Portable SHTF cooking/smoking solutions?

[The Heretic]

I have a woodstove for heating, it can be used for some limited cooking.

When I retire I intend to have a different woodstove - one with soapstone or something similar - in a design that has a small bake oven.

I don't cook much - mostly limited to occasional uses of a small slow cooker, a rice cooker, a deep fryer, a wok, and the occasional use of my oven to broil salmon fillets. All of them electric.

Mostly I nuke stuff.

I do have a propane stove, a multi-fuel backpacking stove, a cooking attachment to go on top of my multi-fuel lantern and a heavy cast iron dutch oven I recently bought but haven't used yet. The latter would usually require cooking over an open fire or with charcoal on the ground in a SHTF situation.

I am looking for something a little different - something I can grill on without consuming liquid fuel, and do that under cover when it is raining or snowing here. I was in Costco a couple of weeks ago and there was a guy in there trying to sell a pellet BBQ grill, but I didn't care for it, and it requires electricity.

I would like something I could smoke with too.

I was thinking of something like the Lodge Sportsman's Grill. I could cook with that on my porch (covered) or if I get a roof for part of my deck, on my deck, when it is raining or snowing. Worst case, cooking inside the shop with a door open.

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[The Heretic]

I already looked at the porcelain "eggs" and I don't think I want one of those for a couple of reasons; possibly fragile, and I would want one that wasn't round - I would want one that was oval so I could have a hot and warm side.

I am also thinking I would prefer something cast iron, but also considering a "barrel" smoker/grill made from stainless steel.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I was going to start a thread on mess kits/hiking cook sets. May well still.
Make sure you have a good camp cooker. I've got a few.. stainless high-end to cheap aluminum.
I use some cheap aluminum stuff every day for almost everything (I'm single, lol.. in the pic, just the pan with handle and its dome lid.. lost the rest I think).. oatmeal, rice, fish, eggs, popcorn etc. and to reheat stuff.. add a tsp of water, top with lid and it'll steam anything hot in a couple minutes without sticking. I love it. Of course I also use it for camping and hiking with a fuel stove or build a fire.
I guess if I had to smoke anything, I'd make a little structure and a fire and smoke stuff hanging.

 

[The Heretic]

I have pots and pans.

When I retire and build a new place, I will probably get some more cast iron.

But what I need is something to cook on top of - a grill or grill/smoker or something like that. Something that could be moved around, but not too light. Something that will hold heat for smoking and long slow cooking.

Something that I could cook over charcoal and preferably over wood chips.

 

[Member 34319]

I think you just described the classic Weber BBQ grill or their classic smoker, minus the holding of heat part. Basically something like that but thicker so as to hold heat.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Sounds like an old Weber type.. there are some good old charcoal grill/smokers in some resale stores but my main concern would be a chimney if ya need cook inside... a simple fireplace/hearth could do for a great many things if ya get cast iron stuff (dutch oven pan, frying pan, etc).. you would want to have a cast iron grill grate in the wood fireplace/hearth. This also would be a good time to have an oven underneath the open hearth for baking stuff. Of course this all requires a specific construction and isnt just add to ordinary fireplaces . An outdoor version would be awesome in your new home... plus ya can cook PIZZA w the wood fired flavor...

Ya may want to look into something called rocket stoves... they use biomass fuel, has sand insulation between the two walls and are often portable.

 

[albin25]

My wife and I have it covered....
....We plan on using some tactial rocks arrainged into a tactical ring around a tactical fire made of tactical wood under our tactical grate. We'll use our tactial pots and pans to cook food and eat it out of those same tactical pots with our tactical knives and tactical sporks. Of course, If we invite friends over for dinner, we'll set out our tactical china and stemware.

 

[The Heretic]

My wife and I have it covered....
....We plan on using some tactial rocks arrainged into a tactical ring around a tactical fire made of tactical wood under our tactical grate. We'll use our tactial pots and pans to cook food and eat it out of those same tactical pots with our tactical knives and tactical sporks. Of course, If we invite friends over for dinner, we'll set out our tactical china and stemware.

And when it rains?

 

[Foreverlost]

Portable..........&..........SHTF is a tall order. First thoughts are fuels which will be plentiful. Rule out bottled gas and liquid fuel for the longer term. They would be ok until exhausted, getting more could prove interesting.

Having giving the fact, I'm not going anywhere until forced by marshal law to a FEMA camp. One: I don't want to attract attention to my supplies, food & water.
Two: Rather not expose myself to others in an attempt to find food, gas or liquid fuels.

My biggest threat is the CSZ, "The Big One". There will be a large nearby supply of collapsed wooden buildings, maybe my own. Wood equals fuel.

Keep a reasonable quantity of water & purification equipment real close. After using perishable foods, time to hit the freeze dried stuff. Look up "Hobo Stoves". Just an old large metal coffee can with a couple holes around the bottom edge. Couple old coat hangers across the top to support cookware. Clean, new empty metal one gallon paint cans are just the ticket. They don't use much fuel (collapsed wood homes)............add water to the freeze dried stuff, cook time is short. Don't attract attention.......empty stomachs have good noses.

