Feeding gas to a grill on the right side

[Richard Cooper]

I now have the Weber Q120 gas grill.  

Have a few questions.....yes, I did read the instruction manual.  But didn't find the answers to these questions.

1)  I have the 16 oz bottle LP gas attached to the grill.  I'm not yet ready to start cooking.  Is it ok to leave the bottle attached or am I supposed to unscrew it until the time I am ready to heat the grill up?

2)  Where do you store your full spare bottles?  Instructions say not to put it where the temp would exceed 120 degrees nor inside your living space.  My basement could on certain days get pretty hot.  Don't know about 120 degrees though.

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

Propane is heavier than air, so it settles to the bottom of compartments.  You should store the bottles in a compartment with an open bottom, so it dissipates to the outside if a leak occurs.  I use the battery bay.  Look around your coach for a safe spot.

Larry

[Joel Weiss]

You don't have to take the bottle off of the grill, although I do if we're at a CG where there is any chance of someone (a child) coming by and trying to turn it on. However, the bottle is definitely removed before the grill is put back in the storage bay.  

I don't have enough room in the battery bay so I keep the extra bottles in the toad (the passenger compartment, not the trunk).  It's not an ideal solution, but I can't think of a better one.

[Bill Sprague]

My son has the Cuisinart.  He likes it a lot and the food he cooks is good.  I have the Weber Q100 for the motorhome.  I think my food is better than my son's.  But, I've been at the BBQ for an extra 20 years.

For me, the two key issues are being able to keep it clean and can it cause a steak to sizzle.  A preheated Weber has a hot cast iron grill that leaves the right burn marks on the surface.  With a standard steak and a fully pre-heated Q100, I cook for 2 minutes, rotate the steak and cook for two more.  That puts the marks on it.  Then flip it and cook for 2 more minutes and rotate again for a final 2 minutes.  The total of 8 minutes makes a nice medium rare steak with grill marks.

Keeping it clean is a matter of scrapping the bits down the bowl into the pan.   The bowl shape makes that easy.

Chicken is a lot different.  I like to "butterfly" a whole chicken and slow it down a lot.

Bill

[Robert Mathis]

I have a plactic tote where I keep all of my outdoor cooking equitment, including spare propane cylinders and butane cylinders for the single burner cooktop I use for such things as boiling shrimp and saute'ing mushrooms and peppers. I keep that tote in one of the bays and have never had any problems. I always unhook the propane cylinder or the gas line to the motorhome supply tank after cooking.

[Edward Buker]

I have used some Coleman propane cylinders with a cap that have a pop up sensor, if there is a leak and pressure was to build in the cap, it would give you a telltale. If you store cylinders in the bay or in a covered container in the bay, having these caps would be a plus if a cylinder had a minor leak that could accumulate some propane in time. I also have never had one leak that I know of.

Later Ed

[Keith Oliver]

The panel just ahead of the big storage bays also opens up, despite not having a handle.  Mine even has gas struts to support it when open.  Behind this panel is a home-built wooden box that is big enough for a 20lb propane bottle or a small BBQ, or what have you.  This is where I store my 5 lb propane bottle for the BBQ when travelling, as this compartment has openings to the road and to the frame of the coach, so if there ever was a propane leak, it would all drop to the road and dissipate.  In fact you can see the back end of the Coach's propane tank from here.

[Keith Moffett]

Last year we tried out the BBQ life since so many of you think so highly of it.  I bought a small webber style unit with a gas bottle.  It was so small and compact it was great for 2 or 4 people.  Sadly we met folks that needed it mor than us so we gave it to them.  Last years Christmas present was a Stainless modle offered by Costco and about twice the size but also runs on a propane bottle.  We have never used it because I dont like the mess in the bay.  This isnt a problem for you professionals?
Side bar:
We also travel with the Nu-Wave convection / induction/ IR cooker.  This is good for boondocking or plugged in and outside or just on the counter in the galley.  

Keith

[Joel Weiss]

We have never used it because I dont like the mess in the bay.  This isnt a problem for you professionals?

Keith--

I'm not sure what you mean when you refer to the mess in the bay.  The Weber drains into a drip pan and there are inexpensive liners available if you don't want to bother cleaning it.  The outside of the hood never needs more than a wipe with a kitchen cleanser.  In the bay I often even have some things on top of the grill without a problem.

Our favorite cooking accessory is a counter-top induction burner.  We use it for ~3/4 of our cooking needs; it doesn't produce any excess heat in the coach and doesn't require a window being opened.  It could easily be used outside, but we rarely do any cooking out there (other than the Weber).

