Summertime! FirePit Grill. Would you Buy?

[fppilot 4,355]

 

 

I'm more worried about cleanup and the fact that the thing is 400 pounds! 

 

So this is Avsim and flying....  So here are the questions.  Places for 8 to sit cook and eat.  If you were to take off from Ft Myers, FL heading lets say to the Cayman Islands with 8 souls on board, plus their luggage, plus this 400 lb monstrosity, plus enough wood for a three or four "smokin great" experiences, plus whatever food and beverage you can legally take to the Caymans, plus enough fuel for Grand Cayman (MWCR) and to get to an alternate, say Little Cayman/Brac(MWCB), then what popular FSX or P3D aircraft would you need as a minimum to get it done?

 

Better look at the charts.  Wouldn't want a divert to Cayman Brac to turn into another Branson fiasco.

[Alan_A 1,650]

 

 

...what popular FSX or P3D aircraft would you need as a minimum to get it done?

 

At a minimum?  Don't know.  The answer that leaped to my mind was, DC-3.  Maybe overkill... but with style!

[mebull 27]

 

 

All the apartments had small balconies, and a neighbor down on 23 decided to ignore the building's prohibition on grilling.

 

Around here you can tell where the college kids live by how much of the siding is melted out on the balconies. They routinely set fire to their apartments doing that. Of course doing that is against the law here and it is banned in their leases, and it goes against common sense, but if you put twenty kids together and combine that with their favorite party solids and liquids what should we expect. Even back when I was a kid (a couple of days younger than dirt) education and drinking shared a shaky coexistence and which had the highest priority seemed unclear.

 

I don't know. But after looking at the thing (monster) a while, I really think there more negatives than positives. I get several usage images that don't quit match the images at the head of the post. For the summer I picture a nice polite group of people, some sitting on the down breeze side turning blue from holding their breath because of the smoke and fumes and then falling out of their seats one by one from heat stroke or them getting up one at a time to go chat with someone on the up wind side after they stage an accident and fall into the ice chest to cool off. In the winter here in my area you could load it up with charcoal and melt the surrounding snow for the guests and even if were snowing that thing would turn the white stuff to steam before it got close - not to bad on a calm day. Finally, as someone mentioned, on a nice and cool fall day that might be just the thing and very enjoyable. I just can't get this picture out of my head though; some people sitting their with faces as well done as the steaks. Definitely "Man Cave Deluxe". Only real men on the downwind side, women, children and girlie men on the upwind side!

 

We have a modest propane grill and a sanely sized fire pit that I can also cook with if I'm in the mood for that real outdoor flavor. Add some hickory wood get it burning good then add some more that has been soaked in water so it steams and smokes well. Gosh I'm making myself hungry.

 

Regards to all,

Mel

[Alan_A 1,650]

 

 

Around here you can tell where the college kids live by how much of the siding is melted out on the balconies. They routinely set fire to their apartments doing that.

 

Have seen that phenomenon in action.  But in our case, the tenants were established upscale professionals - far, far too successful to worry about little things like lease terms or fire safety or the laws of physics or common sense.  The chief of Division 3 wasn't pleased...

[psolk 3,037]

They actually have very cool outdoor electric grills for high rises now.  I had one when I lived in the city....

Like these...

http://www.amazon.com/Meco-9350W5-181-Deluxe-Electric-1500-watt/dp/B0000DJZX3/ref=sr_1_7?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1400001746&sr=1-7

 

http://www.amazon.com/Weber-55020001-2400-Electric-Grill/dp/B00FDOON8S/ref=sr_1_3?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1400001746&sr=1-3

 

[HiFlyer 9,343]

Now that's new.......

[Alan_A 1,650]

 

 

They actually have very cool outdoor electric grills for high rises now.

 

Nice!

 

The trick, of course, is to get the building's lawyers to agree.  It's a lot easier to ban an activity (like grilling) or, say, a kind of dog (pit bulls, or just big ones generally) than to pick and choose among different grills, or pets.  Why solve the problem with a scalpel when you can use a sledgehammer?  This grill would be perfectly safe - but my old building would probably still want to ban it.  A shame.

[psolk 3,037]

Nice!

 

The trick, of course, is to get the building's lawyers to agree.  It's a lot easier to ban an activity (like grilling) or, say, a kind of dog (pit bulls, or just big ones generally) than to pick and choose among different grills, or pets.  Why solve the problem with a scalpel when you can use a sledgehammer?  This grill would be perfectly safe - but my old building would probably still want to ban it.  A shame.

