Grill advice, please.

[DocG]

Hi,
I'm looking for advice about grills for use over open fires.
I read Paul Kirtley's excellent blog post about canoe expedition cooking sets where he mentions Purcell Trench products. When I looked them up they were very well made but a bit too expensive for me.
I'm looking for two items - though if one meets my needs I won't complain.
1/ a grill - either free-standing or with folding legs- that would be suitable for use at a Scout camp. I'd prefer a mesh top, possibly with supporting bars underneath so that I could put a full dixie or Dutch oven on it as well as grill fish, meat or vegetables.
2/ a portable grill for bivvying trips, again, suitable for cooking fish.
I don't have access to a forge so diy is not an option at present.
I've seen the coughlans version but have no experience of it in use. There are many on eBay too.
Information, links, recommendations, warnings much appreciated.
All the best
Robert

 

[DocG]

Further to last, has anyone tried using the IKEA "Lamplig" trivet over a fire?
Thanks again
Robert

 

[Woody girl]

I use the small ikea trivia on my ikea cutlery drainer wood stove. It works fine. I'd imagine you are thinking of using the larger one over a fire. Yes it will work but it's not as lightweight as other more dedicated fire grills. To be honest I regularly use an old grill pan insert and it is light and does the job just fine and easily fits flat in a pack.. If you need something lager and stronger and old oven shelf works great.

 

[Janne]

Go to a building materials supply and get a piece of perforated steel mesh, the stuff used for steps.
Cheap and can be cut for any size.
We have the Lämplig trivet/pot stand, excellent stuff, but could be a bit small for many family size grills.

 

[Woody girl]

My grill pan thing is made in small squares from an old domestic cooker so is great for bivvy trips.. or in my case hammock trips. Modern ones tend to be just bars across it. Sorry that's not a great description . The oven shelf is strong and what we used to use at girl guide camps in the 60s and 70s so is tried and tested. Will support several large pans at once.
Jann's idea of some steel mesh over the top would make it more versatile. A local welder/smithy could probably attach it permenantly for a few pennies, but it would work as to separate bits and be fine.
I just put the small grill across two stones or green logs to support it over the fire.
Old bbq grills work well aswell.
The cheapo single use ones have a mesh top which can be used many times but they are much more fragile and can be bendy which can lead to it breaking into bits. Good cheapo option tho.

 

[sunndog]

I bought a great grill for my dad that might be just what you want......uncortunatly I can't remember where I got it from lol

Bear with me

 

[sunndog]

Ah here we go. Found that quicker than I thought

http://campfiregrill.com/the-original-grill-package-log-tweezers/

 

[sunndog]

Ah here we go. Found that quicker than I thought

http://campfiregrill.com/the-original-grill-package-log-tweezers/

They are available in the uk

 

[Janne]

If it is going to be stationary, get an old oil drum.
You can easily DYO grill from those.

The difficulty is to get a free one, and transporting it if you have a small vehicle.

When I was a kid, me and my budfies nicked one of those footscrape thingies that are placed outside public buildings in Sweden ( scrape dirt, grit and snow away) and used for several years.
It was a common thing for nature interested kids to do.

 

[DocG]

I use the small ikea trivia on my ikea cutlery drainer wood stove. It works fine. I'd imagine you are thinking of using the larger one over a fire. Yes it will work but it's not as lightweight as other more dedicated fire grills. To be honest I regularly use an old grill pan insert and it is light and does the job just fine and easily fits flat in a pack.. If you need something lager and stronger and old oven shelf works great.

Great ideas, thanks. I was thinking of the larger IKEA one at Scout camp or evenings so weight not a major issue.
I'll look for old grill pans too.

 

[DocG]

Go to a building materials supply and get a piece of perforated steel mesh, the stuff used for steps.
Cheap and can be cut for any size.
We have the Lämplig trivet/pot stand, excellent stuff, but could be a bit small for many family size grills.

Ok, I'll look into that option. Thanks.

