Cobb Premier Portable Stainless Steel Grill & Smoker

I first saw the Cobb Grill at an outdoor show. It seemed too good to be true--cooking all that food, that fast, with that little fuel, and cleaning up so easily. But the sales rep was doing it all right in front of our eyes, so it was pretty persuasive.

Still, I felt a little like I was buying something from one of those late-night TV infomercials. But, since there was a generous return policy, we went ahead and bought the Cobb Premier Grill, to give it a try.

Put simply, the Cobb did everything--EVERYTHING--that had been promised, and a bit more. In fact, we found it cooked superbly with even less charcoal fuel than advertised, and cleaned up even easier. In fact, once we bought the Cobb, our big old charcoal grill really didn't get used any more.

Another high point is its portability. The included carry bag is sturdy and durable...making it very easy for us to carry it along in the car, or even on short hikes. Excellent for camping, picnicking, etc. Haven't used it on a boat or in an RV yet, but we can see how the Cobb would work every well in those uses, as well. The "stay-cool" bottom really DOES stay COOL!!!

So, we recommend it highly. It seemed a little pricey at first...but once you buy it, you'll find that all the parts are very high quality. We got the stainless steel version, and it was well worth the cost difference. The Cobb is far superior to those cheap little import grills you may have seen in the past.

Good luck with your own Cobb!

I've had mine for about a month now, and have done 3 chickens, 2 tri-tip roasts and a DOUBLE rack of Baby-backs... and am gearing up to try baking/smoking a pile of shortribs soon.

So far, I have only used the roasting rack to cook with...wet mesquite chips wrapped in heavy alum. foil in the firebasket smoke the meat nicely, just perfect. Surprised compliments from everyone who've tasted the results. Chicken, in 1 1/2 to 2 hours, comes out so tender you'll wonder if it's really done (it is). The Babybacks smoked up wonderful and were as tender as you'd want.

I'm a tri-tip guy, and all my friends step back in respect when I approach a grill with a Tri-tip in hand. I'm good at it. This Cobb Grill makes the best I've ever had.

Pro's:

*Convenient for apartments, small patios, any lifestyle or condition when you want the BBQ to come out and go back to stashed away. It is small, compact, all the accoutrements fit comfortably into the carrying case, even the extra accessories you might buy. Speaking of which, search the internet for the cheapest roasting rack...some will sell this wire rack for $39...it's about an $6 item, but if you can find one for $15, get one. You'll use it for roasting and allows you to NOT need to turn over the ribs, chicken, etc. during the cooking process. It's probably the most convenient of all the accessories.

*Easy setup, easy stash. Minimal fuel (10-12 briquettes).

*A moat! You can add water, soda, beer,etc., in the built-in moat and you get results like doing a Beer-can chicken. Most moist and great taste for everything. Results are great.

*Easy to smoke meats. Add your wet chips to the firebowl when you put on the meat. I've been using about 2 tablespoons of chips for a nice amount of smoke flavor.

*Both portable and movable. Not only is this little thing really portable, it can be moved anytime during the grilling by just picking it up with your bare hands. Its sides are cool. It's halfway to 'Kid-Friendly' and is a pretty safe grill to have around kids. The dome is hot, but the sides are not. This is especially handy if you want to shuffle ribs or flip some meat halfway thru cooking...I just pick it up and carry it to the kitchen where I can flip things without making a mess...then I take it outside again. Very handy!

*Set it and Ferget it. The nice thing is that you don't have to bother with the grill while its cooking. Go party. Relax. All you need is a timer to figure out when its all done. Because you are using a moat and liquid (if you do) it's hard to over-cook anything.

I haven't tried doing a plain steak yet, or hamburgers, without the lid...that's next week's project.

Cons: Expensive. I bought mine on sale for $85 and was lucky to get it at that. The accessories are expensive. The wok, the frying pan are well designed and might be worth the loot, but the roasting rack is just a wire grid who's legs happen to fit into the ring-holes of the included grill plate. At the mfg. cost of the wire rack, they should be throwing this thing in for free. Once you get your unit home, you can look for workable racks in thrift shops.

You can still find the earlier models, with the black plastic sides, available at a steep discount, around $50. These would be worth getting to save money. The new models are the ones with the stainless mesh sides.

