Propane Grill Season
Posted by eternalmortal@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 33 comments
Believe it or not, summer is around the corner! After years of apartment living, I now have the outdoor space for some outdoor cooking, and I bought a propane grill for some backyard BBQs.
While I intend to use this primarily for recreation, I was thinking about how having an alternate and off-grid cooking method would be helpful. An extended power outage would affect everything - even my gas oven and range still rely partly on electricity, and a long power outage could also lead to a gas outage since the local gas distribution pumps also rely on electricity and only have temporary backups. Our freezer is full of stuff that would go bad quickly in an outage, and grilling thawed assorted meats sounds like fun, even in an emergency. I'll keep some spare propane tanks around just in case.
Does the sub see a grill more as a prep or more as just a fun way to cook when its hot out?
humidsputh@reddit
It's more of a recreational cooking thing, but I have used it when power has been out after a storm.
I also got an adapter so I could use the 1 lb green bottles on the grill, just in case......
eternalmortal@reddit (OP)
Have a favorite adapter? I've seen those small bottles on sale at different stores, and haven't decided if it was worth it to get any yet.
MagicToolbox@reddit
IMHO this is the wrong way to adapt. I have an adapter that lets me use 20lb tanks on my 1lb appliances. I also have a few Flame King refillable 1lb cylinders.
My propane grill is 100% the first level backup for cooking if power is out. I specifically bought a grill with a side burner to boil on. Secondary backup is the car camping stove (with the aforementioned adapter hose to run off 20 pounders). Tertiary backup is the old Coleman white gas stove, and the backpacking iso-butane stoves. I think there are 2 bags of charcoal in the shed as well...
bhuffmansr@reddit
I absolutely agree. Cabelas sells a hose that is an adapter. You can hook up a big patio bottle to the grill that uses the little 1 pound bottles instead.
humidsputh@reddit
I just got it on Amazon for about 10 bucks. There are a few times (before I got extra tanks) where I have run out while something was cooking. Easy to use a green bottle to finish grilling instead of running out to exchange a tank.
We also have a grill in a rural area where you have to really plan ahead on tank usage. The adapter is nice, just in case.
My experience in storm outages led me to have multiple sources for cooking, including:
Gas grill Burner stove that takes butane cartridges or green 1 lb bottles Backpacking stove that uses mini canisters plus adapters for butane cans and propane bottles. White gas backpacking stove Electric hotplate (use with generator) Charcoal grill
I guess I should make an alcohol stove as well.....
OkSalamander8499@reddit
Propane grills are for everyday use More than 2 propane tanks is a prep
ScoutAndLout@reddit
I’ve considered a big propane tank and a triple fuel generator….
NotAnotherRedditAcc2@reddit
I can only speak for myself, but one of my main guiding principles is not allowing prepping to become it's own separate thing as much as possible - it's just "life." So I might say I can evacuate on foot, because I already hike hundreds of miles every year. (Also I won't evacuate on foot - there's nowhere I can walk to from where I live lol.) So I am all in favor of considering a propane grill part of your emergency preparedness plans.
Endangered_earwax@reddit
I've got a similar mindset. Grilling, camping, gardening, biking, all things we do as hobbies that could/would/should be helpful in different scenarios.
ScoutAndLout@reddit
Between grilling, fishing, tailgating, and camping I feel almost prepped.
Dangerous-School2958@reddit
It's included in my plan. I have 2 spare tanks and an efficient single burner I can attach to conserve fuel. Also have a heater attachment, and dioxide/monoxide warning sensors.
eternalmortal@reddit (OP)
If you have a recommendation for an efficient single burner I can put onto a standard 20lbs. tank let me know!
ScoutAndLout@reddit
Go with a small cheap Coleman 2 burner. Great for car camping too.
Dangerous-School2958@reddit
I’m in Austria using 11kg Euroflasche propane tanks that I swap at a hardware store called Obi. So, I don’t think the brand I have would be accessible to you. I would suggest tractor supply or an Ace hardware. You likely will need a different pressure regulator and couplings to get it to connect together work right. If you want ultra efficient, you could go a step further than I did and look at the tiny camping burners. Getting the pressure and adapters right will be key.
BenjaminAnthony@reddit
I have a charcoal grill and a decent amount of charcoal stashed as a prep. I love grilling out in general but it's definitely my go to cooking source in any sort of SHTF scenario. I plan to get a dual fuel grill soon so I can stock up on both charcoal and propane!
