The Cobb outdoor cooker is one of the most unusual grills that I own. The Cobb grill looks kind of like a pressure cooker or like some kind of time capsule, and it will cook a whole chicken with just eight pieces of charcoal.

How Did Such an Unusual Outdoor Cooker Come About?

Originally, the Cobb grill was made as a efficient outdoor cooker for remote areas of Africa and fueled by burning corncobs. That’s where the name came about. But, now the Cobb is offered globally and burns regular charcoal briquettes.

Cobb is a Show Stopper

People always stop to look and ask questions when I break out the Cobb barbecue cooker. The Cobb is definitely a conversation piece as well as being a fun portable grill.

How the Cobb Outdoor Cooker Works

The charcoal goes in the bottom center of the Cobb outdoor cooker. Around the fuel holder is a moat which can be filled with liquid (water, juice, beer) for more moisture and added flavor. Foods can also be placed in the moat, and I like to put potatoes in there. The potatoes grill up kind of crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.

The main cooker section is on top where you can put chicken, other meats, or vegetables. There’s a flat panel with holes and then a small grill grate to give a little lift to the food. These pieces are non-stick coated, but I find it makes clean up much easier to spray them lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

The lid of the Cobb is high so that you can put a whole chicken or other larger cuts of meat in the barbecue cooker. The lid is also high to provide good heat circulation, since fuel consumption is very low. This is a lid-on outdoor cooker, but you can peek now and then without extending the cooking time too much.

Hot BUT Not - In a Good Way

With the unique insulated design and low amount of charcoal burning, the Cobb is cool to the touch. I was a little nervous about checking this out the first time, but now I know I can grab the Cobb grill and move it around at any time. I don’t feel any heat at all doing this, and I’m always very careful about my hands when grilling. This makes the Cobb a great outdoor cooker around kids and pets and also means it’s an ideal grill for tailgating and camping.

The Cobb is a small, portable grill, and it’s best for couples or small families. We are usually grilling for four around here with two being teenage boys, and we have plenty for dinner on the Cobb, but we don’t normally have any leftovers.