You would be surprised, a lot of places specify no propane/gas grills.  Nothing about electric

[fppilot 4,355]

So has anyone tried a George Foreman electric grill?  Anyone in NYC ever heard of Jenn Air?  I worked for them in their distribution warehouse in Indianapolis one summer when I was in college.  In 1968.  They are still very much around.

[HiFlyer 9,343]

Tried George Foreman grills a few times with the result being steamed meat. Those nice sear marks elude me and may be mythical.

[mebull 27]

That electric grill would indeed be just the right thing for some people and situations - classy looking as well.

 

 

 

Tried George Foreman grills a few times

 

My wife has one, she swears by it, I swear at it. If it's good quality meat it deserves a better fate! In reference to the nice grill marks, what my wife ends up with has nice marks on it (whatever 'it' is or was). The problem is they more resemble tire tread - same color as a tire also. I do love her though, she tries very hard to feed me well, so eating burnt offerings occasionally is just my way of showing it. I had to convince her that the reason a pie didn't turn out well was because a ice cream pie should not go in the oven. That was one pie I just couldn't force myself to eat! I had a few nice bugs and worms instead.

 

Has anyone else ever seen what happens to ice cream after it has been in the oven for two hours at 350F?

 

My best to all,

Mel

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

Speaking of George, I purchased one of these earlier this year:

 

 

 

This is the Calphalon 5 in 1 indoor grill and it is a fantastic one at that. You can turn the grill plates over and they become flat grills so that you can do eggs, pancakes, etc. You can use it as a Pannini press, and it does a great burger as shown. It was a great purchase.

[Captain_Barfbag 31]

Hmmmmm...discussing grilling meats on an Aviation forum...

 

Upgrade to Grill Class!

 

Love those ads.

 

When we got married 28 years ago, a bunch of my friends got together and got us a very nice propane grill, with a nice redwood base.  I had always been a charcoal guy, but once I started using it I found myself doing a lot more grilling, simply because it was so easy.  Once the grill gets "seasoned" and has a coating of burned-on crud, the charcoal taste is pretty good.  It may not be "pure" charcoal, but it's pretty good.  That grill (a Charmglow) lasted over 20 years, with a few part replacements, but eventually I had to replace it.

 

Now, as I contemplate retirement, I think I'll get a Weber charcoal grill and get back into that, since I'll have more time.  I'll still keep the gas grill, but when I've got the time, I think it will be fun to go old school for some special meals.

 

I've also got a giant pot and burner base, the kind you use for deep-fried turkey.  We use it for lobster.  Every year around here, somebody is deep-frying a turkey, knocks over the pot, ignites all that oil and burns his house down.  No thanks.

[HiFlyer 9,343]

I think for men especially, there is a certain fascination with grills. While women examine paint swatches in Home depot, husbands and boyfriends gravitate to the grill section like bees to flowers. I knew even as a kid that if there was any grilling to be done, it was pretty much a given that a male (me eventually) would be in charge, and that I had better get on the ball and absorb the passed down wisdom.

 

Now, I need/want a new one and its a competition between practicality and and grill-lust.

 

Look at that! wow, its got a side grill! Ohhhhhhhhhh, stainless steel grates! Holy crap its got a timer! Wow that ones huge, to bad we hardly ever serve large crowds, but maybe I should get it anyway.......  :unsure:

 

I think grills might be right up there with women, cars, and maybe airplanes, the last because its pretty much a given that we are a strange bunch, here.  :ph34r:

 

Oh, and your budget might have a bearing too, but probably not.....

 

I really cant decide! I could easily get by with just a simple grill (probably gas) but the Master of the universe of the grilling art inside me demands a workstation that proclaims my culinary expertise. (I burn stuff real good)

 

Its really a little decision in in the big scheme of things, but suspect I am nonetheless gonna be very conflicted for a while.

[n4gix 4,947]

Speaking of George, I purchased one of these earlier this year:

I have one wearing the GE label, but is very similar to yours. I've used it several times. It came with two sets of removable plates; serrated for meats and pannini, and smooth for pancakes, et cetera.

 

Frankly I haven't used it that often since it is just faster to slap a serrated griddle pan on my gas stovetop.

 

I also inherited two Farberware Stainless Steel rotisseries from my late father and late brother. One of them even has the kabob attachment that will grill six kabob skewers simultaneously. I haven't used either one of them in years. It's just too much for a bachelor's household!