What I haven't figured out; no disaster is complete with a tall cold frosty beer. Any suggestions for a freeze dried tall frosty beer?

Foreverlost,

 

[Stomper]

And when it rains?

Tactical raincoats to keep your tactical tesicles dry....

 

[The Heretic]

Tactical raincoats to keep your tactical tesicles dry....

But the rain will drown the tactical fire.

 

[The Heretic]

By "portable" I mean something that one person could pickup and move - not a 300 pound 6 foot long BBQ grill.

I already live at my BOL - so I am unlikely to move, but I don't want to leave the grill outside during the six months of rain we get here on the mountain. I want to be able to move it inside the shop.

 

[Joe13]

This is what I have, it's a brinkmans so not the best quality but it's held up covered for 5 years and running.




I saw one that was custom built and 500lbs and the guy only wanted $500 for it but it was also across the state and I didn't want to deal with going to get it and regret it a bit still.

You can grill small meals on the left or use it as a fuel box to smoke thinks in the larger side. Or you can grill a ton of burgers on the big side.


Not sure if this was what you were asking about but kinda sounded like it to me.


Rocket stoves are kinda cool, I'd like to build a simple one.

 

[Certaindeaf]

A Firebox folding stove is pretty neat (I don't have one though). I gather that it'll literally support a ton when it's deployed so no worries about that dutch oven.
For smoking I'd guess you could slap a garbage can down over it and stab it with a knife a few times.

 

[The Heretic]

Make a lean-to using our tactical tarps and tactical rope and collect drinking water in some tactical containers? The fire won't flood if it's on ground that's tactically high enough.

I live on a mountain. No flooding here.

What I do have is 50% more rainfall than in the valleys.

Fires don't go out here because they are in a flooded plain. Fires go out because the rain comes down so fast that it puts the fire out as if you are spraying it with a hose.

The cooking fire needs to be mobile enough that I can move it under cover.

 

[CamoDeafie]

More on the hobo stoves.. I've seen and made one out of those Ikea stainless steel itensil caddies w the holes already in them... they work decently. What about the Yukon M1951 multifuel stoves? These are portable in a fashion and can be fired by wood or fuel or charcoals.

 

[AMProducts]

So I'm a little confused by the nebulous nature of your requirements, but I'll throw in my .02 and see if it helps.

If you have a dutch oven, these are pretty much the gold standard for any kind of baking you find yourself wanting to do outdoors, don't let inconsiderate jerks cook chili in your ovens unless they cook chili in their ovens at home. It's not a pot, it's an oven!

The number 1 thing with using a dutch oven, is controlling the heat, I usually only put charcoal on the sides and top, not underneath as this tends to just burn whatever it is you're cooking. One of those charcoal starters (the thing that looks like a coffee can with a handle on it) are a great way to get yourself some coals to cook with, all you need is a long handled pair of tongs for moving coals onto the oven. This is the best way to cook things like biscuits, cornbread and the like. I usually put a small ring of coals around the out-side of the oven, and then push dirt up next to it, then place enough coals on top to completely cover the lid. Occasionally I'll stoke them back up to keep the heat going, maybe putting on more coals.

If you are lazy, and don't mind scrubbing out and re-seasoning your oven, you can make stew, soup and chilli. However you can also cook chicken, game hens, hams and turkeys in the oven. In an austere environment, the easiest thing to do is to start a fire in your pit, doesn't have to be particularly big or hot, but after about 20-30 mins when you start to get good coals going, set the oven in, and then bury the whole thing in dirt, come back in about 4-5 hours. This really requires good judgement of the amount of heat, and how big your critter is, and how much cooking is going to be required. If you're a novice, I will absolutely accept using a radio thermometer to monitor the oven and make sure it's hot enough, usually 250F is plenty hot for the long cook time, and usually it will be more like 450 for the first hour or two. Putting your critter on a bed of hard to cook vegetables (potatos, carrots, etc) is a great way to make the best use of the heat as holding the meat out of the drippings helps it cook without getting tough, and the vegetables soak up all the juices.

As for seasoning a dutch oven. I usually clean it out really good with a wire brush, then I'll add half a cup of oil, and then throw it on the turkey fryer. When it's hot enough for the oil to catch fire, turn off the heat, and put the lid on, it will perfectly coat the inside with a layer of carbon that keeps things from sticking.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

You can do lots of things with an old fashioned, cast iron Hibachi. Tent it and smoke small items, use utensils on it to boil, fry or braise. You could even fabricate an aluminum foil oven over it! Only need charcoal briquettes, or wood and smoker pellets or chips!
+one on the hobo stoves, too. I have one in our BOB's made with a #10 can and an aluminum pot that fits it perfectly!

 

[Nocaster]

Look up "rocket stoves". They are not hard to fabricate, and can be made tiny or pretty big. Very fuel efficient and could work with pans and/or dutch ovens.

Also, +1 for #10 can hobo stoves , but these are more of a camp solution, rather than for a permanent living situation, IMHO.

 

[Martini_Up]

I have a Volcano stove which runs on LP, coals or wood. There is an optional lid to purchase which allows for smoking though I don't have it.

http://www.amazon.com/Volcano-3-Collapsible-Cook-Stove/dp/B000FDKXN6