2nd Annual Two Cousin's Epic Ride Report...FINALLY!!!
#22
06-16-2010, 03:48 PM
Could you provide some details on your pizza setup? How did you modify the BBQ and what type of crust do you use? How long to cook, temp, etc...I think I'll have to try this out next time I camp!
#24
06-16-2010, 09:22 PM
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Washington
Posts: 21,060
"The barbecue is just a portable, Webber style barbecue. You can see the size from the pictures. I found a griddle that fits (almost) perfectly inside the barbecue. I had to use my vise grip and bend in the handles on the sides so the lid would fit down on it. The lid still gets hung up on the griddle, but it is almost completely down and works.
The key to making this work was definitely the griddle, as that makes it possible to not burn stuff. The pizza was a Papa Murphy’s take and bake pizza. Deej and I cut the sides off so that it would fit on the griddle and put the contents from the sides back onto the pizza, and got rid of the excess dough. It took roughly 25 minutes to cook. I think we started with it on medium but then changed that to high.
Cant remember exactly, but I do recall that there was some changing and checking of the temp and results that helped us for the next meal (mostly with the french fries). We used it for pizza one night, and French fries the other 3 nights. It did a great job on the fries, which also took about 30 minutes, maybe a few more. But as you can see, we did a full bag of fries, so fewer would probably take less time.
The pizza was perfect. Cooked all the way, not burnt, with a slight crunch to the crust. It could have come from New York."
#25
06-17-2010, 02:06 AM
Nice trip. You mentioned the inverter...how long does one battery last? I saw that you brought spares. How long will it power up the camper and what exactly were you powering besides the tv and lights?
That's totally the way to camp by the way.
Mike
That's totally the way to camp by the way.
Mike
#27
06-17-2010, 05:20 AM
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Washington
Posts: 21,060
" Don’t know how long one battery would last. We had 4 deep cycle batteries hooked up in parallel. I have a 300 watt inverter hooked up directly to the DC panel, as well as a digital volt meter showing the volts at all times.
We used the lights pretty generously but that was because they have all been replaced with LED panel boards (so not an incandescent bulb in the bunch), and so the power draw for having them all on was very low. We also ran the TV and auxiliary speakers for at least 4 hours each night. The TV/speakers were using roughly 60 watts. The TV is 45 and the speakers 15. I also have a small fridge that is running 24/7, and it is a 2.5 amp draw. We also ran the propane heater fan in the evening here and there to heat it up some (hey, it got cold… plus I didn’t want Deej to ask if we could “snuggle”). Also the occasional water pump use.
All four batteries were essentially topped off at the start of the trip. I would run the generator (1200 watt) for a bit in the morning, roughly an hour, and a bit more in the evening, sometimes a couple hours, and that kept the batteries charged up. I would check the volt meter after we got back from riding all day and it would be around 12.65 or higher. That is after running the fridge all day. I would run the generator while we were cleaning up and making/eating dinner and it would get up to between 12.9 to 13 and change. When I shut the generator down and we were watching TV in the evening I would watch the volt meter while it was drawing power for the TV/Speakers, some lights, and the occasional heater fan, and with those power draws it would stay in the 12.35 to 12.5 range. After I shut off the TV/speakers it would pop up to 12.65 or so and then bounce a bit up and down depending on when the fridge kicked on.
Last thing. I upgraded the converter/charger in the toy hauler this year. The one that was in there was a single phase charger, and it would have taken running the generator all day to charge the batteries. The upgrade has a four stage charging system, and it monitors the battery levels to give it bulk absorption charge or maintenance charge, depending on the need. Quick charge when needed, but wont boil out or overcharge the batteries when they are charged. Great investment to the trailer, and it was what allowed the small generator to put much more into the batteries from just running it as little as we did.
The movies at the end of the night was really part of the fun for the trip. To come back and pork out and then settle in and watch a movie was awesome. Last year we had to have the generator running to watch TV (camper with no battery system), but this year we would watch with no generator running in the background. We watched Austin Powers, 1,2,3, I am Legend, Collateral, some Brian Regan standup, Triumph the comic insult dog, Disturbia, some WWII stuff… it was great,,, except for the scary movies when Deej wanted to “snuggle”…"
--
Jim
#28
06-18-2010, 03:50 PM
My cousin Jim sent this to me at your request.
"The barbecue is just a portable, Webber style barbecue. You can see the size from the pictures. I found a griddle that fits (almost) perfectly inside the barbecue. I had to use my vise grip and bend in the handles on the sides so the lid would fit down on it. The lid still gets hung up on the griddle, but it is almost completely down and works.
The key to making this work was definitely the griddle, as that makes it possible to not burn stuff. The pizza was a Papa Murphy’s take and bake pizza. Deej and I cut the sides off so that it would fit on the griddle and put the contents from the sides back onto the pizza, and got rid of the excess dough. It took roughly 25 minutes to cook. I think we started with it on medium but then changed that to high.
Cant remember exactly, but I do recall that there was some changing and checking of the temp and results that helped us for the next meal (mostly with the french fries). We used it for pizza one night, and French fries the other 3 nights. It did a great job on the fries, which also took about 30 minutes, maybe a few more. But as you can see, we did a full bag of fries, so fewer would probably take less time.
The pizza was perfect. Cooked all the way, not burnt, with a slight crunch to the crust. It could have come from New York."
"The barbecue is just a portable, Webber style barbecue. You can see the size from the pictures. I found a griddle that fits (almost) perfectly inside the barbecue. I had to use my vise grip and bend in the handles on the sides so the lid would fit down on it. The lid still gets hung up on the griddle, but it is almost completely down and works.
The key to making this work was definitely the griddle, as that makes it possible to not burn stuff. The pizza was a Papa Murphy’s take and bake pizza. Deej and I cut the sides off so that it would fit on the griddle and put the contents from the sides back onto the pizza, and got rid of the excess dough. It took roughly 25 minutes to cook. I think we started with it on medium but then changed that to high.
Cant remember exactly, but I do recall that there was some changing and checking of the temp and results that helped us for the next meal (mostly with the french fries). We used it for pizza one night, and French fries the other 3 nights. It did a great job on the fries, which also took about 30 minutes, maybe a few more. But as you can see, we did a full bag of fries, so fewer would probably take less time.
The pizza was perfect. Cooked all the way, not burnt, with a slight crunch to the crust. It could have come from New York."
