Portable Bbq?

[Irishgirl76]

So we were out of town the other day, and stopped in to visit some friends. It was just a quick visit, I had something to drop off, so we didn't stay long. (It was lunch time, and I was trying to make sure they didn't try to feed us!). They did offer the kids an apple, which I thought was fine, until I noticed he was cutting the apple with the knife and handing out pieces of apple to all the kids (his and mine). I guessed that was probably ok, as long as the knife was clean. (He was just cutting it with his hand, not on a cutting board or anything). Today he sent me an email, thanking us for stopping in, and said that next time we were in town he wanted to have us over for a bbq. Ugh. I know it was just a matter of time before stuff like this started, and I will need some coping strategies. I don't want to always turn down invitations. So then I got thinking... do any of you use one of those portable/camping barbecues? I thought it might be easier to take my own little bbq with us when we go places, and then I wouldn't need to obsess over whether our food was getting contaminated. If we brought our own food, portable bbq, and utensils, do you think it would be do-able?

[kareng]

My hub bought a " camp stove". It's got a little gas bottle. You can make about 4 burgers. We also got a metal " tray" that goes on a grill to cook things like fish that would fall apart.

If you are grilling food prepared by someone else, you will need to be careful. I just saw a chef on Tv make burgers with bread crumbs! Or soy sauce! We're the veggies rinsed in the colander they use for pasta? Etc

[Cara in Boston]

We bought a couple of "ManGrate" grill toppers for our home grill (there was a groupon for it so it was a bargain) and after seeing them, I am totally going to buy one more to keep for when we visit other people and want to grill something on their grill. They are long and narrow, so they don't take up the whole grill. Very heavy iron. Anyway, they would lift your food up high enough so it would not touch the grill surface. Last year we tried using a stainless steel grill topper but it always seemed to take up too much space on the grill - and still seemed like the food could potentially touch the contaminated grill.

I usually bring our own burgers and buns so we don't have to worry at all.

There is usually a coupon available for ManGrate, so just google it.

EDITED TO ADD: I just went out to check them out again and I don't think this would be a solution to your problem. Each grate (long and narrow, could cook about 2 hamburgers on it) is about 8 pounds. Maybe too bulky to just bring to a backyard BBQ. Plus, it stays hot for a very long time - might make the return trip home difficult. We do bring ours on vacation when we rent a house that has a BBQ. But that is usually for a week or two.

Cara

[Irishgirl76]

My hub bought a " camp stove". It's got a little gas bottle. You can make about 4 burgers. We also got a metal " tray" that goes on a grill to cook things like fish that would fall apart.

If you are grilling food prepared by someone else, you will need to be careful. I just saw a chef on Tv make burgers with bread crumbs! Or soy sauce! We're the veggies rinsed in the colander they use for pasta? Etc

Thanks, yeah, I would definitely bring my own food! But was having visions of him taking my perfectly gluten-free food and putting it on his gluteny bbq! The camp stove sounds perfect. Plus I just like the idea of being in charge of my food from start to finish... if I had my own little stove, people might be less likely to mess with my food.

[Skylark]

Barbecue? No problem. Bring your own meat, aluminum foil to cover the grill, and a clean seat of tongs. I joke about my "food OCD" to make people more comfortable. I usually offer to bring homemade potato salad, which is a perfectly normal "glutenoid" food and goes well with barbecue. Serve yourself first so the bowl doesn't get CC. (My friends are accustomed to shoving me to the front of the line so they don't have to worry about their breadcrumbs!)

[kareng]

Barbecue? No problem. Bring your own meat, aluminum foil to cover the grill, and a clean seat of tongs. I joke about my "food OCD" to make people more comfortable. I usually offer to bring homemade potato salad, which is a perfectly normal "glutenoid" food and goes well with barbecue. Serve yourself first so the bowl doesn't get CC. (My friends are accustomed to shoving me to the front of the line so they don't have to worry about their breadcrumbs!)

If I bring something to share, I just bring a small container of it for me. Sometimes it gets put somewhere & I can't get it first

The foil thing made me remember. You could bring foil dinners. A double thick foil packet with little pieces of chicken, BBQ sauce and some veggies to put on the grill. There are endless combinations, my hub even puts rice in some of his packets. A foil packet with thin sliced potato, frozen corn and some olive oil or butter makes a great side dish. It's also yummy with a burger in it.

