BBQ season. Gas, electric or charcoal?

Wessexwanderer

Wessexwanderer

Joined
Nov 8, 2022
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Location
Winchester, UK
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92,347
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Bailey 540
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Our 6m moho is fairly short of storage space so I'm looking for alternatives! Can't stand the taste from disposable bbqs, can't be bothered to keep cleaning out a " proper" charcoal bbq so a small electric or gas (canister - no extl bbq point in this moho!) Seems like a good idea. Pros, cons , experiences please!
 
Unless you are always on Hook Up, or have a decent inverter with loads of battery capacity electric will be out. A gas thingy isn't really a BBQ ;) It's more of an outdoor grill.

I use a Cadac Safari Chef (there will be many detractors from Cadac, but it works for me), which can be floor standing or in my case I put on a table. It gets used most trips out. Plenty big enough cooking area for a couple. Two versions High Pressure and Low Pressure. HP the cannister screws directly into the underside valve. LP you have a hose and regulator into which the cannister can screw, but alternatively the hose could connect to the BBQ point you don't have. As standard a grill plate or flat plancha is used, and there is a lid useable as a paella pan. Also a stand so you could boil a pot or kettle. I also acquired a 50/50 grill/plancha which is ideal for the morning bacon and eggs breakfast. I find it works well, and is stored in a circular bag that will get into the under bench seat of my smaller than yours PVC. But, it is tempermental in windy weather so I often deploy a windbreak. After a couple of years it is getting more challenging to clean the grill plates, certainly not the easy wipe implied by some videos.

There are outdoor gas stoves that use cylindrical cartridges. Some have fittings for a grill, rather than as a stove. I suspect those are challenging to clean. Also limited with the size of the pot or pan so it doesn't overhang the cartridge area. But advantage is these can be very cheap and quite compact. I used a couple regularly when I had a tent, before upgrading to the Cadac.
 
Good advice.
I use a cadac safari chef and find it ok but does take some cleaning afterwards. I also use disposable bbq's too if I can't be bothered with cleaning. Never found an unpleasant taste with one.
But for true bbq flavour you really need a proper charcoal bbq of which there are many, but all will have some mess to clean up.
 
Figaro said:
Good advice.
I use a cadac safari chef and find it ok but does take some cleaning afterwards. I also use disposable bbq's too if I can't be bothered with cleaning. Never found an unpleasant taste with one.
But for true bbq flavour you really need a proper charcoal bbq of which there are many, but all will have some mess to clean up.
Click to expand...
Two votes for Cadac then!

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We recently bought one of these:

Broken Link Removed

Not used in anger yet - although that will be rectified over Easter. I was pretty impressed with it as I unboxed and it came in a bit cheaper than the Cadac.

As it is a gas grill, I am going to try liquid smoke (bought from Amazon) to try and replicate the bbq taste. I'll post again once we've cooked on it !
 
Webber go anywhere gas is a good, light, small bbq. Obviously don’t clean it too much and keep it bagged whilst in transit. The Webber Q is better but much bigger, heavier, costly, and not vet mono friendly.

I much prefer coal, but these days too many sites say no. They are not so popular on aires, and need more bits lugging about for them.

Id never touch another cadac product ever, after buying a cadac grillogas which was the biggest piece of sh..
 
Another vote for the Cadac range.
We have the Safari 2
Superb bit of kit. (But is an outdoor grill, not a true BBQ)
We never fry anything inside our van. Not even an egg. (Smell, danger of fire and sticky residue)
We always use the Cadac outside for all frying and BBQ'ing .

What you could also get is the Snow Peak fire pit
They are expensive, but well worth it, both my brother and sister have one.
(Make sure you get the large one, the small one is just for picnic use)

They can be used as a log fire pit (without burning the grass), as a charcoal or coal BBQ if you add the grill on top, and as a place to boil a kettle or even roast meat on a spit.
They fold completely flat. and take seconds to erect.
Best of all as they are an inverted pyramid the fire keeps concentrated as it burns lower, so that you have very little ash and it will keep giving out heat to the very end.
 
I've been using my Webber Baby Q for years now and its great. But I still love the charcoal flavour from a decent real BBQ. Maybe when I get my new van I'll have another go finding a chacoal BBQ that is easily portable and motorhome friendly (small, easy to clean etc)
 
Have a Weber Q1000 on board all the time, brilliant BBQ, have made up an adapter to run it off the van gas tank.
And it fits snuggly in my gas locker😁
1679502196684.jpeg

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Wessexwanderer said:
Our 6m moho is fairly short of storage space so I'm looking for alternatives! Can't stand the taste from disposable bbqs, can't be bothered to keep cleaning out a " proper" charcoal bbq so a small electric or gas (canister - no extl bbq point in this moho!) Seems like a good idea. Pros, cons , experiences please!
Click to expand...
You are not supposed to each the charcoal.

