Got a Thai charcoal cooker

[R2Egg2Q]

While picking up a 20" wok at The Wok Shop to use in my XL BGE, I found this Thai charcoal cooker:
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQAccessories/62EED97C-7D47-43C2-94E2-01410CC649B0-621-000000FF25AD0950_zps339ffb8a.jpg

I'd seen a similar cooker earlier in some posts elsewhere by Brethren member Woodmonkey and he recommended them for wok cooking. When I saw this cooker in person I had to get it.

I've been having fun with it and with some different recipes! I tried my 12" wok on it with K briquettes and found the heat a little lacking (even after removing the insert to allow more air in under the Wok):
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_0259_zps461b6905.jpg
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_0265_zps4fac607a.jpg

Experimented using some hanging tender(hanger steak) meat instead of flank (won't do this again - too tender & texture didn't seem right):
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_0267_zps12736cc4.jpg

Put my 10" CI grate from my Mini BGE onto the cooker & seared the last of the hanging tender:
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_0271_zpsbc0f5fa4.jpg

We enjoyed the grilled hangar steak with the meal:
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_0278_zpseb1945f9.jpg

I've found lump burns hotter in the cooker and have no problems keeping my. 16" wok hot:
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_4344_zpscb5495ba.jpg
Chicken, shallots, fermented black bean sauce, & asparagus:
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_4345_zpsf7564eb2.jpg

This was cooked in 2 batches to avoid overloading the wok & combined at the end:
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_4346_zps9c5c7308.jpg
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_4348_zps65c86666.jpg
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_4349_zpsc248a944.jpg

To shut it down & save an unused lump, I put the cooker into the XL BGE and close it up.
http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/IMG_4340_zps35aa1ce6.jpg

The cooker has worked out great so far, especially for some mid-week quick cooks.

Thx for looking!

[mbshop]

sure looks interesting. seen them but not in detail.

[SmokinAussie]

Hi John, I love it! That is a fantastic find!

Cheers

Bill

Sent from my XT910 using Tapatalk 2

[buccaneer]

Great work John...with your skills and taste you are going to have a heap of success with that!:clap2:

[ShadowDriver]

That looks like a great piece of kit for cooking but not heating up the kitchen, especially in the summer time (not to mention all the smoke and smells that go along with it)!

[FireChief]

Wow, everything looks fantastic! Interesting find, thanks for sharing.

[NBBD]

Thanks for sharing this in detail! Drooling over the meat shot

[Phubar]

Very nice R2!

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

I saw that on the wokshop.com website and it looked very interesting. Thanks for the report. I need many more BTUs than I can get on my LP kitchen range top.

Tane has suggested a 32,000 BTU portable wok burner that they carry, but that looks very good too.

[realspaazz]

That is cool! I gave up using the wok on my glass top electric stove. Tried the side burner on my gasser, but still not enough heat. That cooker would do wonderfully. I will have to keep my eyes open for one.

[John Bowen]

Very interesting - great looking food.

[IamMadMan]

Thanks for sharing.....

Interesting cooking device for the hotter days when we move to our outside kitchen.

[Woodmonkey]

I have had my Tao for about 2 years and am eggstaticly happy with it. As you have found out they are great for steaks also. Next up tandoori chicken.

[chicagokp]

That looks really great! Both the food and cooker.

[Ron_L]

Very cool! Where did you find it, and can I ask how much it was?

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

Very cool! Where did you find it, and can I ask how much it was?


http://www.wokshop.com/store/detail.php?show=538

[R2Egg2Q]

Great work John...with your skills and taste you are going to have a heap of success with that!:clap2:

If I had your skills and knowledge of Asian cooking I'd be cooking on this thing like crazy.

I saw that on the wokshop.com website and it looked very interesting. Thanks for the report. I need many more BTUs than I can get on my LP kitchen range top.

Tane has suggested a 32,000 BTU portable wok burner that they carry, but that looks very good too.

I never noticed the cooker on wokshop.com but I make occasional trips over to S.F. Chinatown to shop in person so I haven't looked too closely at their website.

That is cool! I gave up using the wok on my glass top electric stove. Tried the side burner on my gasser, but still not enough heat. That cooker would do wonderfully. I will have to keep my eyes open for one.

I tried one wok cook on my Weber Summit side burner (only 12,000 BTUs) and it fell way short of the heat I needed.

I have had my Tao for about 2 years and am eggstaticly happy with it. As you have found out they are great for steaks also. Next up tandoori chicken.

Thanks again for the inspiration on the cooker Richard!

Very cool! Where did you find it, and can I ask how much it was?

I picked it up in person at The Wok Shop (wokshop.com) but this looks like the same cooker for only $30 (before shipping): http://www.templeofthai.com/cookware/thai-bbq-stove-6200000562.php

Woodmonkey told me about this place which has other similar cookers: http://importfood.com/dao_cooker.html

[Mr Baloo]

Man you guys are costing me some bucks..... Now I have to have one of those..... Couldnt you just use one of those kid sized eggs?

[fingerlickin']

That thing is awesome, the food looks like it came out great. Great photo's too...as usual. :thumb:

[R2Egg2Q]

Man you guys are costing me some bucks..... Now I have to have one of those..... Couldnt you just use one of those kid sized eggs?

