batches of Cobblestone have varied in their
ease of lighting, in these situation, here is a little tip that works for
me. Use one of the dividing pieces of cards in the Cobblestone box, scrunch
it slightly and light it under the fire basket in the Cobb, this should burn
for long enough to get any Cobblestone lit."

Useful very loosely boaty thread .... very very useful if surrounded by very hungry boaty people

I too contacted Cobb directly and they confirmed it is just a packaging problem which has now been sorted.

Paul

 

[Rigger Mortice]

We just use ordinary briquettes in our Cobb, which work just fine. The Cobb things seem very expensive to me.

Ordinary briquettes or charcoal work perfectly well on the Cobb but, if you haven't tried them, it really is worth trying the Cobblestones. You're right, they are not cheap but they are very good indeed. Despite the comments above, they get going quickly (I've found that I can start cooking in just two or three minutes) and they last for a good two and a half hours.

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Ordinary briquettes or charcoal work perfectly well on the Cobb but, if you haven't tried them, it really is worth trying the Cobblestones. You're right, they are not cheap but they are very good indeed. Despite the comments above, they get going quickly (I've found that I can start cooking in just two or three minutes) and they last for a good two and a half hours.

+1

 

[Victoria Sponge]

They may be good, but it makes your meal very expensive when you consider the cost.

 

[Rigger Mortice]

They may be good, but it makes your meal very expensive when you consider the cost.

They cost around £1.50 each!
I use them when we are having a full meal. Three courses + coffee+ hot water for the washing up....all from one cobblestone. It's not too expensive......and I have a BA in skinflintology

A three course meal in a pub or restaurant costs.........?

 

[Victoria Sponge]

They cost around £1.50 each!
I use them when we are having a full meal. Three courses + coffee+ hot water for the washing up....all from one cobblestone. It's not too expensive......and I have a BA in skinflintology

A three course meal in a pub or restaurant costs.........?

I thought they were more expensive, apologies.

 

[Talulah]

I thought they were more expensive, apologies.

A pack of brickettes from Cobb or in a Lakeland store is approx £10 for six.
The unbelievable thing is that if you look on ebay you will see a box of 6 for £18.99 or 2 boxes of 6 for £32!

 

[Rigger Mortice]

I thought they were more expensive, apologies.

There's certainly no need to apologise. This forum is surely about exchanging information?...and very good it is too....usually!

 

[CliveG]

I light the cobblestone in its basket on the gas hob with the Cobb close by ant transfer it with the cobb handle thing.
Works while on the boat.
Small gas touch at other times.

 

[wave runner]

Our local charcoal burners on Exmoor run their kettles for at least three days.

Wow, now that's a long time to leave the lights on . A friend of mine will start a fire in the morning covering a 55gallon drum, let it burn all day and into the evening. The next day they'll remove the charcoal. Perhaps low and slow is the name of the game?