# Outdoor cooking gear help



## Chuckles (Dec 30, 2019)

I have a new home kitchen. There is no hood to vent outside just the microwave recirculating fan thing. I am smoking out this kitchen all the time. I am looking for a set-up to have just outside my back door for searing and high heat cooking. I initially was thinking grill with a burner but I am wondering if there is another solution. Has anybody used a wok burner or something similar that would work well for this type of application? I am doing a dive into Chinese cooking right now so perhaps this is the angle to take? I have a sneaking suspicion that KKF is maybe a better search engine than google for this question.

Thank you in advance for any and all help!


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## AT5760 (Dec 30, 2019)

Following. My new place has a similar setup. Smoked out the main floor when re-seasoning pans last night.


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## LostHighway (Dec 30, 2019)

Also following. We do have an outdoor venting hood but for the moment we are stuck with electric burners . We hopefully will replace the cooktop with gas but even in that eventuality I think I'd prefer to keep wok work outside, at least for the six months or so that climate permits.


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## Michi (Dec 30, 2019)

Chuckles said:


> Has anybody used a wok burner or something similar that would work well for this type of application?


I have a stainless steel BBQ outside, with a shelf either side. I had a hole cut into one of the shelves the right size to fit an industrial strength wok burner (somewhere around 80,000–100,000 BTU). This does the job nicely for searing, deep frying, stir fries, and the like.

I had a gas fitter make me a Y-junction that fits onto the gas bottle, so I can feed the BBQ and the wok burner from a single bottle. The wok burner has it's own regulator past the Y-junction because it needs high pressure to work.

All in all, it's a nice workable setup for jobs that produce a lot of smoke or are likely to spatter a lot.


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## Chuckles (Dec 30, 2019)

That’s interesting. So it is a propane industrial wok burner added onto an existing grill? That sounds pretty good to me because the wok burners I have looked at so far appear to have flimsy stands.


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## gman (Dec 30, 2019)

wok burner sounds like a good idea. for dishes that need absurd amounts of heat, like blackened catfish, my propane grill doesn't get hot enough, so i end up doing it on the gas stove inside, but i literally have to wear a gas mask because it makes so much smoke (and burning cayenne packs a sting!)


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## lowercasebill (Dec 30, 2019)

Would you consider an ooni .
950° f in 20 min. Couple of pieces of cast iron and you can sear anything. Bonus you can make pizza or bayou classic high pressure banjo burner 210,000 btu sounds like a jet engine that and a lodge 15 inch skillet. Forewarned bayou will melt anything less than 14 in. Diameter.
You could wok on it with a heat reistant glove


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## daveb (Dec 30, 2019)

I use a modified Bayou Classic for outdoor wok, paella, and nuke searing among other things. I bought the shorter unit for stability and keep it on a cheap table (not the chair). My brother does some welding and cut additional air holes in the frame and attached some sloping tabs to hold my wok. The Banjo Burner allows for control from full on nuke to low enough for the paella. I've got less than 100 in this one - my brother comes cheap. Hit me up for deets if interested.


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## Chuckles (Dec 30, 2019)

That looks like the ticket right there! Searing, paella and wok? Bingo.


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## Michi (Dec 30, 2019)

Y


Chuckles said:


> That’s interesting. So it is a propane industrial wok burner added onto an existing grill? That sounds pretty good to me because the wok burners I have looked at so far appear to have flimsy stands.


es, that’s what it is. I’m traveling right now; can post a photo once I get back in two weeks.


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## boomchakabowwow (Dec 30, 2019)

Chuckles. Google “thunder group” wok burner. It’s a blast furnace. 
The single greatest advantage is that it has a pilot light. You can flip off the flame and flip it back on without having to dick with a lighter again. 

I bought mine off Amazon for $98 shipped. 

it is gonna steam crab tomorrow. And with a grate, I roast peppers in mere seconds.


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## Michi (Dec 30, 2019)

That burner looks identical to mine. I simply had circular hole cut into the side shelf of my BBQ such that all but the top two inches of the burner are below the shelf.


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## boomchakabowwow (Dec 30, 2019)

Michi said:


> That burner looks identical to mine. I simply had circular hole cut into the side shelf of my BBQ auch that all but the top two inches of the burner are below the shelf.


Yea. I have a friend with a plasma cutter willing to cut a hole into a stainless table for me. But I’m lazy and enjoy the mobility of my system. I use it and toss it into a garage shelf when done. 

Michi- I ordered the wok you have today. I’m totally jazzed to try one with a handle. Thanks for the thumbs up on the wok.


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## Chuckles (Dec 30, 2019)

The thunder group one looks like it gets hotter. Maybe harder to simmer a paella tho. My big paella pan I usually do over wood so I am leaning toward wok ready.


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## boomchakabowwow (Dec 31, 2019)

Chuckles said:


> The thunder group one looks like it gets hotter. Maybe harder to simmer a paella tho. My big paella pan I usually do over wood so I am leaning toward wok ready.


Yea. The heat is too centered for paella. I use my Weber charcoal for that dish.