*Cleaning. If you throw some sliced lemons in the moat-water, cleanup will be easier. The thing should to be cleaned after each use, which could be problematic for RV'rs. The quality non-stick grill surfaces are no problem, but the wire racks and the main steel bowl can need lotsa water or some soaking. You can rough clean it with paper towels and finish it at home, if you're off camping. Dawn Direct Foam works really well.

*Slow cooking, lower heat. Because it uses lower heat for a longer time, figure that it's going to be 2 hours for a chicken or a tri-tip, 2 1/2 hours for ribs unless you want to refill the firebox and go for 4 hours. That includes the 1/2 hour for the coals to get right.


*Charcoal starter matches make things easier, so when you find them for sale, buy several boxes. The matches found on the Cobb site are overpriced. They run about $2.50 a box in grocery stores, and there are two kinds, the giant ones and the smaller ones. 8 to the box and 20 to the box, respectively. 2 big ones do it, or 4 small ones will light your charcoal just fine. DON'T leave the dome on while the charcoal is flaming/lighting, you'll start to melt the top handle (my stupid). Leave the dome off to speed the charcoal lighting.

All in all, I think this is an ideal charcoal grill that almost guarantees you'll wow yourself, your family and friends with the incredible results. It's slightly different cooking than the normal charcoal BBQ grill, so you'll learn to make your cooking adjustments...and you'll love the results. I would (and do) recommend this little baby to anyone who'll listen. My friends all recommend my using this as often as they can talk me into it.

Quite simply, we've had nothing but wonderful experiences with our Cobb. Contrary to others, we've found it effective and inexpensive to grill on, and very, very easy to clean. The stay-cool exterior makes it snap for moving it around...very safe.

So we're in the gang that would rate this with 5 stars, based on personal experience. We can't imagine why anyone would/could rate it lower, unless they simply didn't read the instruction manual before using.

I have had a Classic Cobb, (black plastic base), for over a year now. It's weird because it takes some getting used to. It's not like your everyday charcoal grill. You cannot simply light the charcoal and cook. Because it uses so little fuel you actually need to pre-heat the grill plate with the lid on for about ten minutes before you attempt to cook. And you have to make sure you pile a little more charcoal than the instructions suggest, (more about that later). Once you do that, you can cook hot dogs or burgers very quickly, but you still need to put the lid back on to retain the heat while you cook, and plan on only flipping your meat one time. No lid-less grilling like any common charcoal grill!

If you are going to use the the Cobb for baking, broiling, steaming, or smoking then think slow, and don't lift the lid to peek. Go for a walk, hike, converse with friends, and or enjoy a beverage. It takes about three hours for a fine beef roast or about two hours for a complete chicken to reach it's cooked temperature, and that is just how you want it to be. If you add some soaked wood chips you can easily add some nice smoke flavor.

If you use Kingsford brand Charcoal Briquettes, you will need to use more than the instruction manual recommends. Why? Because Kingsford redesigned the shape of their briquettes with "Sure Fire Grooves". Brilliant! Now they light and burn faster, so they don't last as long and you need more to achieve the same temperature and cooking time than without the new grooves! Instead of eight to ten briquettes, plan on using ten to twelve, still not much and easily carried for up to three hours of cooking.

If you have the time to cook fabulous tasting slow cooked BBQ, then the Cobb excels at that without any learning or experimenting. If you need a quick grill for hot dogs or burgers, then you need to learn how to get the Cobb as hot as possible and quickly sear and flip your food.

This past summer I picked up the accessory frying pan. It's great for baking crisp custom made pizzas anywhere you can use your Cobb!

I own one on for my boat and one for my RV. These grills are amazing but are different to a Smokey Joe or other little fire box.
After reading the other reviews in here, I had to comment. Cleanup is extreamly easy. I simply wipe it down with paper towels while it is still warm. Then I put it in the dishwasher when I get home and it comes out good as new every time.

With 8 briquettes, I can easily get to 400 degrees inside and cook a full chicken and even 2 racks of ribs without a problem. It cooks for about 2 1/2 hours at full temp.

It is very efficient and does not need a lot of fire to cook properly but this grill is different and you do need to keep the dome on at all times while cooking. You also need to experiment a little. Try roasting Vegetables in the moat!