The grill is a symbol of our American culture
Historically, it was part of the reason people built decks on the back of their homes. Outdoor kitchens are now the latest craze with a gas grill typically being the centerpiece. I have even installed natural gas lines to grills that were converted from propane to natural gas. I admit, it’s hard to beat the smell of steak cooking on a grill! It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s charcoal or propane. I just love the smell produced by grilling!
Decision day
When we made the decision to start staying in our off-grid cabin, I knew that I had to find an effective and efficient way to cook food. After all, sandwiches and protein bars will only carry you so far! I knew that gas grills have limits in their overall cooking ability. I also knew that any type of electrical cooking device was out of the question as they use a lot of electricity. Lastly, cooking with wood was not an option due to the sometimes windy conditions and risk of forest fires during dry spells. I settled on a propane 2-burner cook stove due to its versatility and ease of use. After cooking over 1,000 meals and boiling over 1,000 pots of water (for coffee and tea) we have not been disappointed! This stove is an absolute workhorse that never lets us down.
The proverbial light came on!
One night my wife decided to try to cook a steak in a cast iron skillet. I was a bit skeptical but figured it was worth a try. After all, I generally don’t cook. I just eat! I couldn’t believe how good the steak turned out! She couldn’t believe how easy it was to cook! It was at that point a light came on. Why do we need a gas grill? If she could cook hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, pork chops, etc. on the cook stove in a cast iron skillet with the same results, we wouldn’t need a grill. She has since cooked all those meats with excellent results. We both believe that the food tastes as good or in some cases better than on a grill. It is without a doubt easier and safer to use the cook stove.
Our Gas Grill Experience
Let me begin by saying, I recognize that there are different name brands and different price points. One name brand may utilize different designs and materials that another name brand may not use. I also realize that a $1,500 grill may have superior parts over a $300 grill. We have never spent over $500 on a grill and, in my experience, that is the most that many people spend. The cost of the grill has never made a difference for us. No matter what name brand of grill we’ve purchased in the past, we’ve always had the same results.
We’ve had a variety of gas and charcoal grills over the years. They are usually fine in the beginning but they all eventually have the same problems. See if some of these sound familiar to you.
Rust
It doesn’t matter if the grill is stainless steel or not. The interior parts are generally similar. It seems inevitable that the burners, drip plates, heat plates and grates rust. I have tried different methods of preserving the life of these parts but was never able to see a difference. If any of those rust flakes fall on to your concrete patio, they will be sure to leave a nice stain for you. Not to mention the possibility of getting rust on your food while cooking.
Poor replacement parts
Replacement parts are usually cheaply made. Generally, it is difficult to find exact replacement parts and you have to settle for a “universal” part. Many of these universal parts are just plain ole’ junk. Most replacement parts are expensive and, in my experience, have a shorter lifespan than the original parts.
Tend to be messy
It was always a blessing to have company over while you are grilling out only to end up with grease on your clothes. Usually, it was from cleaning the grate with a brush. I could have worn an apron but who does that in the South in the summertime?
Haven for birds and insects
Nothing like opening the hood of the grill only to find a nest loaded with wasps or have a bird fly out! Now you have to figure out what to do. Do you spray poison all over your cooking area trying to kill the wasps? Do you not cook to keep from destroying the bird nest? All you wanted to do was cook a few burgers!
Flame-ups
Gas grill designs have improved over the last few years. Heat plates help to reduce flame-up but they don’t completely eliminate it. Depending on grill design, constant monitoring is required to watch for flame-up. The flame can dry food out or just altogether burn it. It’s hard to tell what’s going on with the hood closed!
Big, heavy and potentially expensive
Propane gas grills range in price from $99 for a tiny one to over $3,000 for big one. Who pays $3,000 for a grill? You can buy a stainless steel gas range for less than 1/3 of that price!
The stainless steel grills are big and heavy! If you have to move it off the porch into the yard, you will probably need help. The average weight range of a grill that costs $300-$500 is 120-160 lbs. This doesn’t include the weight of the propane tank. Watch those sharp edges and the grease! They may be difficult for one person to move but the wind never really seems to have a problem blowing it all over the deck.
