Is it Safe to Use the Cobb BBQ on a Boat?

In the traditional sense I think that if you asked mostmeat are directed to the side of the Cobb BBQ into a
boat owners this question, they would have'moat'. This prevents meat juices from dripping onto
reservations about safety, and rightly so. For the mostthe coals and the smoke typical of every other BBQ I
part they would not know about the Cobb BBQ butknow of, is absent.
tend instead to think in terms of the traditional openIf you do use the Cobb BBQ on your boat, like any
BBQ, red hot to the touch and smoke everywhere.other cooker, make sure that you have adequate
My own boat is sixty years old, mahogany on oak, andventilation. I fitted a six inch extractor fan to clear
the Cobb BBQ is used on a regular basis. I wouldcooking fumes from my own galley. There is a double
probably not recommend the Cobb BBQ for use atbenefit to this. First of all any fumes caused by burning
sea, unless a Gimbal arrangement was in place. Foreither gas (my other cooker) or the charcoal briquettes
anyone that doesn't know what a Gimbal is. It is anused by the Cobb BBQ, are whipped away. The
arrangement that keeps a supported object uprightsecond benefit of forced ventilation is that cooking
with respect to the horizon despite the pitch or roll ofsmells are also removed. The size of boat I have is a
the vessel. My own boat very rarely sees salt watercomparatively small space and as we know, some
and I never use the Cobb BBQ except in flatcooking smells linger. Not now.
conditions or when moored, which answers safetySo back to the original question. Yes, the Cobb BBQ is
concerns.safe to use on a boat, providing common sense and
One of the beauties of the Cobb BBQ is that due tocare is used. Safety should be a boaters' main
its design the outside (apart from the lid) remains coolconcern, but this has also to include things like not using
to the touch. Also it is never normally necessary toopen fryers and protecting ourselves and others from
use more than eight charcoal briquettes. This makes itopen pans that contain any other sort of boiling
very easy to light the Cobb on the stern deck andsubstance. The basic design of the Cobb makes it
then, when the coals have turned grey, easily carry itinherently safer than either of these other methods. I
inside to the galley. Another design feature is thathave also to point out that the Cobb does much more
when you start to BBQ, any juices from the cookingthan just BBQ.