Outdoor Cooking

Just because you live in a tiny home doesn’t mean you can’t eat well. Cooking outside can expand your culinary envelope as well as your counter space.

Outside cooking on deck or patio goes well beyond grilling the occasional steak on your shiny six-burner propane BBQ grill. With the right tools and a little practice, you can produce some mouthwatering meals.

 

Propane BBQ Grill

Some purists scoff at using a propane grill. It just doesn’t have the flavor of charcoal. This is true, but a propane grill is easier to light and safer. I’ve read stories of several homes burned down because a coal or ash fell onto the porch unobserved. So if you insist on charcoal, move it off the porch into the yard.

See a rustic outdoor kitchen complete with hot-tub on this page.

 

The difference between BBQ and grilling

Barbecue is low heat, slow cooking with the lid closed and the heat all around. Grilling is high heat underneath, searing in the juices and flavor. That being said, I grill all year long and close the lid all of the time.

We live on a budget, but we like to eat well. When we buy spices, we buy unique flavors that make every meal a treat. Here are some great recipes and sauces from Grill Masters Club.  Grill Master Club is a BBQ subscription box that sends the best BBQ products to your door monthly.

 

Smoking Meat Outdoor Cooking

Smoked meat is absolutely delicious. What began as a way of preserving meat before refrigeration has evolved into a passion for many. Here are a bunch of great recipes. Every serious smoker has their favorite rubs and sauces.

When it comes to learning how to smoke meat, many people often assume that it is a complicated process. This is simply not the case. In this book, How To Smoke Like a Rock Star, you will discover for yourself how easy it is to smoke all sorts of meat. The author reveals the advantages and disadvantages of smoking meat, the step-by-step process, and over 25 different delicious smoked meat recipes that will help you accomplish just that.

Rotisserie Outdoor Cooking

I have many good childhood memories of sitting on the deck, listening to the sound of the rotisserie motor slowly turning the roast over the coals. The hiss of the juice dropping onto a pan of onions below sent a marvelous aroma around the yard.

The Rotisserie Grilling Cookbook “shows how to set up, maintain, use, and troubleshoot a rotisserie spit. It includes 105 recipes to expand your outdoor cooking repertoire, including a dry-brined Thanksgiving turkey, a whole county ham for the holidays, a whole chicken, duck, games hens, and big cuts like beef ribeye roast or leg of lamb. Beyond the meat recipes that are the core of the book, it includes rubs, glazes, and flavor-application mops that are specifically crafted for long slow cooking over a rotisserie, and even some ideas like a spit-roasted whole pineapple, from beyond the world of poultry and meats.”

Buying a BBQ Grill

You can shell out some serious money for a grill if you’re not careful. Think about what you really need before you buy. Even the most expensive grill comes with the same cheap propane regulators as the least expensive grill. Often, the burners are also the same as the less expensive grill. You really need to get into the upper price ranges before getting more heavy duty burners.

The number one feature you want in your grill is porcelain-coated, cast-iron cooking grates. These will last the longest and give your more even heat. You will have to spray them with cooking oil before lighting the grill so the meat doesn’t stick.

I can get by with three or four burners since I’m usually only cooking for two of us. I do like electric ignition and a thermometer. There has been no need for the side burners or the fancy enamel finish.

Keep your eye on sales in the spring. I got a good buy from Home Depot. It was actually the least expensive one they had.

A propane grill can last for years. They are easily fixed by replacing the worn out parts. Before you replace your grill, see about getting new burner parts, grates, and heat diffusers. Keep an eye on the rubber gas hoses. These can crack with age. I found a local store that made replacements very inexpensively.

Beyond the BBQ Grill: Cast Iron Cooking

Cast iron cookware has existed since cast iron was invented in the fifth century and is still in use today. Cast iron distributes heat evenly. The Cast Iron Deep Dutch Oven serves, as it’s name suggests, as an oven when an oven isn’t available. It does take some practice, but there are some tasty rewards. Cast iron cooking requires the correct tools as well.

See our page devoted to Dutch oven baking.

Easy Cleanup

One morning I heated a quart of oil in my Dutch Oven over the fire.