 

[DocG]

My grill pan thing is made in small squares from an old domestic cooker so is great for bivvy trips.. or in my case hammock trips. Modern ones tend to be just bars across it. Sorry that's not a great description . The oven shelf is strong and what we used to use at girl guide camps in the 60s and 70s so is tried and tested. Will support several large pans at once.
Jann's idea of some steel mesh over the top would make it more versatile. A local welder/smithy could probably attach it permenantly for a few pennies, but it would work as to separate bits and be fine.
I just put the small grill across two stones or green logs to support it over the fire.
Old bbq grills work well aswell.
The cheapo single use ones have a mesh top which can be used many times but they are much more fragile and can be bendy which can lead to it breaking into bits. Good cheapo option tho.

Thanks - the single use grills got me on this search. I'll try the combination option.

 

[DocG]

Ah here we go. Found that quicker than I thought

http://campfiregrill.com/the-original-grill-package-log-tweezers/

Ok, I now have a new mission! Thanks.

 

[DocG]

If it is going to be stationary, get an old oil drum.
You can easily DYO grill from those.

The difficulty is to get a free one, and transporting it if you have a small vehicle.

When I was a kid, me and my budfies nicked one of those footscrape thingies that are placed outside public buildings in Sweden ( scrape dirt, grit and snow away) and used for several years.
It was a common thing for nature interested kids to do.

Thanks. You're right about the core challenge- getting a drum could be tricky. I'm going to look for the cheaper options first. IKEA may be the easiest to get in bulk.

Thanks to you and all the others who have replied

 

[Janne]

Sunnydog, that was expensive!

One option I am going to try when our new washing machine arrives in Nirway, is to make a grill body from the S/s drum. 3 sturdy legs ( threaded rod, some bolts and washers) and a steel perforated sheet.
Have a proper one, a Weber round charcoal, but find it a little bit to small and mainly, too shallow as I want to use birch logs to have the option to create charcoal, smoke, and proper flames.
Think ‘Big Green Egg’ the cheapo way!

 

[Mesquite]

1/ a grill - either free-standing or with folding legs- that would be suitable for use at a Scout camp. I'd prefer a mesh top, possibly with supporting bars underneath so that I could put a full dixie or Dutch oven on it as well as grill fish, meat or vegetables.

Have a look for an old range oven gril. They're usually about 80cm long and about 50cm wide and more than adequate for holding a full DO on. For the grill get one of the disposable party grills and take it apart for the mesh. You can support it between some logs

Alternatively get some 20mm angle iron so you can make up suspension bars.

If you want a heavier mesh then don't bother going to a builders merchants and paying over the odds for new. Go down to your local scrap metal guy and by it for a couple quid. My one keeps it all the time as so many groups want it for BBQ's etc.

2/ a portable grill for bivvying trips, again, suitable for cooking fish.
I've seen the coughlans version but have no experience of it in use.

The Coughlans grill is a good bit of kit.

I've got one knocking about somewhere in the kit gremlins hidey hole but the times I used it I was pleased with how it performed. Only word of warning on it is don't put anything heavier than 2 or 3 kg on it.
https://www.coghlans.com/products/camp-grill-8775

 

[Keith_Beef]

The Coughlans grill is a good bit of kit.

...Only word of warning on it is don't put anything heavier than 2 or 3 kg on it.

It might just do for my breakfast, then.

 

[sunndog]

You mentioned bivvying so here's one with weight in mind

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjABegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw1I0MS4RjiTSwx1TNi6e6ru

 

[DocG]

Sunnydog, that was expensive!

One option I am going to try when our new washing machine arrives in Nirway, is to make a grill body from the S/s drum. 3 sturdy legs ( threaded rod, some bolts and washers) and a steel perforated sheet.
Have a proper one, a Weber round charcoal, but find it a little bit to small and mainly, too shallow as I want to use birch logs to have the option to create charcoal, smoke, and proper flames.
Think ‘Big Green Egg’ the cheapo way!

Nice idea. I use washing machine drums for fire pits / containers which can be used on sites that don't allow fires on the ground - four bricks protect the grass .

 

[DocG]

Thanks, Mesquite - the info about weight is very useful.