One-dimensional
It shouldn’t be a surprise that grills are for… grilling. That’s basically all you can do. It may have a burner on the side, but in my personal experience, those side burners don’t work well and rarely get used. Other products are available for grills but in my experience aren’t commonly used.
Footprints
Depending on your deck orientation and tree shading, grills can leave a “footprint” on wood decks. This footprint is caused by the sun and elements weathering the rest of the deck while never touching under the grill.
Difficult lighting
A new gas grill lights like a charm. No problem at all. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end… well, sometimes. As gas grills age, they tend to get harder to light. If the spark ignitor stops working, then you have to resort to the old-fashioned way, a match or lighter. Gas grills are super difficult to light this way and it is dangerous! Many designs restrict adequate access to the burners, therefore, manual lighting is nearly impossible.
Our Cook Stove Experience
No rust
After over 2,000 total burns, we have yet to have a rust problem. I inspected the cook stove recently and only found minor surface rust on the burners, grate and gas manifold. That’s it. And there have been times this cook stove has sat in the rain and snow!
Replacement parts
We have yet to buy any replacement parts. Honestly, the steel used for the stove is pretty hefty. The only thing that I could foresee going bad would be the propane regulator. It’s just made that well!
Less mess
There is no grate covered in food residue that requires cleaning with a brush. The cast iron skillets need cleaning, but that’s easy compared to cleaning a grill. You get some splatter out of the skillet but you also get some splatter when you open the grill hood. You get that same splatter when you cook on an oven burner in your house.
No birds or bugs
There is no enclosure to harbor birds or bugs so this isn’t an issue.
No flame-ups
We’ve never had a flame-up. Never! Any juice generated from cooking the food stays in the pan. The juice helps to prevent the food from drying out and improves the flavor!
Not big, not heavy, not expensive
One person can easily move the cook stove. It has removable legs for easy storage. A storage bag is optional. I believe we paid around $100 for our cook stove.
Multi-dimensional
The cook stove is very versatile. We cook solely with cast iron, but you can cook with any cookware rated for use with direct flame contact. You can use nearly any size pot or pan.
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Camp Chef 
Footprint
There is no footprint caused by weathering as the bottom is completely open. Our cook stove stands on a wood pallet in our outdoor kitchen. There is some splatter on the pallet from the sheer amount of meals cooked on it!
Easy lighting
There is no spark ignitor that can fail. We use a long lighter to ignite the burners. The only “problem” we’ve had is getting the cheaper lighters to function when it’s cold outside. For some reason, the long inexpensive lighters don’t work well in cold temperatures. We remedied this by purchasing a single $5.00 lighter instead of 2 for $5.00 pack.
Food tastes better
Maybe it’s just us, but we believe that food tastes better when it’s cooked in cast iron cookware. I believe grandma was correct by solely cooking with cast iron. Maybe that’s all she had. Either way, her cooking was excellent and so is my wife’s!
Because of our experience with this stove, we have decided not to have a microwave in our new house. It really doesn’t take that much longer to reheat food. The taste of the reheated food on the stove far surpasses food reheated in a microwave… especially pizza!
Better temperature control
I believe it’s the combination of the juices staying in the skillet and the type of burner. It could be that the burner is closer to the cooking surface. No matter the reason, you definitely have more control over the cooking temperature.
The only time that temperature control will be a concern is on windy days. We live in the Appalachian mountains and it is nearly always windy in the winter. This constant wind made cooking outside difficult as it would with any cooking appliance. Our solution was to construct an enclosed outdoor kitchen that would withstand the high mountain winds. Problem solved.
Uses less propane as there is no extended preheating of a large grill cavity
The days of preheating a massive grill cavity are over for us. No more “honey can you preheat the grill for me” calls coming from the kitchen! Or the infamous, “I think the grill ran out of gas” call coming from the back porch! Only to have to exchange a propane tank under a grill that is several hundred degrees in temperature! The absence of preheating a grill saves on propane. Because the tank is behind the cook stove, replacing it is clean, safe and easy.
So whether you tailgate, prep, camp, have a hunting cabin or just looking for an alternative to a gas grill, consider a propane cook stove for all your outdoor cooking needs!
What are your thoughts on grilling or cooking outdoors? Let us know!
Ambitious Feller
“If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!” Red Green