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## zeis (Dec 31, 2019)

Honestly a Iwatani 35FW or two could handle pretty well. Pretty high heat too


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 8, 2020)

Here us my burner with the pilot light lit. And then on low.


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## Chuckles (Jan 19, 2020)

So I got the Thunder Group burner on the way. Now I need a wok or two. Amazon really wants me to buy one for about $45. Is that reasonable? 
I am thinking 14 inch for me and my family. I also need one for 85 person parties. What size is ideal for that application? Is amazon the right place?


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## daveb (Jan 19, 2020)

https://www.wokshop.com/

Got one from here some 20 years ago. For an outside burner you can do a round bottom one. Wok and Woll.


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## Chuckles (Jan 19, 2020)

Got it. Thanks Dave. They even had what looked like a CCK for $10.


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## Michi (Jan 19, 2020)

Chuckles said:


> So I got the Thunder Group burner on the way. Now I need a wok or two. Amazon really wants me to buy one for about $45. Is that reasonable?


Sounds very reasonable to me. Just make sure that the steel isn't too thin. I bought this one last year, and I'm very happy with it. It's more pricey, though.) I'd also strongly recommend carbon steel over something that's stainless or coated.

14" is a good all-rounder size. You can make a meal for four persons with that (up to six, in a pinch), but it's small enough for a single meal and not too unwieldy.

I can't help with a wok for 85 people. Making a wok larger than 14" will help some, but keep in mind that there is only so large you can go before your burner no longer keeps up with the size of the wok. Juggling larger amounts food in a very large wok also requires more skill (and a wok spatula that is long enough).

Having said that, you can buy woks up to 32" (or maybe even larger). I have no first-hand experience with those though. I certainly would spend some time practicing with a really large wok before trying to cater for 85 people and having things go south.


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## Chuckles (Jan 19, 2020)

Looks like a workout.


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## Michi (Jan 20, 2020)

Chuckles said:


> Looks like a workout.


Thanks a lot for that link! That burner must put out 200,000 or 300,000 BTU…

There clearly is a lot of experience involved. It's also almost comical how he has to jump up and down to get enough momentum into the food 

This is definitely not something I would experiment on my guests with, at least not without having done it lots of times before. The problem is that this is learnable only in a commercial environment, gradually moving up a wok sizes, I imagine. I mean, it's not terribly economical for me to make kilograms and kilograms of stir-fried rice at home for practice, only to throw it away until I finally get it right


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 21, 2020)

i bought the same wok as Michi. its good. seasoning it is slow and steady, but it's getting there. the wood on mine is ever so slightly loose. it clicks. i can handle it later this spring when i can dowel the drilled holes and use better hardware.

big woks. my stepdad would make massive fried rice dishes. he once tried to teach me. he uses the spatula and throws the rice into the ladle, where it gets yanked back into the mix. it is SO DIFFICULT a move! my arms cramped almost immediately. it was awesome to experience and i'll never forget it. my stepdad was badass and had forearms of steel.


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 21, 2020)

oh..14" is perfect for up to four.

i have two now. my old one is so seasoned it is EXCELLENT. but i wanted that big handle for the wok toss.


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 21, 2020)

Chuckles the Thunder Wok burner has a sucky attachement to your propane tanks. it thread to the INSIDE of the valve. and it has a tiny thin knob to get it done with. i bought a $14 fuel level gauge from Home Depot that i thread it on tight and converted it to the easier valve that threads to the outside of the propane tank valve.


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 21, 2020)

this one.


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## Chuckles (Jan 26, 2020)

I thought I would update this thread with some feedback from the wokshop that daveb linked. I bought everything needed for a wok station. Wok, utensils, steamer etc. Everything went smooth through checkout. Then I got an email saying they needed to double the shipping cost from what was quoted. I inquired about what could be removed from the order to reduce shipping cost to keep the total purchase in line as not everything was 100% vital. The response was a voided order with no note or possible solution. I feel like I got kicked out of a store for trying to buy too much. Leaves a strange feeling behind. I guess I will have to purchase the items elsewhere. Bizarre in a day and age where most of the items I was purchasing ship for free from amazon. I was going out of my way to support an independent business but have ended up empty handed.


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## panda (Jan 26, 2020)

Wow that's really stupid, throw away business for no reason.


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## panda (Jan 26, 2020)

I buy everything I possibly can from Amazon because of their impeccable customer service.


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 26, 2020)

Chuckles said:


> I thought I would update this thread with some feedback from the wokshop that daveb linked. I bought everything needed for a wok station. Wok, utensils, steamer etc. Everything went smooth through checkout. Then I got an email saying they needed to double the shipping cost from what was quoted. I inquired about what could be removed from the order to reduce shipping cost to keep the total purchase in line as not everything was 100% vital. The response was a voided order with no note or possible solution. I feel like I got kicked out of a store for trying to buy too much. Leaves a strange feeling behind. I guess I will have to purchase the items elsewhere. Bizarre in a day and age where most of the items I was purchasing ship for free from amazon. I was going out of my way to support an independent business but have ended up empty handed.


