# basic bbq help needed



## neilkaye (Jun 18, 2008)

im new to bbq's and im going camping in august with my kids,iv done a few at home but usually cook the food a bit first before i bbq it just to be safe,when i go camping i will not have an oven,soooo my question is what is the best/safest food to store in a cool box(non electrical) and cook on a bbq safely for the kids


----------



## love2"Q" (Jun 18, 2008)

are you talking smoking or grilling ?


----------



## jkath (Jun 18, 2008)

I'm gonna guess grilling - 
one super-easy thing kids like is when you make foil packets and put various things inside, such as cut veggies and small pieces of meat. All it'll need is a bit of seasoning. Seal up the packets and cook till the meat's all done. 

You could also get the kids involved with the most simple cookout idea - hotdogs! They're already cooked, so no need to worry.


----------



## Maverick2272 (Jun 18, 2008)

anything raw will have to be in a cooler with ice. When we go camping we bring along hotdogs, pre-cooked brats, lunch meat, and cheese. We still try and keep some ice in them in a cooler since they still should be kept cool, but that is safer then trying to bring along raw meats with no cooler full of ice.


----------



## GrillingFool (Jun 18, 2008)

Yup, pretty much anything will be OK in a cooler. If you freeze what you can first, it will
stay cold MUCH longer. Just take it out to defrost, like at home.

If you have concerns about food being fully cooked, bring along a food thermometer to check internal temps with. 
Skinless chicken breasts are good; they cook evenly and quickly. Freeze them in a marinade or BBQ
sauce! Foods that aren't too thick, and are uniform in thickness are easier to cook completely.

Of course, you could partially pre-cook many things, then finish them off over the fire....


----------



## Jeff G. (Jun 18, 2008)

I take pork roasts, chicken, steaks, hamburger etc camping all the time. Just use a good cooler.  Freeze the stuff used later. My cooler is so cold I often have to put what I want that evening near the top of the cooler so it will thaw. 

I generally stick the frozen blue things in the bottom of the cooler. After 4 or 5 days, it usually has ice stuck to it so the bottom of the cooler remains very cold for a long time.


----------



## VeraBlue (Jun 19, 2008)

Before I can give suggestions on what to bring, storage may be an issue.  What's this 'cool box' you're talking about?  Just how cool is it?  If it cannot hold meat at 40 degrees, there's nothing you can store in it for any length of time over 2 hours.   Even hot dogs require refrigeration.


----------



## neilkaye (Jun 19, 2008)

thanks guys these are great ideas,i have a cooler box and ice packs but worried about the ice packs thawing very quickly,so if i put all the meat in the freezer then on the morning i go camping transfer to a cooler with ice packs i should be ok for what say 24 hrs or so maybee longer????
love2q-im grilling
jkath-i will cut the meat small and try the veggies too
maverick2272-unfortunately my kids dont like hot dog sausage or brats but love normal sausage,they will be ok in a cooler im guessing
grillingfood-as above i will freeze nights before,i dont have a thermometer so im gunna cut meat small or flatten out so each piece is about 6mm thick i should be safe with that
jeff g- will be takin burgers oh yes the kids love em,me too lots of fried onion mmmm,and does the blue freezer packs really last so long in a cooler??


----------



## neilkaye (Jun 19, 2008)

hi,verablue,its a basic non electrical cooler 28l i think


----------



## VeraBlue (Jun 19, 2008)

If I were you, I'd do a test with that thing before I risk looking meat to it.  Pack it with your blue packs and leave it outside.  See how long it takes them to defrost.

As for actually using them to hold meat, I'd advise against it.  A combination of loose ice and those blue packs might be a safer alternative.  Definitely, have the meat frozen to begin with before you pack it into the ice/pack combination.  

How long is this trip for?  Do you plan to hold meat for more than a few hours??   

I strongly advise you to test your cooler to see how long it takes the ice to melt.  Once it's melted, you are essentially holding your meat at room temperature, which, if you are outside, can easily be 80 degrees.  At that point, the meat, any meat, is absolutely unsafe to eat, even if cooked.


----------



## GotGarlic (Jun 19, 2008)

neilkaye said:


> im new to bbq's and im going camping in august with my kids,iv done a few at home but usually cook the food a bit first before i bbq it just to be safe,when i go camping i will not have an oven,soooo my question is what is the best/safest food to store in a cool box(non electrical) and cook on a bbq safely for the kids



As long as you make sure food is cooked through on the grill, there's no need to pre-cook it. I've made beef, pork and chicken on a grill many times and never had a problem. An instant-read thermometer is your best bet if you're concerned about it - they're inexpensive, and so would be a good investment.

How long are you going to be camping? You can plan your meals so you're cooking meat the first couple of days, maybe up to three, and then eat less perishable foods the rest of the time. Cheese is a non-perishable item and doesn't need refrigeration. There are also preserved meats such as summer sausage and salami that don't need refrigeration.

The gel packs actually last longer than ice, and eliminate the water from melting.

Here's a good article about safe camp cooking: Camping Food Safety

One of the best tips is to take two coolers: One for storing meats, dairy and other things that *have* to be cold, and another for storing things that taste better cold but won't spoil at room temp, such as sodas, juice boxes, fresh fruit and veggies, etc. HTH.


----------



## neilkaye (Jun 19, 2008)

will do a test yes,good idea,deffo will have the meat frozen,the trip is for 5 nights but only need to store the meat for approx from leaving my house at 10 am until the following day around 6pm.i will pack separate to everything else so no cross contamination will take place,the easy way would be to buy the meat fresh on the day i suppose and ask the owners of the campsite if they would freeze my icepacks on the night so they are ready for the morning or evening,this would be my last option as i have a freezer full here and would be false economy to buy it all again


----------



## neilkaye (Jun 19, 2008)

gotgarlic- thanks 4 the advice and the link will read that in a while,think i might invest in the gel packs then,im not too bad with the cooking i suppose id certainly check it thoroughly before the kids ate it and like i said earlier im gunna cut small and flatten out the meat etc the main isue is the storage,very luckily the campsite has a facility(iv just rung them now)where you can hand in your ice packs 2 at a time and they will freeze them for you so i can replenish at my own convienience,there is a small charge mind but is very small so things are looking up


----------



## jkath (Jun 19, 2008)

How nice that the campsite offers that service for you


----------



## neilkaye (Jun 19, 2008)

im kinda hoping we get good neighbours on the site that dont need ice then they can get 2 and give them to us!!! cunning


----------

