We were recently introduced to the Cobb, an amazing little innovation from South Africa and were so impressed that we had to add it to our exclusive stock of exceptional barbecues. 

Do not let the Cobb’s compact design and convenient portability fool you into thinking that this is mere camping equipment.  As the marketing blurb says, it will ‘liberate the chef in you’ (even if you might not have known he/she was there).

The Cobb can roast, bake, smoke, fry, boil and BBQ, but is amazingly compact (weighing only 4.0 Kg) and completely portable - ideal for weekends away at the bach or on the boat, but equally at home, err, at home.

This is also a highly efficient unit which uses only around 300 grams of charcoal for 2 hours of cooking (although the efficient, compact design means that a 2.0 kg chicken is done in just 1½ hours).  It will also run on Green Fire fuel which is not only conveniently packaged and precisekly the right size for the Cobb, but burns cleanly with virtually zero emissions - so that it can be used inside as well as out.  Yep, it really can.

We were amazed by the ease of use and outstanding performance of the Cobb when we first encountered it.  The Green Fire fuel lights very quickly and brings the Cobb up to cooking temperature in around 3 minutes - something no other comparable cooker can boast.  By pouring wine (or water, stock, beer or whatever) into the internal 'moat' you can suppress the creation of smoke and thereby use the Cobb indoors.  The addition of wine also seemed to add a unique flavour to our cooking and ensured that beef was tender and perfectly done right through.

While the Cobb should appeal to the camper of boaty from a purely practical perspective, do not under-estimate its culinary credentials - it will amaze you too.  The Cobb cook book is full of mouth-watering recipes and helpful tips on the getting the best out of this impressive innovation.