he wants to grill on playa

[andromeda23]

my husband is coming to the playa with me this year for his first time. (i've been 2x's before) the thing is, he wants to GRILL on the playa. he's a big ol' meat eater and can't fathom going a week without charring some meat. (i'm a vegetarian and will likely survive just fine on PB&J, fruit, and Clif bars.) cooking it ahead of time as i've seen mentioned on other threads won't work for him. he's suggested doing propane so we won't have charcoal to dispose of (but couldn't we dump those in a burn barrel anyway?). anyone have any experience with this? i'm not keen on the idea of taking our huge-ass grill up there effectively taking up almost all the space we have for transport in our Explorer. there is a chance we will have access to my dad's trailer if my brother doesn't snag it first for all his shit. but really, what is the feasibility of grilling on the playa? good idea? bad idea? good idea if we can get it up there? also, how much damage do you think the dust will do to it?

[TomServo]

You will probably get alot of visitors. I have a charcoal grill, with a small steel trash can for the possibly still burning coals and ash. Propane would be easiest, but it really depends on which he prefers. It's easier to smoke, with charcoal and Hickory. Whatever yall decide, just remember you have to pack it out! After 2 weeks worth of BBQing my trash cans only half full.

[Packoderm]

Propane BBQing is the very easiest way to cook on the playa - from what I've experienced anyway. Just cook a steak, and cut bite sized pieces right off the grill and eat it with a fork. The only dishes to clean is the knife and the fork, and you can do that with just a damp rag.

[Rice]

my husband is coming to the playa with me this year for his first time. (i've been 2x's before) the thing is, he wants to GRILL on the playa. he's a big ol' meat eater and can't fathom going a week without charring some meat. (i'm a vegetarian and will likely survive just fine on PB&J, fruit, and Clif bars.) cooking it ahead of time as i've seen mentioned on other threads won't work for him. he's suggested doing propane so we won't have charcoal to dispose of (but couldn't we dump those in a burn barrel anyway?). anyone have any experience with this? i'm not keen on the idea of taking our huge-ass grill up there effectively taking up almost all the space we have for transport in our Explorer. there is a chance we will have access to my dad's trailer if my brother doesn't snag it first for all his shit. but really, what is the feasibility of grilling on the playa? good idea? bad idea? good idea if we can get it up there? also, how much damage do you think the dust will do to it?

Hi andromeda23, Welcome to the ePlaya!!

Don't forget, this is a leave-no-trace event. Whatever you pack in and if you have garbage, you have to pack it out!

If you had a burn barrel, would you appreciate someone walking up and dumping their moop into it?? Probably not... If you don't want to deal with charcoal, leave it at home.


Love Rice

[HandJamMasterC]

We use a small propane BBQ I got at Home Depot - it works perfectly. Chicken, bratwurst, hot dogs, steak, you name it !!!

[phil]

Louise and I grilled on the playa for years without leaving a trace - Weber, charcoal, the works. We took a table-top size grill in a big garbage bag. We'd set it up, start the coals, and cook our burgers, then close off the vent holes, kill the fire, let the whole thing cool, and return it to the confines of the garbage bag.

We took our ashes home, but I suspect BMOrg won't have a problem if you dump them in a burn barrel. I don't speak for the authorities.

We had no spills, no drips, no errors. Your mileage will vary.

It's Burning Man. We all get to do what we want to. Even GRILL on the playa. I've got photos of a guy roasting a whole pig on a spit over charcoal one year.

[TomServo]

We use a small propane BBQ I got at Home Depot - it works perfectly. Chicken, bratwurst, hot dogs, steak, you name it !!!

NEVER GRILL HOT DOGS! IT'S A SIN!


boil them!

[mudpuppy000]

my husband is coming to the playa with me this year for his first time. (i've been 2x's before) the thing is, he wants to GRILL on the playa. he's a big ol' meat eater and can't fathom going a week without charring some meat. (i'm a vegetarian and will likely survive just fine on PB&J, fruit, and Clif bars.) cooking it ahead of time as i've seen mentioned on other threads won't work for him. he's suggested doing propane so we won't have charcoal to dispose of (but couldn't we dump those in a burn barrel anyway?). anyone have any experience with this? i'm not keen on the idea of taking our huge-ass grill up there effectively taking up almost all the space we have for transport in our Explorer. there is a chance we will have access to my dad's trailer if my brother doesn't snag it first for all his shit. but really, what is the feasibility of grilling on the playa? good idea? bad idea? good idea if we can get it up there? also, how much damage do you think the dust will do to it?

Hi andromeda23, Welcome to the ePlaya!!

Don't forget, this is a leave-no-trace event. Whatever you pack in and if you have garbage, you have to pack it out!

If you had a burn barrel, would you appreciate someone walking up and dumping their moop into it?? Probably not... If you don't want to deal with charcoal, leave it at home.


Love Rice

I think maybe she's talking about the giant burn pyres or whatever they're called to burn lumber. Seems like they're intended to get full of ash, she's just pre-burning everything before putting it in there.

