# Who’s wokking on their BGE?



## brianh (Jan 15, 2019)

Anyone using a CGS spider and a wok? I think I would prefer a wok with a long, upright handle to flip the wok. I don’t see too many woks with a handle like this. Opinions?


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## MontezumaBoy (Jan 15, 2019)

Hi Brianh - Not sure I can comment on which wok style to use but I played around with the spider and wok on my BGE (many moons ago) but, to be honest, was just a bit concerned about coming down hard on the spider and into the fire box. Also the "lid" gets in the way IMO. Once I changed over to a stand alone wok burner I also realized that the BGE, although great at storing/reflecting/utilizing heat (both convective & radiant) just doesn't produce the heat you want for the Wok.

My $0.02 ... maybe others have had better luck but I just don't like the impact potential, lid proximity and thermal mass available - compared to a propane/natural gas jet burner (plus it isn't as cool as the burner!).

Let me know what you come up with though ...


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## daveb (Jan 15, 2019)

I'm not working on mine - I'm cooking on it! Piss on that yankee cold weather and that white stuff everywhere.

I also use an outdoor burner for my wok. It would be tough (and inefficient as hell) to get the BGE to the kind of temps the wok likes.


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## Bensbites (Jan 15, 2019)

I forget where I saw this, but a charcoal chimney is idea for wok cooking. This from a guy with three KJs.


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## brianh (Jan 15, 2019)

I’m surprised the egg doesn’t produce the heat needed even with a small amount of charcoal. This is what I usually reserve the little crappy pieces of charcoal for, hot and fast. Shut the egg down and reuse it next time. My oven exhaust fan is awful, so doing this outdoors seems ideal. 

The chimney was an idea I had, as well. Rocket fuel.


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## MontezumaBoy (Jan 15, 2019)

One order of hydrazine coming right up! Meet you outside the main gate at dusk tomorrow (Main gate please as the guards are heavy sleepers) - Vandenberg, CA ... be sure to bring your NIOSH approved hazmat ... beauty is you don't even have to ignite it yourself ....

The charcoal doesn't produce enough energy (power really) ... just too little compared to a 100,000 BTU burner ... just sayin ... plus it isn't really doesn't have the "cool as F$#k" rating as the jet burner does (both in sound & sight)!


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## brianh (Jan 16, 2019)

Thanks for the info, guys.


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## brianh (Jan 22, 2019)

How many BTUs do you recommend for an outdoor rig, 100,000?


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## MrHiggins (Jan 22, 2019)

Bensbites said:


> I forget where I saw this, but a charcoal chimney is idea for wok cooking. This from a guy with three KJs.


Yep! I had one rigged with a foot pump bellows made from an air mattress pump. I could get that sucker blazing.


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## daveb (Jan 22, 2019)

I started with a Bayou Classic SP-10 then my brother (the welder) helped trick it out. Changed out the burner, added high pressure reg/hose, I think he changed out the orifice. Also cut some holes in the windscreen for more air flow. The inside tabs were cut and bent to provide a more stable rest for the wok. From Tables I've seen I'm guessing it's capable of 120 to 150K btu. I only open it up part way cause I'm afraid of burning through the wok. 
Don't use it in the chair


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 24, 2019)

daveb said:


> I started with a Bayou Classic SP-10 then my brother (the welder) helped trick it out. Changed out the burner, added high pressure reg/hose, I think he changed out the orifice. Also cut some holes in the windscreen for more air flow. The inside tabs were cut and bent to provide a more stable rest for the wok. From Tables I've seen I'm guessing it's capable of 120 to 150K btu. I only open it up part way cause I'm afraid of burning through the wok.
> Don't use it in the chair
> 
> 
> ...


Awesome!!!

Rig up a pilot light and that would be so over the top. My burner; that’s the best feature. Woking, the ability to shut off the heat occasionally to add more stuff is fantastic. Mine just bleeds off a little propane thru a valve and tiny tube with a drill orifice. Simple really.


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 24, 2019)

Bensbites said:


> I forget where I saw this, but a charcoal chimney is idea for wok cooking. This from a guy with three KJs.




I tried it. I’m too ham fisted. It was way too top heavy. Plenty of heat, but the stability issue was too much for me. Maybe if I set bricks around it.


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## brianh (Jan 24, 2019)

boomchakabowwow said:


> I tried it. I’m too ham fisted. It was way too top heavy. Plenty of heat, but the stability issue was too much for me. Maybe if I set bricks around it.



This is what I plan on doing to start. Chimney + bricks.


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## podzap (Jan 27, 2019)

A chimney depends on a proper flow of air being pulled in through the bottom and leaving out through the top. Leave some spaces in between your bottom bricks and also an air escape route at the top.