Could be worse. You could have been at their brick/mortar location. 

I won’t shop there. The store needs to be pressure washed top or bottom.


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## LostHighway (Jan 26, 2020)

panda said:


> I buy everything I possibly can from Amazon because of their impeccable customer service.



Mixed feelings here, Amazon proper customer service/fulfillment continues to mostly be excellent but some fakes/copies are creeping into their supply chain. Their 3rd part sellers have become the wild west and might just as well be Alibaba or e-Bay. Amazon, per se, has little or no s**ts to give. Linking element to this and related threads: I recently purchased The Breath of a Wok in "New" condition from an Amazon 3rd party seller and it arrived far from it. I returned the book but am still waiting for credit.
The human worker, cultural, and environmental costs of Amazon are also worth some thought. 

Chuckles experience with The Wok Shop was monumentally stupid on their part.


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## panda (Jan 26, 2020)

dont order anything 3rd party, problem solved.


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## MowgFace (Jan 26, 2020)

I have a few of the cleavers from the wok shop For 10-12 bucks they are great. They are reasonably thin and pretty damn straight for how cheap they are. The owner there is an interesting one for sure. I was looking for something CCK 1303 size, and she was offended I wasn’t taking her recommendations. Went on a rant about how she’s worked there for 52 years and sold to all the restaurants near by. Telling me anything bigger was overkill. I politely kept my mouth shut as to not have to deal with her any longer. 

Mowgs.


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 26, 2020)

there is a Chinese hardware store around the corner. (head south, take a left) that has a better collection of CCK cleavers. mostly stainless ones when I was there.

great wok tool selection and even awesome woks. 

I won't step into the WokShop anymore. it is just a tourist trap these days.


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## Chuckles (Jan 27, 2020)

Honestly didn’t cross my mind that it could be a bric and mortar. Seeing where it is located now it is possible I have actually been there before. Funny. Repurchased most of the stuff from amazon.


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## Michi (May 9, 2020)

Michi said:


> Chuckles said:
> 
> 
> > That’s interesting. So it is a propane industrial wok burner added onto an existing grill? That sounds pretty good to me because the wok burners I have looked at so far appear to have flimsy stands.
> ...


It's been a lot longer than two weeks… I just cleaned the BBQ, which reminded me to post the photo.

This is it, turned up high. The flames are yellow because there is just way too much gas, so it doesn't get enough oxygen. Set to a normal flame, it burns blue.


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## Tristan (May 13, 2020)

Nobody has love for the Yamada hammered woks from Japan? I thought hammered carbon steel from Japan would have been the standard in this forum 
It is also fairly inexpensive. 

Yamada Hammered Japanese Wok


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## jacko9 (May 13, 2020)

I installed a propane BBQ unit last summer (I would have run a gas line if I didn't have to trench so long a run) and it has rendered my Weber charcoal grill obsolete. Ideally I would have run a gas line and installed the larger unit but this one was the AOG 24" replacement and the brickwork and cutout were already there.


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## Noodle Soup (May 13, 2020)

Tristan said:


> Nobody has love for the Yamada hammered woks from Japan? I thought hammered carbon steel from Japan would have been the standard in this forum
> It is also fairly inexpensive.
> 
> Yamada Hammered Japanese Wok


One of these is my primary kitchen wok but I have a couple of others I used for outside cooking.


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## orangehero (May 13, 2020)

I have a model similar to this one:








Expedition 2X Combo


Camp Chef's Expedition 2X Double Burner includes two 30K BTU burners and a professional fry griddle making it one of the most versatile cooking systems in its class. The Expedition 2X features removable legs for easy portability and storage as well as an easy to use Matchless Ignition System for...




www.campchef.com





The burners are high powered and aluminum so they don't rust like all of the cast iron ones. Also you can get a lot of cool accessories for it like a grill, oven, griddle.


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## boomchakabowwow (May 13, 2020)

Tristan said:


> Nobody has love for the Yamada hammered woks from Japan? I thought hammered carbon steel from Japan would have been the standard in this forum
> It is also fairly inexpensive.
> 
> Yamada Hammered Japanese Wok


 i was tempted, but i felt it was too rich for my blood. plus i wanted that tiny helper handle so i can hang it on my "wall of steel" in my garage.


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## boomchakabowwow (May 13, 2020)

orangehero said:


> I have a model similar to this one:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


i gave mine away. it was great ,but setting it up was too time consuming. broken down, it is heavy and giant. even for truck camping. i hatedd how the hose attached front and center. it was put right where most of the grease splattered. it was very powerful, and was awesome to have around when i made wild turkey stock from the bird carcasses i got on my hunts. it supported a huge caldron, and slow simmered just fine. the size was just too jagged of a pill to swallow.


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## coxhaus (Jun 18, 2021)

I have a 6-burner gas grill I use for quick grilling. I gave up on charcoal as it takes too long. If I want to slow cook, I use my smoker. In the summer time it is too hot in the house to cook much so I use the grill. We grill everything outside in the summer. Once the gas grills become seasoned then they come close to a charcoal grill for taste.


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