Cooking & Food

[SimonB]

Can you find the Martin Dorey thread and post a link please? It sounds intersting.

http://www.martindorey.com/ He has also made a TV series going up the East coast to Scotland, down the West Coast and ending up in Wales. A series of short episodes in a bay VW available on DVD. Visits some superb locations and makes some quite ambitious meals.
A great present for a campervan fan.

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

I have often seen these tripods usually on sale at country fayres etc and normally made by a local blacksmith. I am attracted to this kind of cooking as it seems to take us back to our roots. Is a dutch oven a covered cast iron pot?

Yep. We use a small one, 3.5L I think? Here is our setup in action, with charcoal (think I was cooking sticky ribs?)

Only issue I have with the tripod is storage in the van. It's a bit long. Thinking about changing to a telescopic tripod such as the Petromax. Or I could go all Ray Mears and use some sticks

 

[AlisonF]

Thanks Snowy and Surfer-Rich
When smoking with the Cobb are you using the smoking box? Is it possible to put wood chips (soaked in appropriate fluid) in the moat?
The only smoking I have done on a BBQ is with planks (soaked in wine and then the food put directly on the plank) in the Canadian way. So, have not used wood chips nor a Cobb...
Thanks again

 

[2into1]

Many (all?) of the One man in a campervan videos are on YouTube Campervan Cooking by M. Dorey "One Man and his Campervan": http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD0DF67E121D0EAA3

 

[Tommy Gun]

I may be a bit late to this thread but I'm wondering if anyone has used a cadac or Cobb (or other) for wood chip smoking? A dutch friend would regularly smoke fish, meat and veg on his BBQ in the garden and since he was repatriated I've been missing the delicious dinner we shared (I've tried smoking bags in the oven but it stinks the house out for days afterwards and isn't quite the same effect for the food...). I was contemplating getting a BBQ for the garden - but now I've ordered the Cali it makes so much sense to get something I can use home and away. Any one able to advise? Thanks in advance.

Hi Alison,

I have no experience of the Cobb or Cadac, so can't comment there - but I'm no stranger to BBQ, Grilling, Smoking & cooking Low & Slow etc. 4 to 5 nights a week to be honest.

Before you buy your BBQ, I would suggest some research on the following topics, as it can ultimately steer you towards which BBQ you will end up with.

www.amazingribs.com
Here you will be able to get advice on the following:

• Which type of wood goes with what
• Instant Read Thermometers
• Food Temperature guides - Doneness (rare/medium etc & at which temp is your beef, chicken, fish etc safe to eat.
• Types of portable grills available inc Charcoal v's Gas
• 2 zone cooking / off-setting your charcoal / Water Pans etc

If anyone wants to see what really can be done on a BBQ then here are a few of my heroes:
Pitmaster X www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pitmaster+x
Ballistic BBQ www.youtube.com/results?search_query=balistic+BBQ
Aussie Griller www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aussie+griller

Good luck in your choice.
Have fun & enjoy

 

[LindaF]

Hi Linda, just wondering if you knew the name of this type of toaster. I'd love to get one!! Where did you get it?.

Hi Joan, I think we bought it in Go Outdoors or you can find it on Amazon. Handy bit of kit but only does 1 slice at a time (very quickly though).

 

[snowy55]

If you use the fancy cobblestones that light really easily they get hot within 10 mins.

Cobblestones 10 mins to warm up and 2-3 hours to cool down.
Cadac 10 mins to warm up 20mins to cool down.

 

[AlisonF]

Thanks Tommy Gun
As we're both awaiting our new Cali's in Aberdeen, and whilst there's no work for us engineers in oil & gas at the moment, I might just park up next to your van and wait for any left overs from your BBQ !

 

[Tommy Gun]

Thanks Tommy Gun
As we're both awaiting our new Cali's in Aberdeen, and whilst there's no work for us engineers in oil & gas at the moment, I might just park up next to your van and wait for any left overs from your BBQ !

Hah! I'm sure we could squeeze an extra person at the table !! - but I'm now delayed to June (because of my vehicle rejection due to non-swivelling 'silly' seats (comfort seat option.)

If you would like any help / advice / reccomendations with BBQ's, accessories etc for home or in the van, then I'd be very happy to help, just PM me.