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## brianh (Jan 27, 2019)

Yeah, the chimney didn’t work so well. I should have gotten the coals 100% ashed over. I didn’t wait long enough and every time I put the wok on top, it snuffed the fire out. I’ll try again but a propane burner might be in my future. Been reading Stir Fry to the Sky’s Edge and it hints that even a 57k burner is more than enough.


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## Bert2368 (Jan 27, 2019)

If you want to do outdoors wok cooking with a high ouput burner but don't want to stand in the smoke of a large wood fire?

Make yourself a Top Lit Up Draft burner, uses twigs, scraps of wood and cheap wood pellets made for animal bedding. I run mine on pelletized sawdust sold by Walmart as horse stall bedding for $6.00 US per 50 lb. bag, mixed 50:50 by volume with small pieces of wood from trimming our trees or woodworking (free!).

If the draft and ratio of primary air (controls gassification) to secondary air (burns the producer gas in an efficient jet) are correct, there is very little smoke, only a little soot will be left on your wok bottom as well.

Here is flame pattern on a small one I have been tinkering with:








Here is where to look up design info:

http://www.drtlud.com/introduction/

http://www.drtlud.com/2016/09/30/deganga-tlud-project-2016/

http://www.appropedia.org/File:TLUD_Stove.jpg


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## Mucho Bocho (Jan 27, 2019)

Guys, don’t didts around with DIY wok burners. Here is a true wok burner. One and done. Lifes too short. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JNK5CHG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## brianh (Jan 27, 2019)

I like that a regular propane burner can be just that, and also be a wok burner by adding a wok ring. Multitasker. But I’ve no experience with it yet.


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## Mucho Bocho (Jan 27, 2019)

Brian, once you fire this wok burner up you’ll get it. I don’t think I’ve ever had it wide open, actually too much heat but nice to know it’s there if you need it. Can be used as a stand sling burner but you’ll need a defuser of some sort. I use a lodge cast iron trivet.


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## Bill13 (Jan 27, 2019)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Guys, don’t didts around with DIY wok burners. Here is a true wok burner. One and done. Lifes too short. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JNK5CHG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20



Dennis is this what you have? I've posted this link before: https://importfood.com/products/thai-cookware/item/extremely-powerful-thai-gas-burner-with-stand but I have had my eyes on this for a couple of years, partly because of the stand. Maybe this summer I will finally build my BGE table and make a spot for the one in your link.


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## Mucho Bocho (Jan 27, 2019)

Yea Bill. It’s da bomb, serious fire power. Commercial level flame thrower. Almost laughable. Very robust design too.


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 28, 2019)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Guys, don’t didts around with DIY wok burners. Here is a true wok burner. One and done. Lifes too short. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JNK5CHG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


I’m with Mucho on this. I bought one similar. Thunder Group or something. $90 w free shipping IIRC.

I had a pro chef tell me, smaller wok = smaller heat. I’ve yet to crank mine to full power. Okay, not true. I used full heat to burn in a new wok. Now? I have the regulator turned down. It might be at 40%.

It’s too hot now.

I have a buddy willing to plasma-cutter a 11” diameter hole into a stainless steel topped work table for me to nestle my burner into. The tables are cheap. I just haven’t pulled the trigger. Right now, it’s all so mobile. I bring it in nightly.


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## btbyrd (Jan 28, 2019)

I had my eye on the Import Thai Food burner for years, in part because of the stand. But when it no longer became available, I looked around at all the alternatives, which mostly seem like cheap unbranded or re-branded generic units. The one I ended up with is an Auscrown Rambo, which is marketed by an Australian company to Australian consumers... seemingly in the RV/camping crowd. It has a regulator that is common on nicer stand-alone wok burners, but the hose/connectors/ignition seem as though they was selected/designed by a company who had quality and litigation in mind. In other words, it seems as though it was built by a company who didn't want to get sued by someone who blew themselves up because their 2-cent hose popped a leak next to their 100kBTU jet engine inferno. Burly construction. Pumps out the therms. Highly recommended.


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## Paraffin (Jan 28, 2019)

It's good to see the conversation move towards propane. In my wokking experience, it's important not just to get the heat you want, but to kill the heat quickly when you need to. Like moving from hot stir fry to the finishing sauce where you want to control how much the starch is thickening. Or dumping the oil from "passing through oil" deep fry, for the finish in the same wok at lower heat. That kind of heat control only works with gas.

I'm not convinced you NEED 100,000 btu of heat for the real deal. I manage with 30.000 btu indoors with a dedicated wok burner and a massive hood blower. The major benefit of a dedicated wok burner -- indoors or outside -- is that it lets you use larger size woks. And if it's designed right, it's safer for large amounts of oil when deep frying. But I do understand the attraction of these jet engine blowers. It's a guy thing.


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## Michi (Feb 4, 2019)

I have one of those things set into the stainless steel side tray of my BBQ. Not this exact one, but very similar.


