Pot cooking without a side burner?


 

Tom Richey

New member
My old (but new to me) Weber Genesis gas grill does not have a side burner--much as I would like to find one, I haven't had any luck. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to cook in a pot without a side burner? The best I can figure is to remove the grill grates and rest a pot on the heat deflectors, but that isn't the cleanest solution. My attempts to cook by placing a pot on the grill grates hasn't been all that successful either--not hot enough--and both methods make a mess on the bottom of whatever I am cooking in.

Whether it's a grill hack or an outdoor burner, I'm looking for ideas. Thanks!
 
I have a side burner but I am not a big fan of it. It does not regulate that well. The lowest setting is still too hot and the flame is very sensitive to wind. At a bit wind this burner is becoming useless.
Aldi just had some of these potable butane cookers for $15 Sam mentioned above. This was about a week or two ago. But some stores still have them. I saw them in one of our Aldi stores on Wednesday.
https://hip2save.com/2019/05/08/13-...-at-aldi-stove-hammock-hard-side-cooler-more/
If you have a power outlet close by a portable induction cooker might work as well (if you have the matching pots). We have one of these we used while I rebuilt the kitchen a few years ago. We now keep it in our popup camping trailer.
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0045QEPYM/tvwb-20
 
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Yah, the thing I like about the portable burners is that when you don't need it you can just put it away in its case and store it and you'll have more prep area on the right side table vs. having a dedicated side burner.
 
Tom:
Not sure which model Genesis you have or if you are LP or NG. My 2007 Genesis NG with the enclosed base didn't have a side burner originally. I was able to pick up a used sideburner and the cross metal gas line from a gentleman in Billerica, MA. He even changed it over from LP to NG orifice. Brass fittings were available locally. Shipping was the biggest expense for the used parts. If your Genesis is older than mine, not sure what you would need.
 
Not sure what you mean by a "pot" If you're asking about a big stock pot full of liquid I think no matter what you do you'll be disappointed. But here is a "hack" I do all the time to save making a mess in my kitchen. I make fired chicken in my gas grill(s) all the time. I get my heavy Lodge CI fry pan (specifically my Lodge Chicken fryer pan) and place it down on the flavo bars. Put in the desired amount of oil and get it going. Once up to fry speed I proceed to fry my chicken pieces. This is of course old fashioned shallow pan/southern style fried chicken. It works just great like this as of you splash a little oil it goes down into the grease catch system of the grill. But using this method to say heat up a big "pot" of water to say boil up some pasta. No bueno
 
... If you're asking about a big stock pot full of liquid I think no matter what you do you'll be disappointed.. But using this method to say heat up a big "pot" of water to say boil up some pasta. No bueno

With my little experience I would agree that a large stock pot of water, or enough oil to fry a 15 lb bird is not going to happen on a gasser. I've also tried an 1800 watt induction burner and Masterbuilt electric fryer. They might get the oil up to temp but once I dropped an approximate 15 lb bird neither one of them would recover (at least not outdoors in Ohio in during Fall weather). But this sucker with a 65K Btu burner did the job:

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003GISCDK/tvwb-20
 
Yep definitely not a big pot and a big heat sink i.e. bird. Trouble is with anything you can plug into the wall you're limited to MAX say 20 amps and that is if you have a dedicated outlet and an appliance made to use that much (which good luck finding one). With electric you need a 240V appliance able to pull down 20 amps or more
 
Just get a turkey fryer if you want to heat up/cook/boil/fry anything more than a few hard boiled eggs. They only cost about $30 and can, well, fry a turkey, or boil some sweet corn.

I take that back, they cost north of $50 now. But you can find them used for much less. I bought one at a garage sale a few years ago for $20.
 

 

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