I have been using my Mini Egg with a wok but the dome will get in the way of larger woks. A 10" or 12" fits fine on the Mini, maybe up to a 14" (which I don't have). The Thai cooker works great with my 16" wok on less than 1/2 of a Weber chimney of lump (about the same as what I'd burn in the Mini Egg). For larger wok cooks, this is more efficient on lump than loading up my Small or Large BGE.

[Moose]

That looks way cool but not as good as your food! :clap:

Looks like you had a custom steel housing created just for this - do tell more...

[R2Egg2Q]

Thx Moose! No custom work on it. The odd thing is the cooker on the wok shop site is not the one I found there. Mine is the same as the one on the templeofthai.com site. The craftsmanship is not the cleanest & there's some sharp edges but it has some handmade charm to it and more importantly works well.

[Dirtbuddy]

That thing is too cool! And you meal looks farking killer man!

[swamprb]

That is very slick! Thanks for sharing those awesome cook pics, John!

[landarc]

Man, that is cool. Never seen one of those at The Wok Shop. Very cool.

[R2Egg2Q]

Man, that is cool. Never seen one of those at The Wok Shop. Very cool.

I found it buried under a bunch of woks up front near the register Bob. Funny thing was I didn't know they sold them and was going to ask them if they knew of any place in Chinatown to find them.

[landarc]

John, look up Kamei Restaurant Supply in San Francisco. It is a great store for all sorts of kitchen and dining stuff.

[Will work for bbq]

That thing is very cool and your cooking looks great as usual.

I wonder how well that would work with a paella pan?

[R2Egg2Q]

Thanks for the tip Bob! The Mrs is now very interested in going there so I suspect we'll be shopping soon.

[R2Egg2Q]

That thing is very cool and your cooking looks great as usual.

I wonder how well that would work with a paella pan?

Thx Paul! Good question. Perhaps a small paella pan using briquettes. I gave my smaller paella pan to my bro in law so all I have is a 18" pan which I'd think would get really hot in a small area. Not much control available on heat here:hot & hotter:laugh:

[landarc]

Take Marty, he needs something there as well.

I want the Japanese Konro grills they sell there, for Yakitori

[R2Egg2Q]

Take Marty, he needs something there as well.

I want the Japanese Konro grills they sell there, for Yakitori

I'm not sure Marty would be allowed to go there with me. We recently went to Restaurant Depot & he went home with over $200 worth of meat and he might be grounded :becky:.

http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/R2Egg2Q/BBQ/2013/C83BA307-6B69-4160-833B-992587A9DD67-3319-00000639E68FF47C_zps488448ef.jpg

[Bonewagon]

That's sweet! Food looks awesome. :thumb:

[tish]

John, what did you set it on while you were using it? Looks like a metal table of some kind. How hot does the bottom get? Would you be afraid to put it on certain surfaces? I use my cast iron wok quite often on my Keg, but I love the idea of this dedicated little cooker! Very cool! :thumb:

[Johnny_Crunch]

Awesome pr0n!

[R2Egg2Q]

John, what did you set it on while you were using it? Looks like a metal table of some kind. How hot does the bottom get? Would you be afraid to put it on certain surfaces? I use my cast iron wok quite often on my Keg, but I love the idea of this dedicated little cooker! Very cool! :thumb:

Tish, I've put it on a stainless table. I felt the table top after cooking on it and it was fairly warm but not too hot to touch. I had considered putting in on a piece of porcelain tile or raising it up on ceramic feet (from my Egg) but found it unnecessary on the metal table. I think I would raise it or protect the top of a plastic or maybe wood table but it might be overkill. I'll try to remember to get a temp reading off the bottom using my IR gun on next use.

[landarc]

I have seen pictures of them being used on wooden carts all over Asia, but, more often, they are places on the ground and used. I suspect this is more for stability than fire prevention. The Japanese version is designed for use on wooden tables. The ceramic bottom is more than adequate for shielding the heat.

[SmokyWoodturner]

Can't call that "grub". It looks too good. Where did you find it?

[SmokyWoodturner]

OOOPS. My Bad. Didn't read full thread or I would gotten the "Where From"

[R2Egg2Q]

No problem SmokyWoodturner.

Thanks everyone for compliments on the food & little cooker!

[Pyle's BBQ]

Here is another option for the clay cooker.

http://importfood.com/dao_cooker.html

[farklf]

I love that importfood site. Thanks for sharing.

[Dirtbuddy]

Gaud i need one of these clay cookers!

Thanks for that site Pyle :thumb:

[Kloogee]

This site is evil! Every time I open a thread, I find another cool toy that I NEED to have!

[R2Egg2Q]

Tish, I've put it on a stainless table. I felt the table top after cooking on it and it was fairly warm but not too hot to touch. I had considered putting in on a piece of porcelain tile or raising it up on ceramic feet (from my Egg) but found it unnecessary on the metal table. I think I would raise it or protect the top of a plastic or maybe wood table but it might be overkill. I'll try to remember to get a temp reading off the bottom using my IR gun on next use.

Hate to bump this post after 3 weeks but I finally got around to doing a little cooking on it again and took some readings off the bottom of the cooker with an IR gun and the hottest temps I got off the bottom was around 150 degrees. Not too bad.

[cowgirl]

Great looking cooker John! I missed this post the first time around, thanks for the info. :thumb:

[PhilB]

I wish I knew about those in our last place, since we had a glass-top stove top (blech). Now that we have gas, the wok is back out of retirement!

[VA-Dave]

Great Post John.

Thanks for sharing,

Dave