Cobb BBQ disappointment

paul.norton said:
A lass at the local Lakeland store told me her children missed the charring which a conventional BBQ gives burgers.

Her solution is to remove the normal cooking plate and replace it with the roasting basket. So rather than the fat draining into the "moat" it drips in the fire and you get loads of smoke;)


Paul
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I hate to be a kill joy but there have been a lot of carcinogen research relating to cooking smoke and charring. I would use the normal cooking plate with my children.
 
BlueChip said:
Used our new Cobb for cooking steaks on the boat over the weekend.
I used the shaped self igniting heat brick in the fire basket and left it to get warm but as soon as the lid is off to grill the steak, the grill plate goes cold and the steaks wouldnt sear and seal the juices in. I ended up having to cook them with the lid on and then they turned out really overcooked and dry. I'm very dissapointed after the good reviews I have seen here.
What am I doing wrong?
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You do need to cook with the lid on.
Did you cook on the standard plate or the griddle plate? The griddle plate is fine for searing.

It maybe that the Cobb isn't for you; it isn't the same as an ordinary berbecue, but it can do a lot more. I've baked bread, made pizza's, four course meals......I think they are great.
 
Have used our one with great success, but only with the lid on. used charcoal brickets that took some time to get hot, but the griddle cooked well. Fire was only about 9 brickets so very small amount of fuel so I guess not much chance of this being hot enough without the lid on. Did stay hot for over an hour and bottom stayed quite cool so I could easily pick it up and move it.
 
Croc said:
For my last birthday I persuaded the family to give me a Cobb barbeque with all the extras. Unfortunately the supplier was out of Cobblestones but recommended some super quality charcoal briquettes.
Well I was extremely disappointed...took ages to light faded fast without cooking very well. This was all fairly embarrasing as I had pressed for this fairly expensive bit of kit and it was pathetic.
However.... the proper Cobblestones came into stockand I bought a packet just to see how it was before I hid the cooker away in the back of the cupboard and never mentioned it again.
I fitted the Cobblestone in its rack put a match to it and it immediately lit without smoke or the reek of parrafin-wax that normally accompanies instant -light charcoal. The book said you can start cooking in two-three minutes and you can. The coconut shell charcoal is compressed into a round shape that exactly fits the burner ring. It burns cleanly to a fine grey ash and provides a fine powerful heat source for at least an hour's cooking.
With the right fuel ...and there is only one right fuel the Cobblestone.. the Cobb barbeque does exactly what it says on the tin. It is truly an excellent device.
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Totally agree, steaks can be done with the lid on, and come out beautifully cooked.
Use the Cobblestone every time.

Ian & Jo
 
We don't have an oven on board, only a grill and 2 hobs. The Cobb is priceless as we can cook whole chickens and they are amazingly moist and tasty. At the same time, spuds and other veg can sit in the moat and soak up the juices. I use the proper Cobb blocks and although I find them a bit hard to light sometimes (I often light them off the gas hob) they do provide more than enough heat. We have the extension ring for larger items like a chicken and this can also be used as a wind shield if it is blowy. It is great to be able to pick up and move the BBQ and also to be able to set it on any surface without risk of damage. I wouldn't be without it.
 
I've just bought a Cobb thanks to trusted recommendation. I assume the long-term owners have found the best places to get the cobblestones - please do share. Amazon? Nauticalia? Cobb Shop direct?

Shall we go for the standard briquettes? the ultra quick? the coconut ones? Lots to choose from. Please pass on your best results.

We are about to send off our Wallas oven for repair, so expect to be trying it out with vigour!

thanks
 
nnn
ChattingLil said:
I've just bought a Cobb thanks to trusted recommendation. I assume the long-term owners have found the best places to get the cobblestones - please do share. Amazon? Nauticalia? Cobb Shop direct?

Shall we go for the standard briquettes? the ultra quick? the coconut ones? Lots to choose from. Please pass on your best results.

We are about to send off our Wallas oven for repair, so expect to be trying it out with vigour!

thanks
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A big vote for Nauticalia, Cheapest around. They are the genuine coconut ones?
S
 
ChattingLil said:
Shall we go for the standard briquettes? the ultra quick? the coconut ones? Lots to choose from. Please pass on your best results.
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We usually go for briquettes because we can tailor the charge to how long we are likely to be cooking. If you do use briquettes then only go for decent (relatively expensive) ones. We always buy Weber briquettes which are consistent and leave minimal ash.
 
Our Cobb caught fire. Looks like the inner/outer sections separated and the foam inbetween started to bubble. Acrid smoke and I managed to get it off the boat with oven gloves. Only used about 4 times before. Cobb just gave me the cold shoulder. Shlte piece of kit- take care
 
Steve Clayton said:
Our Cobb caught fire. Looks like the inner/outer sections separated and the foam inbetween started to bubble. Acrid smoke and I managed to get it off the boat with oven gloves. Only used about 4 times before. Cobb just gave me the cold shoulder. Shlte piece of kit- take care
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Where did you buy it and how much did you pay for it?
 
Steve Clayton said:
Present from my son; bought in a reputable caravan shop; was about £75; extras and carry case, etc
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Fair enough. The description of the problem makes me doubt it was a genuine Cobb (I don't think there is any foam between the inner and outer skins on a genuine Cobb for one thing) and wonder if you, or as you say your son, were unfortunate in getting saddled with a counterfeit product
 
This is what we use. Made from stainless steel and takes standard disposable BBQs

IMGP0325_zps399a7b3e.jpg
 
ohmaggie said:
Love the idea of a bbq on board, but what do peeps do about the spitting fat - not going to look good on teak I guess?
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When we bbq on board, I set the Cobb up on the sugar scoop, which is effectively a wipe clean surface. With the Cobb you get very little spitting, as the fat runs down into the moat rather than burning or spattering all over everything.
 
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