Joel

[Richard Cooper]

Liners for the Weber?  Please -- where do you get those?  I haven't used mine yet.  Would be nice to start out the right way.

[Richard Cooper]

Obviously I don't watch a lot of tv -- so had to use Amazon to look up these new devices mentioned above:

http://www.amazon.com/1800-Watt-Portable-Induction-Countertop-8100MC/dp/B0045QEPYM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347205821&sr=8-1&keywords=induction+burner+portable

http://www.amazon.com/NuWave-Oven-Digital-Black-Extender/dp/B003IBJY32/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_2

There are some really cool things on the market at low cost to replace 20th century technology.  I like that these things don't use a lot of amps and don't heat up your space too much.  But, I have a new Weber grill now and I'm not going to give it away to someone else.  LOL  And, my 2 gas top burners work well enough.  I'm the type who doesn't like clutter on my kitchen counter tops.  

As for that NuWave thing -- the ad says it cooks everything in 13 minutes, but the people reviewing it on Amazon say it takes a lot longer --- like about 30 to 45 minutes if you don't like your veggies real crunchy.  But, it's novel the way you can see it cooking and judge for yourself.  I remember back 25 years ago when there was something similar which was a glass top over a fan contraption and they called it then a convection oven.  It was made by Cuisinart and I recall paying something like $350 or more for it.  It was more hype than practical.  Such as waste, but not at all saying the Nuwave is like that.  But, I do think that in a few years you will find a lot of these things at yard sales for 10% of what you paid.

You guys make a valid point about these things running on low amps and not heating up your cabins.

[Joel Weiss]

Liners for the Weber?  Please -- where do you get those?  I haven't used mine yet.  Would be nice to start out the right way.

http://www.amazon.com/Weber-6415-2-Inch---6-inch-Aluminum/dp/B000WEKLTE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347207147&sr=8-1&keywords=weber+q100+liner

[Joel Weiss]

Obviously I don't watch a lot of tv -- so had to use Amazon to look up these new devices mentioned above:

http://www.amazon.com/1800-Watt-Portable-Induction-Countertop-8100MC/dp/B0045QEPYM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347205821&sr=8-1&keywords=induction+burner+portable

http://www.amazon.com/NuWave-Oven-Digital-Black-Extender/dp/B003IBJY32/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_2

There are some really cool things on the market at low cost to replace 20th century technology.  I like that these things don't use a lot of amps and don't heat up your space too much.  But, I have a new Weber grill now and I'm not going to give it away to someone else.  LOL  And, my 2 gas top burners work well enough.  I'm the type who doesn't like clutter on my kitchen counter tops.  

As for that NuWave thing -- the ad says it cooks everything in 13 minutes, but the people reviewing it on Amazon say it takes a lot longer --- like about 30 to 45 minutes if you don't like your veggies real crunchy.  But, it's novel the way you can see it cooking and judge for yourself.  I remember back 25 years ago when there was something similar which was a glass top over a fan contraption and they called it then a convection oven.  It was made by Cuisinart and I recall paying something like $350 or more for it.  It was more hype than practical.  Such as waste, but not at all saying the Nuwave is like that.  But, I do think that in a few years you will find a lot of these things at yard sales for 10% of what you paid.

You guys make a valid point about these things running on low amps and not heating up your cabins.

One thing that is worth noting is that we replaced our Sharp microwave/convection last year with a GE Profile and we think the improvement was worth the $$.  The GE is a direct replacement so no carpentry was involved.  The thing my DW likes best is that it has two oven racks that go across the entire space and are attached to permanently mounted hooks on the side walls.  They are spaced far enough apart to permit you to actually both at the same time which significantly increases the effective capacity of the oven.  I also believe the overall oven cavity is slightly larger; last Thanksgiving we roasted a 16 lb turducken and it turned out great!

[Richard Cooper]

http://www.amazon.com/Weber-6415-2-Inch---6-inch-Aluminum/dp/B000WEKLTE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347207147&sr=8-1&keywords=weber+q100+liner

I'm not looking for a drip pan.  I'm looking for the liner some poster above referred to.  In the same post he referred to the drip pans too.  Therefore, a liner, I think, is something entirely different to keep the grill cleaner than otherwise.  The grill comes with a sample drip pan so I already know what that is.

[Joel Weiss]

I'm not looking for a drip pan.  I'm looking for the liner some poster above referred to.  In the same post he referred to the drip pans too.  Therefore, a liner, I think, is something entirely different to keep the grill cleaner than otherwise.  The grill comes with a sample drip pan so I already know what that is.

Richard--

Sorry if there was a misunderstanding, the only liner I know of is for the drip pan.

Joel