[Rice]

my husband is coming to the playa with me this year for his first time. (i've been 2x's before) the thing is, he wants to GRILL on the playa. he's a big ol' meat eater and can't fathom going a week without charring some meat. (i'm a vegetarian and will likely survive just fine on PB&J, fruit, and Clif bars.) cooking it ahead of time as i've seen mentioned on other threads won't work for him. he's suggested doing propane so we won't have charcoal to dispose of (but couldn't we dump those in a burn barrel anyway?). anyone have any experience with this? i'm not keen on the idea of taking our huge-ass grill up there effectively taking up almost all the space we have for transport in our Explorer. there is a chance we will have access to my dad's trailer if my brother doesn't snag it first for all his shit. but really, what is the feasibility of grilling on the playa? good idea? bad idea? good idea if we can get it up there? also, how much damage do you think the dust will do to it?

Hi andromeda23, Welcome to the ePlaya!!

Don't forget, this is a leave-no-trace event. Whatever you pack in and if you have garbage, you have to pack it out!

If you had a burn barrel, would you appreciate someone walking up and dumping their moop into it?? Probably not... If you don't want to deal with charcoal, leave it at home.


Love Rice

I think maybe she's talking about the giant burn pyres or whatever they're called to burn lumber. Seems like they're intended to get full of ash, she's just pre-burning everything before putting it in there.

Isn't that like dumping your trailer toilet into a porta-potty??

[jkisha]

We bring a grill, a stove and an oven, plus refrigerator and freezer. No reason you can't eat well on the playa. Though we also have to bring a 16' box truck to carry it all.

[dragonpilot]

One word: Propane hibachi!

[TomServo]

Culinary speaking, propane vs. Charcoal is a personal choice. I love both, but certain foods taste better with charcoal. And of course pack it out!

[Charlie Parker]

I've been thinking about bringing one of the Weber smokers. I hear one load of charcoal can potentially be used for cooking for 24 hours or more, if started right. I could cook a feast for my neighbors and myself and then let those drawn in from a distance by the wafting aroma toss their own meat on for some smokey goodness. Mmmmmm.....

[TomServo]

Mines a Weber, barrel smoker. Just realize you gotta haul th ashes out. Made some great beef jerky on it...even a prime rib.

[Token]

I have grilled for ten years on the Playa, charcoal exclusively. I save the propane for the bacon.

Like TS said, steel old-school trash can with lid for the ash.

Coal grilling at altitude and no humidity is a treat. Coals get hot fast, perfect for flash searing, and the rare steaks or lamb.

Things to prepare for:

Wind. There is more of it and can change the grilling profile of your grill.

Coal burn time. I have found they go much faster so if you are used to doing steak, lamb, chicken, sausage, veggies . . . you might barely finish the chicken.

Now for the best part:


You are at Burning Man so lighting the coals can get as creative as you like:

_ 1/2 gallon of white gas and a match on a stick _ Nice

_ ground up road flares and some black powder _ Mmmmmmm

_ combination of the two above with a liquid O2 injector _ Now we are talking.


OK, Jack-Assery aside, if your man is a charchoal grill guy, he needs to grill on the Playa, and grill every type of meat he loves several times. It is so worth it.

[andromeda23]

my husband is coming to the playa with me this year for his first time. (i've been 2x's before) the thing is, he wants to GRILL on the playa. he's a big ol' meat eater and can't fathom going a week without charring some meat. (i'm a vegetarian and will likely survive just fine on PB&J, fruit, and Clif bars.) cooking it ahead of time as i've seen mentioned on other threads won't work for him. he's suggested doing propane so we won't have charcoal to dispose of (but couldn't we dump those in a burn barrel anyway?). anyone have any experience with this? i'm not keen on the idea of taking our huge-ass grill up there effectively taking up almost all the space we have for transport in our Explorer. there is a chance we will have access to my dad's trailer if my brother doesn't snag it first for all his shit. but really, what is the feasibility of grilling on the playa? good idea? bad idea? good idea if we can get it up there? also, how much damage do you think the dust will do to it?

Hi andromeda23, Welcome to the ePlaya!!

Don't forget, this is a leave-no-trace event. Whatever you pack in and if you have garbage, you have to pack it out!

If you had a burn barrel, would you appreciate someone walking up and dumping their moop into it?? Probably not... If you don't want to deal with charcoal, leave it at home.


Love Rice

I think maybe she's talking about the giant burn pyres or whatever they're called to burn lumber. Seems like they're intended to get full of ash, she's just pre-burning everything before putting it in there.

yeah. the ones in common spaces that i have seen around. i've never put anything in there, and i just didn't know what was allowed. it's not that i *want* to put charcoal in there, i just didn't know if it was one of the things that was allowed. i know we have to pack everything out and i'm totally cool with that. that's why we were thinking propane, but our grill is big. i don't fancy buying a new smaller one as this will probably be the only year he goes.

thanks for the input everyone. i'm appreciating all the feedback!

[theCryptofishist]

We took our ashes home, but I suspect BMOrg won't have a problem if you dump them in a burn barrel. I don't speak for the authorities.

Not true. You are supposed to haul out the ashes. (Sorry, I sort of had to phrase it that way.) It's the same as anything else you bring--pack it in, pack it out.

