Bitser
Senior Cook
Writing gear reviews used to be my business, and I scored quite a few test samples. I've had a Bio Lite camp stove for years. It has a battery-powered fan that's charged by the heat of the fire, and can also charge a mobile phone from a USB port.
I wasn't keen on the shape of the combustion chamber, about the same as a soup can. It can be hard to start and rather smoky, until you get the hang of it. But they just came out with a portable grill that intrigued me, so I actually bought one (about $60).
It's light and packs small. Not sure if I'd backpack it (unless there were fresh fish), but it could go on river trips and car camp-outs with no fuss. Set-up is simple. You get the stove going, pop out the folding legs, and set it in place. There's a flip-up port for refueling.
There's a flame spreader to even out the heat, and a grill. The stove has low and high fan settings, and it works best on low.
My wife lapses from her plant-based diet for beef franks from the local butcher. They come packed in fours, and on the charcoal grill I cook all four and have two cold leftovers. But this little grill makes it practical to cook two now and two whenever, with very little prep and a tiny amount of wood.
The key bits are getting the stove hot before mounting the grill and burning only non-resinous hardwood without bark. I got it going with alder twigs, from our river path, and then added chunks of hickory that I keep for smoking bacon, which burns hot and clean.
I cooked fresh corn in the solar oven and had leftover potato salad, which made a meal, all told.
If you cook for 1-3 people, enjoy outdoor grilling, and have a source of dry hardwood, this is a good investment. Just got an electric chipper that yields 1-inch cubes, exellent fuel for this little grill.
https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-portable-grill
I wasn't keen on the shape of the combustion chamber, about the same as a soup can. It can be hard to start and rather smoky, until you get the hang of it. But they just came out with a portable grill that intrigued me, so I actually bought one (about $60).
It's light and packs small. Not sure if I'd backpack it (unless there were fresh fish), but it could go on river trips and car camp-outs with no fuss. Set-up is simple. You get the stove going, pop out the folding legs, and set it in place. There's a flip-up port for refueling.
There's a flame spreader to even out the heat, and a grill. The stove has low and high fan settings, and it works best on low.
My wife lapses from her plant-based diet for beef franks from the local butcher. They come packed in fours, and on the charcoal grill I cook all four and have two cold leftovers. But this little grill makes it practical to cook two now and two whenever, with very little prep and a tiny amount of wood.
The key bits are getting the stove hot before mounting the grill and burning only non-resinous hardwood without bark. I got it going with alder twigs, from our river path, and then added chunks of hickory that I keep for smoking bacon, which burns hot and clean.
I cooked fresh corn in the solar oven and had leftover potato salad, which made a meal, all told.
If you cook for 1-3 people, enjoy outdoor grilling, and have a source of dry hardwood, this is a good investment. Just got an electric chipper that yields 1-inch cubes, exellent fuel for this little grill.
https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-portable-grill
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