Bought a cobb before the last bh weekend. At the moment I'm a bit underwhelmed by it. If we don't get food poisoning it will be a miracle.
We couldn't find heat beads so used normal brickettes so that could have been the problem.
I'm looking at accessories to make it more usable. We caravan so plan on using it as both a bbq and an oven to save on the gas.
I thought the extension ring and chicken roaster would be useful, I'm not sure about the griddle, what difference does it make?
Opinions please.
I really like the Cobb wok - its great for making stews and curries etc and is probably my most used piece of Cobb kit.
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I've got the premier. I don't really need the wok. We've got an electric ring in the caravan so we can use that for pan based things. The cobb is more for roasts, bbq, etc etc ( suggestions welcome). I tried roast chicken, potatoes etc last weekend. The worst roast I have ever cooked. The chicken ended up being cooked three ways which sounds really fancy until you discover it was cobb, oven then finished off in the microwave!!!
Hi thematches I see you have the premier the reason I asked was the supreme still hasn't got much in the way of accessories ,regards the cooking I know what you mean I am no expert but I have managed some nice roasts on mine I think the best piece of advice I can give is to resist taking the lid off too many times ie leave the thing alone to work its magic , takes a bit of getting used too but once you do it cooks chicken really well , I used heat beads and I have also used the cobblestones which are really good, good luck for your next attempt
You do have to use decent beads cobble stones for the heat.
I have the black griddle plate and the wire rack.
Go and get a thermometer cheep from wilko or Dunelm.
The Range, Hombase used to do Australian heat beads.Amazon still do.
I waiting to hear off Lokkii as Homebargains seem to have stopped selling lokki cobblestone.
I've nearly always used heat beads with great results they burn for around 3 hours. Have just started to use lumpwood for shorter cooking sessions (see "cobblestones" thread).
Frypan is great for pizzas and fry ups.
With the wok I effectively turn the cobb in to a slow cooker for stews and curries.
I havent used the griddle much, but plan to.
As suggested previously get a thermometer. I went for a Thermopop digital because it's compact and takes a quick accurate reading. Some people attach a BBQ thermometer through the hole in the lid to give a constant reading of the temp inside the cobb.
The Cobb UK facebook page has loads of inspiration from people who cook on the cobb.
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I have an old enamel roasting tin with lid that is perfect on the cobb for cooking stews etc, £1 from a charity shop. I also find the roasting rack invaluable as it stops things from falling off (sausages!) and keeps things from making contact with the griddle.
That's the only accessory I've bought and have been cooking successfully for 6 years on my cobb
As Mitzi says, I only have the roasting rack and can get a normal sized chicken in without the additional ring. one thing I would say is don't scrimp on lighters when lighting if you want to get a decent heat up, put plenty underneath so that they all get going at once.
I put everything on the roasting rack ast it allows heat to circulate underneath better
As Mitzi also says get a thermometer it is the best way to get an idea of what is going on inside, don't keep opening the lid it loses heat so quickly,
If I roast ac hicken i would probably cook it for nearly 2 hours and only open the lid once to put spuds in after an hour.
I too use heat beads and lumpwood but would be happy enough cooking a roast chicken with even cheap briquettes,if you get a seconfd fire basket you can always start off some more briquettes outside of the cobb and switch them over. Your thermometer will tell you if you are losing heat inside.
I have been toying with the idea of getting some of the foil covered insulation blanket and fashioning a sort of tea cosy for the cobb