Still-Persimmon-2652@reddit
Some grills have a small side burner next to the grill surface. During a power outage in our all electric neighborhood (no natural gas as a utility) i fried eggs bacon and made a pot of coffee on my side burner. So it can be both if you buy one with the small side burner.
newagedefiance@reddit
A BBQ with a side stove to use pots on is definitely a way to cook during a SHTF situation. You don't need electricity and can keep cooking.
As for preserving the bood in your fridge and freezer, invest in a dual or tri fuel generator and a transfer switch. This will allow you to run your fridge and freezer for a hour or so a day. If you don't open them then the food will stay cold.
You can boil water, smoke, grill and bake on a BBQ. So while others won't be able to turn on their stoves with no power you can keep on cooking like nothings changed.
Nufonewhodis4@reddit
In Texas. Grill all summer so we're not heating the house up. Buddy heater and dual fuel generator both use propane, so it's integrated into our prepping plans
PrisonerV@reddit
Use the grill for our July outage? Seemed like a no brainer.
Use the grill during a winter storm? No thanks.
That's why I have both the grill and the camp stove.
genesurf@reddit
We got rid of our built-in Dukane grill because of the carcinogens in grilled meat.
eternalmortal@reddit (OP)
You can have a little bit of carcinogens, as a treat.
We're planning on using the grill relatively sparingly! A healthy diet is a prep too.
genesurf@reddit
... as a treat. lol.
WalkerTR-17@reddit
It’s can be both. Personally I keep a charcoal folding grill around and have cooked over wood in it a couple times just to test it out. The propane and smoker would get used too
in4theshow@reddit
Living in Florida and dealing with numerous hurricanes and their power outages, we regularly used our natural gas grill (converted from propane). It also has the burner on the side. Made coffee with it every morning and sometimes nights.
OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit
I stocked quite a few pounds of propane as a backup for cooking and heating, when I lived in the US. Where I lived, natural gas wasn't available. If the power went out, propane was how I cooked, barring a few unusual other methods. Mind you, I used a camp stove, not a grill.
In the months before I moved, I couldn't take the propane with me, so I cooked just about exclusively on the camp stove for quite a few weeks (as well as heating parts of the house with the MR Buddy heaters in winter.) Propane goes a long way as a cooking fuel.
AdditionalAd9794@reddit
Wait til you discover a charcoal/wood smoker, you'll rarely use your propane grill again.
TwinIronBlood@reddit
A pizza stone would be worth getting. We have one that goes in ours. If you've a searing plate you can do veg . Also potatoes wrapped in foil. See if you can pick up a top loader 3 way camping fridge that runs on 220 12v and gas if you have the space.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
I prefer a 2 burner propane camp stove with a camp oven. It is easy to use outside or inside. Pairs well with a 20lb tank.
I can use it for canning if needed in case the freezer starts to thaw. Mine can use any of my canners
I live to use mine outside so it doesn't needlessly heat up the isn't during the summer..
Affectionate_Lack709@reddit
Lost power once and needed to sous vide an already cooked brisket back up to temp. I threw it in a pot of water, threw the pot on the grill, and let it do its thing. Worked incredibly well for our situation
Siciliantony1@reddit
Charcoallllllll
eternalmortal@reddit (OP)
Charcoal is great, and I've had charcoal grills before, but I opted for propane this time for a couple of reasons:
1- I am a lazy bum but also impatient. Waiting for the charcoal to burn up to temp is annoying and I'm frankly not serious enough about grilling to care about the bump in cook quality. Also it's harder to hit an exact temperature for grilling, where on propane I could just increase or decrease the amount of gas burning with a literal dial.
2- Charcoal and rain don't mix and I don't want to nor have an appropriate place to store a half used bag of charcoal inside my space right now. Charcoal dust is annoying and gets everywhere if you let it. A propane tank can sit (at a safe distance in a safe manner) outside.
3- I can also trust a propane tank to last for a good portion of the season and beyond while charcoal is less space efficient in terms of storing enough for an emergency.
Ryan_e3p@reddit
I used to have the best grill ever! Could use propane or charcoal, and had a smoker on the side! Sadly, many years ago, a big tree limb came down and smashed it. It sacrificed itself to save my deck, but there are times that I'd just rather have the grill back. 😔
Siciliantony1@reddit
Rest in peace. Love the smoker