Lightweight grill

[andrewa]

I thought that this may be of interest to some of you.

I fly-fish each year in NZ in a wilderness area, walking in, and, at the end, packrafting out of the river valley, and we normally eat a 4-5lb fish for dinner each night (statistically we have had a 97% chance of this over the last 8yrs), the most enjoyable way of cooking it being to grill it. Previously we have taken a "cut down" wire BBQ grill approx 40x30cm, which weighed about 500g, but in the effort to save weight next trip, I made this grill. The design is stolen from one I found on the net - made of stainless steel, and I think about 600g. Mine is made from an old adjustable aluminium ski stock, and coat hanger wire, and weighs 230g. It is 400mm long, and 350mm wide, which is the smallest useful size for cooking the fish we catch, but you could obviously make it smaller dependent on your needs.

The 2 sections of aluminium ski stock, and 10 wire cross pieces all fit together very nicely. I did make one using 10mm alloy tube from Bunnings, and each tube fitted 5 wire sections, but it wasn't any lighter.

The prefectionists amongst you might want to make every hole in the side tubes exactly perpendicular to the next one, but this is one time when I think a bit of an angle actually improves the item, as the torsion from one cross wire to the next holds it all together beautifully. If it was all perfct, it would slip apart.

I've used wire for the legs on this one, though I think we'll eventually use our alloy tent pegs, as, although they are 100% heavier, this only amounts to 56g for 4, between 2 people, and we need 4 tent pegs for our hammocks anyway.

BTW, I also looked at titanium bike spokes, rather than coat hanger wire, and decided that at the end the day, the weight saving vs cost just wasn't worth it.

Andrew A

[corvus]

Andrew,
Nice looking grill how well does the cheap "coat hanger" wire stand up to repeated heat
corvus
P.S. nice to see you still use the fisherman's weights 4-5lb for the fish and grams for all other weights

[gayet]

I must admit, I think the coathanger wire will be unable to handle the heat. I seem to recall getting some serious bending in some coathangers when being used over a fire, possible as shishkebab skewers, but they didn't handle the heat at all well.

Test it first huh?

Surely there is someting far more heat tolerant but just as light out there at a not too prohibitive cost?

[Major Icehole]

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... grill.html

I was just reading on the backpacking light forums about a guy selling titanium grills.

I love the idea you came up with and would like to see how it holds up to use.

[andrewa]

Corvus, Of course we weigh our fish in lbs - they sound bigger!

The coat hanger wire I'm using is about 2mm - there's some lighter stuff around, but it bends v easily. I haven't used it "out there" yet, but will give it a burl before we go. I'm not concerned about it bending. Normally we cook over coals, and slowly, so the wire never gets red. I suppose that we could always temper the wire by heating it up to red hot, and then chucking it in the river!

Titanium bike spokes are one alterntive. Backpackinglight also had some titanium wire, but, given how cheap coat hangers are, I'd be tempted to push on with them, and try to temper the metal first, if there is a problem.

A

[corvus]

Over the coals slow cooked fresh caught Trout sounds good to me
corvus

[redrock]

The coat hanger wire I'm using is about 2mm - there's some lighter stuff around, but it bends v easily. I haven't used it "out there" yet, but will give it a burl before we go. I'm not concerned about it bending. Normally we cook over coals, and slowly, so the wire never gets red. I suppose that we could always temper the wire by heating it up to red hot, and then chucking it in the river!

Hi Andrew,

Could you please give us an update on how it turned out?

I'm thinking of constructing something similar, also for fish over the coals.

Cheers,
redrock

[Moondog55]

careful, don't use zinc coated wire, it may be toxic , certainly the fumes give a bad headache

THIS???

http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/40176455/

[redrock]

Thanks for the tip Moondog, and the link.

It's definitely heavier than what i'm after at 600g (for a 13 day hike) and the size may be a bit ambitious for the fish we'll catch. That said, i have seen a nice pic of a dinner size (60-80cm) barra pulled out of the river we'll be on.... needless to say it's high on the wishlist, as is avoiding the crocs!

I'll definitely be trying a few cooking methods anyway, should provide some entertainment to while away the time.

[Moondog55]

I don't know why the website says 600g we have several and I would have said less than120g with the plastic feet and all the packaging removed.
I really should buy another set of postal scales

[sailfish]

I smoke trout on a cake cooler. I reckon that would make a fine grill too. Don't know what they weigh, not much though.

Edit:
One of my cake coolers weighs about 130g, another with fold out legs is over 200g which exceeds my pocket scale. Both are much smaller than the one you made so I think you did very well considering the size.

Regards,
Ken

[kymboy]

I just weighed moondog's Ikea "grill" and it was about 570gm. Nice idea but a bit too heavy

[andrewa]

Grill was perfect during our trip. A bit of fluffing around setting it up each night, as expected, pbut no issues with any metal poisoning from the coat hanger wire. At the end of the trip, I turfed the wires, which had a liberal amount of BBQ trout on them, and consequently had no quarantine issues.

With the benefit of 10 day's use, it needs do redesigning, and is miles lighter that what you can buy commercially. You just need a broken stock to start......,

Andrew A

[redrock]

Thankyou all!

This project is on the backburner for me... it's a small 'luxury' so way down on the trip list.

Sounds like a great success Andrew, well done!! I hope I can say the same in 2 months time!

[andrewa]

Redrock, I didn't use the "legs" - we just rested it on rocks. Also, we skewered the fillets with 4 of the wires so that we could turn the fish, and flame grill the flesh side.

It was a good design, and a small version is great for sausages.

A

[redrock]

Thanks for that additional info Andrew. I wasn't planning on having "legs" for it either. Fish-kebab sounds good too, I just haven't thought that far ahead yet!

Do you have any suggestions on recipes and seasoning that worked well on your trip? I'm taking quite a bit of lemon zest for one thing.

Ken, your suggestion of a cake cooler was gold. I had a look while in the supermarket the other day and they had a non-stick cake cooler. At approx 30x40cm and ~260g it's a winner!

All i need now is the fish!

[andrewa]

The issue with the cake rack is size, and inconvenience packing it - albeit manageable, this one is miles easier.

Yep, we've got some simple favorite recipes.

Moroccan spice mix
Kaffir lime leaves, ginger root, wasabi and soy

Additionally you can convert to a simple hot smoker with 2 foil baking pans and 4 bulldog clips to hold it together, and some sawdust.

A

[Bluegum Mic]

You just need a broken stock to start......,

Andrew A

Andrew my husband is EXCEPTIONALLY good at this. We seem to acquire many broken stocks...from stupendous stacks to leaving his stocks down at mid stations...he's a pro

[JOCKs]

If your returning to the same camping site each year, you could pack in a heavier grill and stash it away in heavy duty plastic bag.

[redrock]

@Andrew
Thanks for the recipe ideas Andrew; I will bring a small assortment of spices methinks!
And you are right about the packing challenges with a cake cooler... i may cut it in 2 or more bits. Plus some of the inside bits to reduce weight.

@JOCKs
No such luck JOCKs, this will be our maiden voyage to this area, though there's a good chance we'll be in nearby areas in 1/2 years.

[andrewa]

Redrock,
Where are you off to?
A

[redrock]

Hi Andrew,

We're float-planing into and out of the Drysdale River in the Kimberley's. Should be an amazing trip!

I don't think i'll be bringing a grill now - too 'luxurious', as pack space/weight is posing a challenge.

RR