First I fried donuts, then made a heap of flat bread, and finally a pile of fried chicken for dinner.

To clean up, I poured the used oil into the fire, filled the Dutch oven with soapy water, brought it to a boil, scrubbed lightly, then rinsed. Some people say no to the soap because they say it leaves a residual flavor in the next meal. Can you imagine the disaster this would have made of an indoor kitchen?

Keeping the heat steady over an wood fire is very tricky and time-consuming. Charcoal provides a much steadier heat, and the coals can be arranged on the lid as well as underneath for baking.

 

Digital Thermometer

A digital thermometer is a critical tool in making sure things are cooking properly and if the oil temperature is right. My wife remarks on how wonderful this digital thermometer is every time she uses it.

It reads the temperature instantly. I like the wired probe that can stay in the meat while it’s in the oven. The probe also fits into my Dutch oven -even with the lid on. There’s a little notch in Dutch ovens to allow for this.

 

Accessories to Make Outdoor Cooking Easier

The basic cast iron Dutch oven hasn’t changed since its invention, but the tools of the trade have made outdoor cooking much easier, less time-consuming, with better results.

A metal cook table  (see photo at top of page) with wind guard brings your project up to standing height, saving your back. It also gives you a safe surface to work on. Mine collapses and fits into a nice carry bag that keep the ashes from going everywhere.

Charcoal briquets negate the need for a large fire pit. Using a charcoal chimney heats the coals in just a few minutes, using old newspaper instead of lighter fluid.

A pair of fire mitts will keep your hands cool while pouring the coals atop the Dutch oven. I also use long tongs to arrange the coals on the top and bottom of the Dutch oven.

Here’s my Favorite Dutch Oven Cookbook

 

Dutch Oven Baking by Bruce Tracy is my favorite cookbook. The recipe for the Orange Caramel Cake shown above is on page 122. There is a recipe for mouthwatering cinnamon rolls on page 114.

I have also learned to bake his Bacon Cheese Drop Biscuits and Apple Crisp.

There’s a section on “Basic Equipment Tips,” including the best temperature chart telling me how many charcoals to put both on both sides of the Dutch oven, underneath, as well as on the lid, to create the baking temperature I need.

See our page and temp chart for Dutch Oven Baking.

 

 

Basic Outdoor Kitchen Plumbing

It’s really nice to have a sink nearby when cooking. Pictured here is a basic outdoor kitchen plumbing setup. A large water cooler, mounted on a shelf above a basin, can suffice for a water source, and a hose can run the grey water straight to the garden. This setup will allow for hand washing, vegetable rinsing, and drinking water (if you’re careful to keep it clean). Here is a link to more photos of this clever outdoor kitchen in my blog.

In comments below, tell us about your outdoor kitchen or favorite outdoor cooking style. Show a picture if you have one.

 

JetBoil Genesis Basecamp Cooking Stove

Here’s a great tool for outdoor cooking. This two burner stove runs on the small canisters of propane but can bring water to a boil in under three minutes.

This powerful 2 burner stove can cook your whole meal fast then pack into the carry case and stow neatly away. No more carrying a bulky Coleman stove.

Let your inner gourmet go wild with the Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Stove. This compact, folding two-burner camping stove delivers 10,000 British Thermal Units (BTU) of cooking power and an incremental heat output that can go from a simmer to a rolling boil.

An included windscreen protects the flame and improves performance in any weather.

It all packs down into a small carry case.

Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Backpacking and Camping Stove Cooking System with Camping Cookware

The system’s 5-liter Jetboil FluxRing camping pot with strainer lid, and 10-inch ceramic-coated nonstick fry pan give you everything you need to set a new benchmark for basecamp cooking and it still all stows neatly in the included travel bag.

JetBoil is a great cooking system to have for outdoor cooking. It’s even light enough to take backpacking.

 

More pages of Tiny Life Consulting you’ll be interested:

Outdoor Cooking Books

Dutch Oven Baking

Tiny House Patios and Decks

DIY Wood Fired Hot Tub

 

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Patio Furniture from The Home Depot