The amount of heat it can produce is stupidly large. I can get a large carbon steel wok from cold to cherry red in 45 seconds with it. (Yes, really. I timed it )

The nice thing about these burners is that you can get a _lot_ of heat instantly, but you can also turn them down to a low simmer. I'm very happy with mine.


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## TheNewMexican (Feb 15, 2019)

brianh said:


> Anyone using a CGS spider and a wok? I think I would prefer a wok with a long, upright handle to flip the wok. I don’t see too many woks with a handle like this. Opinions?



Not quite "Wokking" but using a "Disko" on a Kamodo Joe (see post here: https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/disko-babeee.30676/#post-460037 go to top of post for pictures). Southwest Disc has a bunch of great recipes from Paella, to sausage / potato / egg breakfast to Fajitas and stir fry. They are worth checking out.

www.southwestdisk.com

It's been rumored that a Disko is the "go to" by little green men while camping outside the Roswell area. Ha!


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## MontezumaBoy (Feb 15, 2019)

That South West Disk looks like it has a South African step brother ... see the link;

https://www.cadacinternational.com/products/camping-range/skottel-braai/?variant=Skottelbraai

Very interesting ... First time I ever cooked/ate breakfast on a South African Skottel was in '99 and my lovely Zimbabwean bride just told me she had them as a child (i.e. early 70's) ... a quick google search shows their "history" is the same ... Funny how folks figure out the same use for the same stuff ...

From what I remember I'm not sure the disk heating power is enough for Wok preparations as the one I used was under powered but that stand setup looks quite stable.

TjA



TheNewMexican said:


> Not quite "Wokking" but using a "Disko" on a Kamodo Joe (see post here: https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/disko-babeee.30676/#post-460037 go to top of post for pictures). Southwest Disc has a bunch of great recipes from Paella, to sausage / potato / egg breakfast to Fajitas and stir fry. They are worth checking out.
> 
> www.southwestdisk.com
> 
> It's been rumored that a Disko is the "go to" by little green men while camping outside the Roswell area. Ha!


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## Bensbites (Feb 15, 2019)

TheNewMexican said:


> Not quite "Wokking" but using a "Disko" on a Kamodo Joe (see post here: https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/disko-babeee.30676/#post-460037 go to top of post for pictures). Southwest Disc has a bunch of great recipes from Paella, to sausage / potato / egg breakfast to Fajitas and stir fry. They are worth checking out.
> 
> www.southwestdisk.com
> 
> It's been rumored that a Disko is the "go to" by little green men while camping outside the Roswell area. Ha!



Nice to see another Joe owner


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## daveb (Feb 15, 2019)

So if the grate diameter on my large egg is 18", grate on mini-max is 13", will the small 20" Disko work with them? Thinking that with mini the Disko would overhang the heat source a bit but that might be a good thing.

Wondered about this the last time you posted but never got around to ordering one. This time will be different.


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## TheNewMexican (Feb 15, 2019)

MontezumaBoy - Food is a great motivator of invention across cultures! Ha 

Dave - I've got the Big Joe which has a 24" grate. I run an 18" Disko which works out real well. The Big Joe allows for either positioning the spider at grate level or dropping the spider down about 4 inches below grate level. Most of the time I have the Disko at grate level and it heats up pretty hot. In the middle of stinkin' winter here I've had to drop it down to the lower level as I tend the grill wrapped in a Carhart, mittens and a mad bomber hat! 

I would think that the 18" disk would work just fine for you because the bowl shape would swirl the heat and smoke to the edge of the Disko and up. The one thing I asked Southwest Disk to do (and the owner was very accommodating) was to bend the handles straight up. Keeps your hands out of the heat and on my Joe, I can close the lid if I want to store it inside.

I hope I didn't ramble too much. These Disko's get me excited and the food on them is just the best........


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## boomchakabowwow (Feb 17, 2019)

TheNewMexican said:


> MontezumaBoy - Food is a great motivator of invention across cultures! Ha
> 
> Dave - I've got the Big Joe which has a 24" grate. I run an 18" Disko which works out real well. The Big Joe allows for either positioning the spider at grate level or dropping the spider down about 4 inches below grate level. Most of the time I have the Disko at grate level and it heats up pretty hot. In the middle of stinkin' winter here I've had to drop it down to the lower level as I tend the grill wrapped in a Carhart, mittens and a mad bomber hat!
> 
> ...



Ahhh. I remember you! Your the guy that blew in my ear...and now I also own the 18” disco from ABQ. I love the thing. I still haven’t put it to use at deer camp (over a fire propped on three rocks) but it is my go to pan fried fish vessel. 

Using my wok burner is not ideal but moving the food around works. 

My disco fits completely in my Weber propane grill. I can pan fry a lot of food paella was a fail.


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