[Irishgirl76]

If I bring something to share, I just bring a small container of it for me. Sometimes it gets put somewhere & I can't get it first

The foil thing made me remember. You could bring foil dinners. A double thick foil packet with little pieces of chicken, BBQ sauce and some veggies to put on the grill. There are endless combinations, my hub even puts rice in some of his packets. A foil packet with thin sliced potato, frozen corn and some olive oil or butter makes a great side dish. It's also yummy with a burger in it.

Great idea, thanks! I used to love doing this when we went camping... it was so convenient to have little foil packets made up that we could just throw on the bbq.

[Skylark]

Karen, that's brilliant. I need to remember it too!

[Irishgirl76]

Great idea, thanks! I used to love doing this when we went camping... it was so convenient to have little foil packets made up that we could just throw on the bbq.

I'm also a "recovering" vegetarian (ironically went back to eating meat about a year ago after a 15 year stint as a vegetarian, because I was starting to feel that my diet was too grain heavy, and imbalanced - before I knew a thing about Celiac!). Anyway... so I'm new to the meat cooking thing... can you just put raw meat in those packets and they will be ok? (I've only done veggie ones before). Thanks!

[kareng]

I posted my hubs foil creations on here somewhere. I'll see if I can find them in a little while. Be back.

These were posted for a gluten-free Boy Scout. The key is a little bit of liquid like BBQ sauce or salsa.

Here we go:

Chicken Fajita:

2 raw chicken tenders or chicken breast cut (1/4 to 1/2 lb.)

1 cup frozen pepper & onion mix (could do fresh but this is less CC potential)

1/2 cup quick/minute brown rice

3-4 tbsp salsa

Stir Fry:

Same as above but use stir fry frozen vegs and gluten-free Soy sauce & chicken broth or water for 4 tablespoons

And of course the classic foil dinner:

1/4-1/2 lbs hamburger patty

1 cup froz or fresh veggies

1 cup thin sliced or small square cut potatoes

1/4 -1/2 cup gluten-free BBQ sauce, broth or salsa

Cook these foil packets on top of the coals for 20-30 minutes. Don't even need plates!

Have also known people who do these in the home oven or grill.

We also cut red potatoes up and toss with olive oil or regular potatoes with frozen corn and butter and cook in the foil packets. This is a good way to cook in the oven when on vacation and the condo pans are suspect.

[Irishgirl76]

Awesome! Thanks!

[GottaSki]

I'm with the foil pouch camp...and I carry a box of foil along with a few utensils in the car so that my kids can have fresh burgers if someone is grilling...all of our family and friends know that we are not being rude when we cook our own at their party -- took some training but even my co-workers know not to touch an unopened box of treats before I get offered my share -- I usually can't have any of the treats, but it's nice that they offer anyway -- with time all of your family and friends will be trained too

Oh -- we always bring a sinful chocolate or cheese cake or quadruple choc brownies that no one believes are gluten free....started this when we first went gluten-free so that my kids wouldn't feel deprived when confronted with a table of gluten filled goodies -- they are no longer tempted and look forward to yummy desserts whenever we go out.

PS...the apple slicing incident is one that you will become more comfortable with jumping in to say no thank you...I didn't always refuse people's efforts when we were first gluten-free and paid the price by getting sick. Having your own bag of food along usually helps...I don't think we've left the house without my kit in the past couple years -- even when traveling we carry dried fruit, etc for back up until we can make it to a market.

[ravenwoodglass]

I posted my hubs foil creations on here somewhere. I'll see if I can find them in a little while. Be back.

These were posted for a gluten-free Boy Scout. The key is a little bit of liquid like BBQ sauce or salsa.

Here we go:

Chicken Fajita:

2 raw chicken tenders or chicken breast cut (1/4 to 1/2 lb.)

1 cup frozen pepper & onion mix (could do fresh but this is less CC potential)

1/2 cup quick/minute brown rice

3-4 tbsp salsa

Stir Fry:

Same as above but use stir fry frozen vegs and gluten-free Soy sauce & chicken broth or water for 4 tablespoons

And of course the classic foil dinner:

1/4-1/2 lbs hamburger patty

1 cup froz or fresh veggies

1 cup thin sliced or small square cut potatoes

1/4 -1/2 cup gluten-free BBQ sauce, broth or salsa

Cook these foil packets on top of the coals for 20-30 minutes. Don't even need plates!

Have also known people who do these in the home oven or grill.

We also cut red potatoes up and toss with olive oil or regular potatoes with frozen corn and butter and cook in the foil packets. This is a good way to cook in the oven when on vacation and the condo pans are suspect.

I cook many things in the oven this way. I call it my lazy day method cause you toss stuff in the foil and then ignore it till it's done. And no pans to wash.