Something you mentioned in your post - Typically wood chips are soaked in water for about an hour prior to use - it allows a slower release of smoke over the food. To speed up, I use boiling water. You could use wine instead if you're cooking something really special - sadly though, the alcohol is lost during the process
You can put pre-soaked & drained chips straight on to lit charcoal. Gas BBQ's require a smoker box or you can improvise by placing the soaked wood chips in an indian/chinese style foil take-away tub, with a kitchen foil-fashioned lid, pierced several times. When smoking, food should be raw when it meets the smoke - that's when it best absorbs it. Half-cooked food introduced to smoke can be quite bitter when finished!
The above is said outwith Cobb & Cadac - I've never seen / used one, so some advice may not apply.

All the best!
Tom

 

[surfer-rich]

Thanks Snowy and Surfer-Rich
When smoking with the Cobb are you using the smoking box? Is it possible to put wood chips (soaked in appropriate fluid) in the moat?
The only smoking I have done on a BBQ is with planks (soaked in wine and then the food put directly on the plank) in the Canadian way. So, have not used wood chips nor a Cobb...
Thanks again

Hi Alison
No, I don't use a smoking box. What I do is probably not smoking in the true sense of it as there is plenty of heat from the cobblestone that cooks the fish but the flavour & texture of the salmon is sublime. And, yes, I do use the moat for the wood chips

 

[Borris]

Yep. We use a small one, 3.5L I think? Here is our setup in action, with charcoal (think I was cooking sticky ribs?)

Only issue I have with the tripod is storage in the van. It's a bit long. Thinking about changing to a telescopic tripod such as the Petromax. Or I could go all Ray Mears and use some sticks

Being an ignoramus and never having cooked like this before I assumed that all you usually need to have is a fire below and cook pot above but I see that you have some form of grate underneath with brickettes and you appear to be also using brickettes in the unturned lid, thus heat from below and above. Engenius. I can see that I have much to learn.
What is the grate/fire thingy you use?
Sorry if I am asking too many questions.
Best wishes
Paul

 

[Paul Onions]

If you search for "one man and his camper van" on you tube there are loads of Martin Dorey videos. He had a Twitter feed too. @campervanliving

 

[Martin]

Rumour has it Martin Dorey is hopefully buying a Cali !

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[larrylamb]

Rumour has it Martin Dorey is hopefully buying a Cali !

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Toffee Brown?

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

Being an ignoramus and never having cooked like this before I assumed that all you usually need to have is a fire below and cook pot above but I see that you have some form of grate underneath with brickettes and you appear to be also using brickettes in the unturned lid, thus heat from below and above. Engenius. I can see that I have much to learn.
What is the grate/fire thingy you use?
Sorry if I am asking too many questions.
Best wishes
Paul

the lid is designed to have hot coals on it, has a lip to stop them falling off (not all have this feature, but I think it's useful). Sometimes I cook with heat only below, sometimes a mix of under and on the lid. I sometimes use the upturned lid directly on the coals to use a griddle. Great for flatbreads.

The bit below is just a BBQ. Nothing special, but even for sites that allow wood fires, they often need to be off the ground. That one is useful as it has two sides. When burning wood, one side can be used for fire, then the hot embers can be transferred to the other side for grilling.

Also, when it is windy, one side can be used as a wind brake, I think that is what I was doing in that photo, think it was raining too as I don't often use the awning!

That BBQ can then be folded up and used a chimera as the evening chill sets in

It's a bit small though, trying to balance a decent sized bbq against storage space in the van is always going to be a bit of a compromise.

dan

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

Rumour has it Martin Dorey is hopefully buying a Cali !

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Think he's bought a Beach?

 

[Martin]

Think he's bought a Beach?

Yes, that is what he was looking at, I am not sure if he has purchased one yet.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

Here we go:

http://campervanliving.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/the-new-ride-transit-in-posh-frock.html

 

[AlisonF]

Big thanks to Tommy Gun for his help on my earlier query.
I went for a Cobb Kitchen - it arrived y'day and cooking on it tonight (in the dark in Aberdeen). I followed one of the recipes from the smoking book and (using Tom's advice) checking the temperature. A little surprise to find that using a Cobblestone it's taking a LOT longer than I expected. Perhaps I had too many pieces of chicken on at once. But am so grateful for Toms advice not to cook without the thermometer. Still awaiting the chicken to be done (dogs have never been so attentive...)

