When the Cobb was launched in 2001, it was hailed by Time magazine as one of the best inventions of the year. It has continued to evolve ever since. Starting life originally as a ceramic hot pot it is now a lightweight stainless steel miracle. Six to eight charcoal briquettes will give more than 2 hours cooking time at temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit or almost 260 degrees centigrade. The design is such that only the lid gets hot, not the body of the cooker.
The Cobb is extremely compact and weighs in at only eight and a half pounds, less than 4 kilos. As well as using the Cobb regularly at home the compact design makes it an ideal cooker on my boat or when we go camping.
I first became aware of the Cobb on a camping trip, where another camper was using one. When I saw what he was producing on it, I was hooked and bought one shortly after the holiday. The unit gets used regularly at home as well on camping trips. I also find that the Cobb is ideal when boating. The galley on my boat is only one metre wide, so space is at a real premium. The Cobb fits happily on the cooker space and effectively gives me an on-board barbeque and oven. I can produce a full roast dinner with all the trimmings if I want to. I do not use it for everything of course, though I did at first!
The design of the Cobb is such that the unit has a fairly small central grate area, where the briquettes go. This is surrounded by what is effectively, a moat. I always use wine, cider or beer in here. It keeps the food moist and collects meat juices etc which forms the basis of an excellent gravy or sauce at the end of cooking.
In the home environment the Cobb makes an excellent BBQ, and is a real talking point. It is easy enough to provide enough food to keep half a dozen people happy, while saving money on fuel at the same time. With the fire grate full you are only going to use eight briquettes.