[graidawg]

We use a small propane BBQ I got at Home Depot - it works perfectly. Chicken, bratwurst, hot dogs, steak, you name it !!!

NEVER GRILL HOT DOGS! IT'S A SIN!


boil them!

yea ditto on this one, if you want to grill get sausages

[theCryptofishist]

I am going to subject myself to all sorts of hate, but for some of us hotdogs themselves are a sin.

[Dr. Pyro]

Let me be the first to start: Fishy, you are a buzzkill. Hot dogs are proof that some kind of superior being loves us. I used to boil them in beer (day old out of a keg; didn't really make any difference) and it was like they were made in heaven. Anyone who hates hot dogs is un-American.

[theCryptofishist]

Yeah, nothing new there. I hate bologna, too. (I suppose that makes me anti-Italian, too.) They seem to have that same icky blandness and I've never liked either.

[Minxy]

We grill on playa every year with a very small propane grill. Picked it up cheap somewhere, don't remember where.

It works great although right now it's clogged with playa dust and needs a good cleaning (I'm pulling all my stuff out and going through it cleaning and prepping as I go.

The wind does make it more interesting but as with all food, grilled food is delicious out there!

One of our camp mates has a big barrel charcoal grill he fires up a couple times in the week. He's made some amazing suppers in the past; roasts, chickens, turkeys, steaks...YUM. He has a huge trailer and freezer, though, so he's got a fancy set-up.

[gyre]

Propane BBQing is the very easiest way to cook on the playa - from what I've experienced anyway.

Grilling is not barbecueing.

Heretic!

[andromeda23]

Propane BBQing is the very easiest way to cook on the playa - from what I've experienced anyway.

Grilling is not barbecueing.

Heretic!

HAHA! yeah, i got schooled by my son on that! he was 3 at the time.

[Packoderm]

Propane BBQing is the very easiest way to cook on the playa - from what I've experienced anyway.

Grilling is not barbecueing.

Heretic!

I was all set to argue that point, so I googled propane barbecue, etc. It turns out that it is a propane grill and there is also a charcoal grill.


But I'll post something I found on a BBQ enthusiast's website:




"Grilling vs Barbequing

Do you know the difference between grilling and barbeque? Did you know most backyard "barbeques" are really not barbeques at all?


Purists will argue that it's only a barbeque if the food is cooked slowly, and with indirect heat. To fast cooking over direct heat, they'd say "that's just grillin!"

And technically they're right. In simple terms, grilling is fast cooking over high heat, while barbeque means slower cooking (hours or even days) over low heat.

But as you'll see as you read through the articles on this site, I use the terms 'grilling' and 'barbeque' interchangeably. Basically, to me a BBQ means outdoor cooking over an open flame, even if the purists want to charge me with heresy for saying that!
So what's the difference between grilling and barbeque?

Pretty much any cooking that you do on your gas or charcoal grill is simple grilling. Burgers, hot dogs, sausages, steaks, chicken, pork chops...you get the idea.

These foods are not well suited to the barbeque method of cooking, which requires longs hours of slow cooking, often using a smoker.

What foods do well in a barbeque? Think brisket or ribs. (Is your belly growling yet??)

The long cooking time of barbeque lets the meat really absorb the smoke and rub flavors, and the result is a tender piece of meat that melts in your mouth.

Another plus to barbeque is that you can baste the meat in barbeque sauce throughout the cooking process. When grilling, the sauce must be added at the very end or it will burn due to the high cooking temperature.

Many BBQers use a spray bottle to give the meat a spritz of apple juice every so often. This is a great way to keep the meat moist while adding yet another layer of flavor to the meat."

[Bob]

Grilled w/ bacon, Danish style. All that's missing is the herring.

[gyre]

It is always done enclosed for humidity control.
There is typically steam involved and wood, in one way or another.
Typically takes days.

There is a lot many cooks won't tell you too.

They still do pit barbecue here, though a dying art.

There is really beef barbecue too, though not in my town.
Texas does it.

Even the way you order is crucial.
I order pulled white meat, no slaw.
When it's done right, I don't need sauce.

[ibdave]

If were allowed to burn the burnables from our camp, then tossing in the ash from camps can't be frowned apon to much, and safer in case said ash is still hot and not stored properly in someones trunk..... i'm just saying..

we haul all burnables to the burn barrels everyday, even gather up the camps next door. Great way to make room for the rest of the trash others don't take with them.

[theCryptofishist]

If were allowed to burn the burnables from our camp, then tossing in the ash from camps can't be frowned apon to much, and safer in case said ash is still hot and not stored properly in someones trunk..... i'm just saying..

I absolutely agree, it's mind-fcukingly bizarre that the llc doesn't seem to notice the contradiction.
At times I chose to parrot the party line. I know you'll fill your empty space with trash, but so many others wont.

[Mojojita]

IMHO, taking a big grill is a waste of space if it is just the 2 of you. The size of the grill should reflect the number of people you need to feed. I just picked up a small propane grill at a garage sale for 5$. Even new they are only around $20. I've used both propane and charcoal on the playa. I don't like to hassle with the coals.