 

[Tommy Gun]

Big thanks to Tommy Gun for his help on my earlier query.
I went for a Cobb Kitchen - it arrived y'day and cooking on it tonight (in the dark in Aberdeen). I followed one of the recipes from the smoking book and (using Tom's advice) checking the temperature. A little surprise to find that using a Cobblestone it's taking a LOT longer than I expected. Perhaps I had too many pieces of chicken on at once. But am so grateful for Toms advice not to cook without the thermometer. Still awaiting the chicken to be done (dogs have never been so attentive...)

Thanks Alison. Hope it worked out.
It cracks me up when you see 'professional' chefs on the telly prodding steaks etc with their finger saying...that's about a medium . A food thermometer saves people from the dangers of under-cooked food & a small fortune (in wastage) from over-cooked food, both at home & in the Cali.

Food Temperature Guide attached for anyone who is interested.
Cheers

 

[AlisonF]

Thanks Tom
The chicken was delicious - very tasty and moist, falling off the bone. I followed the Cobb's instructions and soaked the soaking pellets and put them directly onto the Cobblestone.
The smoking book I got the recipe from said 6 minutes per side and 10 mins per side of larger pieces of chicken. However, the Cobb recipe book for a similar recipe said 30 mins in total. Mine took an hour for the meat to reach temperature. I tried one of the smaller drumsticks after 40 mins and it was still a bit pink inside...
I didn't put any liquid in the moat - but basted with the marinade every 10 mins when I turned the meat.
No nasty smoking smells indoors from using a smoking bag in the oven.
The two downsides I noted - the moat is now black and will need a good scrub to remove the residue and the cobblestone was a bit of a buga (!) to light but once it did it was up to temperature very quickly.
Overall one happy Cobb customer (and two very attentive dogs...)

 

[WooburnCalifornia]

Like many others we sold our Cobb for three reasons.

1. inconsistent quality of the cobble stones, if they have been on the shelf for more that two years or have got damp in any way it is very difficult to get them to light

2. Cleaning it is horrendous, not too bad if you are at home but if you are on a camp site it is a real PIA

3. They wont allow you to use them in France as they class them as a BBQ, we tried using on two camp sites and both sites asked us to extinguish it even though it was on the table !!!

 

[AlisonF]

WooburnCalifornia
1 - I will use firelighters to be sure
2 & 3 - is the same with any portable BBQ I expect?
I don't think I'll be selling mine. Even if I find it too much hassle for camping, I like the compact size and wanted one for smoking in the garden at home anyway.

 

[surfer-rich]

Thanks Tom
The chicken was delicious - very tasty and moist, falling off the bone. I followed the Cobb's instructions and soaked the soaking pellets and put them directly onto the Cobblestone.
The smoking book I got the recipe from said 6 minutes per side and 10 mins per side of larger pieces of chicken. However, the Cobb recipe book for a similar recipe said 30 mins in total. Mine took an hour for the meat to reach temperature. I tried one of the smaller drumsticks after 40 mins and it was still a bit pink inside...
I didn't put any liquid in the moat - but basted with the marinade every 10 mins when I turned the meat.
No nasty smoking smells indoors from using a smoking bag in the oven.
The two downsides I noted - the moat is now black and will need a good scrub to remove the residue and the cobblestone was a bit of a buga (!) to light but once it did it was up to temperature very quickly.
Overall one happy Cobb customer (and two very attentive dogs...)

From my experience with the cobb the ambient temperature makes a big difference, cooking on a hot summers day is brilliant, a cool autumn evening (for example) requires a bit more more patience! Also, the initial lighting of the cobblestone can be frustrating (again, seems easier when warm) I have resorted to putting it on the cali's gas hob for a few seconds to get it to catch! That is not necessarily a recommendation ...that said I am overall happy with it

 

[benArrayx]

Also important to do as little removing of the lid as possible with the cobb, every time you take it off it has to get back to temperature after and you extend the cooking time...

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk