Cobb and Kettle

[Elly Swanson]

Camping at Beardy Folk festival (great Covid safety precautions) last weekend.

Kellie Kettle worked hard. Boiled for hot drinks and another for strip washes, using heat beads with foraged sticks to speed it all up. It's the only time you can use wood on the Cobb really without the danger of damaging the grommets or melting the plastic ring. One thig you need to look out for is the extra ash in the ashpan as it can affect the air flow, which in turn affects the efficiancy of the charcoal burn and ultimately the cook.

Nice bit of heat on the Australian Heat Beads to cook the ribeye steak, on it’s last day in the fridge (not usually that extravagant for brekkie), bacon and eggs. Forgot the cooking photos whoops! But here’s the setup.



Great to use a storm kettle, whether it’s a Cobb one or another make. Makes the Cobb even more flexible and versatile.

 

[Velma's Dad]

How do you find the heat beads on the Cobb, versus charcoal or the proprietary Cobb 'cobbles'? I find the cobbles are hard to light if stored for a while. (Although I'm thinking about packing a small gas blow torch as that makes any kind of BBQ lighting quick and easy.)

 

[AlisonF]

How do you find the heat beads on the Cobb, versus charcoal or the proprietary Cobb 'cobbles'? I find the cobbles are hard to light if stored for a while. (Although I'm thinking about packing a small gas blow torch as that makes any kind of BBQ lighting quick and easy.)

I bought some smoke free lighter thingies and use a fraction of one of them to light the Cobbstone.
I recently ran out of Cobbstones so using their coconut briquettes. Take ages to heat up and then a whole lot of ash to clean out of the Cobb.
Cobbstones are better for the way I use the Cobb.

 

[jeff]

How do you find the heat beads on the Cobb, versus charcoal or the proprietary Cobb 'cobbles'? I find the cobbles are hard to light if stored for a while. (Although I'm thinking about packing a small gas blow torch as that makes any kind of BBQ lighting quick and easy.)

I alway use the Australian heat beads they take about 30mins to get going and last ages.
never got on with the cobblers always seemed difficult to light.

 

[Elly Swanson]

How do you find the heat beads on the Cobb, versus charcoal or the proprietary Cobb 'cobbles'? I find the cobbles are hard to light if stored for a while. (Although I'm thinking about packing a small gas blow torch as that makes any kind of BBQ lighting quick and easy.)

Blow torch is a fabulous idea, not just for starting your coals, but caramelising and browning, VD. I have the Lakeland one. Someone told me once it was cheating! But there’s no such thing when cooking, just practical solutions.

As for fuel for the Cobb, this is what I think:

I hate cobblestones.In the beginning, years ago, they weren’t bad. Then year on year they’re harder to get hold of. I used to think it was due to them creating demand and then realised that it’s actually because the nasty toxic chemicals required to light them so quickly have trouble meeting health standards. Then when they do they just manage to scrape through the manufacturers continue to tweak them. They’re inconsistent, unreliable and expensive.​

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Lump wood charcoal just doesn’t work effectively, you really need compressed fuel.​

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Compressed briquettes can be charcoal or coconut. Some of the coconut ones are carbon neutral but not quite as robust as charcoal. Coconut also creates lots of ash which can affect the air flow, affecting the fuel burn which then affects the cook.The charcoal briquettes vary in quality. Some people swear by Weber and some Australian Heat Beads. Supermarket briquettes don’t usually work well on the Cobb.​

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Highly compressed restaurant grade rods, like Big K’s RCB10 create a high heat and have longevity but are expensive. They can be cut to size and the hollow centre acts like it’s own mini chimney. I was set to try them just before lockdown but got a good deal on 10 bags of heat beads. A lot of frequent Cobbers really rate them.​

 

[Elly Swanson]

I alway use the Australian heat beads they take about 30mins to get going and last ages.
never got on with the cobblers always seemed difficult to light.

My experience too, Jeff.

 

[Elly Swanson]

Blow torch is a fabulous idea, not just for starting your coals, but caramelising and browning, VD. I have the Lakeland one. Someone told me once it was cheating! But there’s no such thing when cooking, just practical solutions.

As for fuel for the Cobb, this is what I think:

I hate cobblestones.In the beginning, years ago, they weren’t bad. Then year on year they’re harder to get hold of. I used to think it was due to them creating demand and then realised that it’s actually because the nasty toxic chemicals required to light them so quickly have trouble meeting health standards. Then when they do they just manage to scrape through the manufacturers continue to tweak them. They’re inconsistent, unreliable and expensive.​

​

Lump wood charcoal just doesn’t work effectively, you really need compressed fuel.​

​

Compressed briquettes can be charcoal or coconut. Some of the coconut ones are carbon neutral but not quite as robust as charcoal. Coconut also creates lots of ash which can affect the air flow, affecting the fuel burn which then affects the cook.The charcoal briquettes vary in quality. Some people swear by Weber and some Australian Heat Beads. Supermarket briquettes don’t usually work well on the Cobb.​

​

Highly compressed restaurant grade rods, like Big K’s RCB10 create a high heat and have longevity but are expensive. They can be cut to size and the hollow centre acts like it’s own mini chimney. I was set to try them just before lockdown but got a good deal on 10 bags of heat beads. A lot of frequent Cobbers really rate them.​

Forgot to say that if you have a good compressed fuel, like heat beads, and they’re not burnt right down you can extinguish them and use again to supplement the next lot of fuel. Some people douse them in water but that makes them fizz and compromises the integrity, so it’s better to put them in an air tight tin and suffocate them.