I always thought it was a myth that food tasted different from charcoal bbqs. You are not supposed to put food on them until all the smoke has burned off. A proper gas bbq is not a grill as the fat drops onto the flames, thus creating smoke which adds to the flavour. A grill is from the top down.

My vote is for the weber mini bbqs. Proper cast iron.
 
Brains said:
Another vote for the Cadac range.
We have the Safari 2
Superb bit of kit. (But is an outdoor grill, not a true BBQ)
We never fry anything inside our van. Not even an egg. (Smell, danger of fire and sticky residue)
We always use the Cadac outside for all frying and BBQ'ing .

What you could also get is the Snow Peak fire pit
They are expensive, but well worth it, both my brother and sister have one.
(Make sure you get the large one, the small one is just for picnic use)

They can be used as a log fire pit (without burning the grass), as a charcoal or coal BBQ if you add the grill on top, and as a place to boil a kettle or even roast meat on a spit.
They fold completely flat. and take seconds to erect.
Best of all as they are an inverted pyramid the fire keeps concentrated as it burns lower, so that you have very little ash and it will keep giving out heat to the very end.
Click to expand...
 
Another Cadac user of many years here. Although I agree that charcoal BBQs can produce better flavour if used properly, gas wins hands-down for convenience.

To make cleaning the Cadac grill and griddle plates easier, I use circles of the silicon sheet material widely available for ovens and grills.
 
Falcon 269 said:
Another Cadac user of many years here. Although I agree that charcoal BBQs can produce better flavour if used properly, gas wins hands-down for convenience.

To make cleaning the Cadac grill and griddle plates easier, I use circles of the silicon sheet material widely available for ovens and grills.
Click to expand...
We love the cadac too (only had it since last year)…and also use the non stick oven liner stuff…Makes cleaning a doddle!
 
The paella pan was a superb purchase too
 
Cobb here, small and compact comes in both gas and Charcoal versions with replaceable liners so very easy to keep clean. I use either re-usable 'Heat Beads' or Cobb's own no mess 'Cobble Stone'.

A very versatile piece of kit


Robert
 
Our RV had a built in gas BBQ with lava rocks , which I always thought enhanced the flavor. When I get around to having a BBQ point fitted in current van, I’m getting a small portable one from Amazon for under £40

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Reallyretired said:
If you're bothered about your weight then cast iron is not a great idea. Lenny HB has a little gas one which looks good. Expensive compared with an ordinary gas ring though £55 from Amazon
Click to expand...
I should have said it's just the griddle that is cast. The whole body is aluminium and they are very light in total.
Amazon product ASIN B00GYVM3PO
 
We bought a safari chef and got rid pretty quick it was a pain to clean. We now used a £10 cooker that takes a gas cylinder and a square ilea non stick pan . Light easy to set up easy to clean. We also have a charcoal BBQ with a fan built in quick and easy to light reasonably easy to clean. Be aware that in France there are a lot of restrictions on charcoal BBQ for safety reasons.
 
No, all to much hassle. The people at the back of us on the other hand love a smoky BBQ as I can attest to frequently having to run out and grab the washing in before we have, oaky smoky sheets all Fiddlesticksing week on the bed. :rolleyes:
Mike.
 
Small van small solution. Get a small table top gas ring with disposable cartridges and a griddle pan. Our pan is an oversized oblong shape so one end is for cooking(frying) and the other end to keep cooked warm.
Never going to match charcoal for taste or smell but u can cook outside if that's your thing.
 
We use Cadac and also Weber Smoky Joe for a charcoal option. More importantly buy good Lumpwood charcoal (restaurant grade) and natural firelighters. I also have a Kamado Joe Junior, but don’t always take that as it’s 40kg! I like my bbq’s.…..have Kamado Joe’s bigger brother and a Weber 6 burner gas bbq at home 🤪
 
www.wowcamping.co.uk

Cadac Trio Power Pak (Bayonet Cartridge) with 1M Hose - Wow Camping

Cadac Trio Power Pak (Bayonet Cartridge) with 1M Hose Price: £44.95 SKU: 320003
www.wowcamping.co.uk www.wowcamping.co.uk


We have several cadacs and this option really is a game changer. Used with LP cadac, it gives the freedom of a HP cadac.

We love pizzas on the cadac (using a pizza stone in top of the griddle plate)
 
berni109 said:
Small van small solution. Get a small table top gas ring with disposable cartridges and a griddle pan. Our pan is an oversized oblong shape so one end is for cooking(frying) and the other end to keep cooked warm.
Never going to match charcoal for taste or smell but u can cook outside if that's your thing.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what we use. We tried a small cadac but it was a nightmare to clean

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