Perry Mack
Our food preparation weapon of choice for tailgating, backyard grilling and RVing.
Words and photos by Perry Mack
While “putzing” (my wife’s word) around the internet, I stumbled across the FireDisc Propane Cooker. I asked myself: how many ways can we reinvent the BBQ? Humans have been cooking over fire for 10,000 years—doesn’t it all boil down to flame and meat? And if early man let the fire die down, he had a smoker.
Escaping the urban jungle at every opportunity has become the driving force behind reinventing outdoor cooking. Pack up, get out, cook, then reverse the process - clean, pack up and go home. Campfires are great when allowed, and portable BBQs do the job for basic meals. They work, and there’s a certain satisfaction in making them work—especially when you’re hungry.
But limited versatility makes the mind wander in search of something better. Something great. Something that makes fellow culinarians drool with envy. Something you can take from tailgating to backyard cookouts to backwoods adventures.
At first glance, the FireDisc Cooker didn’t impress me. It looked like the charcoal BBQ my grandfather used in the ’60s. Meh. Then I saw it was propane—still meh. But after watching a few videos, I realized this wasn’t a BBQ at all. It’s a large-surface griddle, wok, steamer, and fryer in one! No wobbly bolt-on legs or flimsy tin lids. The base is made in two welded, powder-coated steel sections, and the cooker itself is made of carbon steel.
I placed my order and went all in—seasonings, lids, grates, utensils, and a 20 lb propane adapter.
Delivery day arrived. The box looked like it had been drop-kicked from a troop carrier. Packing tape held it together like a kindergarten craft project gone wrong.
Perry Mack
This is how the box looked after the courier ‘dropped’ it off. Yet it was undamaged and ready to stand up and serve!
I didn’t expect the FireDisc to survive. I was already picturing myself pulling out my welder and some favourite Eagle Alloys welding rods. Worst case: I’d have an entertaining welding project and story to share. But these thoughts were dashed when I opened the box. No cracks, dents, or broken welds. Aside from a few nicks in the powder coating, the FireDisc was pristine.
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Perry Mack
It stacks flat and then stands up without a single bolt or screw.
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Perry Mack
Like Texas Hold’em, we went all in with a sturdy set of utensils and accessories.
I already own a Blackstone griddle. Cooking eggs, bacon, sausages, and hashbrowns for eight people at once is deeply satisfying. For burgers, dogs, sauerkraut, toasted buns—it’s awesome. I’ve tried frying everything from schnitzel to salmon to bacon-wrapped asparagus.
Perry Mack
All the way in, including five delicious perfect and easily to pack spices.
But I can’t take it RVing.
Similar to other griddles and woks, the FireDisc needed to be seasoned. This a simple process where you wash it with soap and water, rinse it clean, heat on high for eight minutes and finally wipe with cooking oil. FireDisc recommends Canola but I used olive oil.
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Perry Mack
The Disc mounts easily and securely on heat resistant rubber tabs and doesn’t move one iota during vigorous flipping during cooking.
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Perry Mack
Setup in about 30 seconds.
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Perry Mack
For maximum portability use a one-litre canister.
The test meal was home made pork sausages, potatoes and sauerkraut. A staple of German family cooking. I always pre-heat a griddle for 15 minutes to kill off any potential bacteria from a previous meal. Then add a little oil and start cooking.
The FireDisc was fantastic. It took a little getting used to the concave bottom – my sausages were all rolling to the centre. As it turns out, that’s for the best as the centre is the hottest. This allowed me to move food around the FireDisc depending on what food needed more or less heat. It’s a 36” diameter so you’re able to cook for large (or small) gatherings.
Perry Mack
The cooking grate is perfect for steaming vegetables, making toast or toasting buns.
Clean-up is easy and important. Food particles left on the bottom hold moisture and can contribute to rusting, bacteria growth, rancid tastes and flare-ups at your next meal. My quick tip is to do this while the cooker is still warm (not hot) as food comes off much more easily. If things are really burnt on, use the old fry pan trick of adding water to cover the affected surface and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for ten minutes, then cool, clean, and remember to dry it completely. Finish by wiping with cooking oil.
Perry Mack
Utensils hanging at the ready.
The utensils are well-designed and well-constructed. My pet peeve is tongs and flippers that are flimsy and bend when you pick up a hefty hunk of steak. Nothing flimsy about these. I like the built in hangers, which means I don’t need to pack a separate utensil table, and the fact that many of the utensil hangers have a built-in bottle opener.
Perry Mack
We prefer cooking with a 20 lb tank using FireDisc’s four-foot adapter hose with tank gauge.
The FireDisc is designed for maximum portability. Slide the two-piece base together, place the griddle on top, screw on a one litre propane canister, and you’re ready to start cooking. Our FireDisc is now the main cooking surface for our RV, from breakfast (bacon, sausage, eggs, toast) to dinners of meat and potatoes or a stir fry. The small propane canisters aren’t convenient for consistent daily use, so we have the hose adapter to fit a 20lb propane tank.
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Perry Mack
The pork sausage and sauerkraut were cooked in the centre then moved to the edge while the potatoes were moved to centre to be finished.
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Perry Mack
Ready to serve, we’ll clean up later, much later.
This is the most versatile portable cooking appliance we’ve seen. Its solid welded construction assembles in seconds and stores flat. The 36” diameter cooker serves up food for small or large groups, from sizzling stir-fry, to chili, to steamed vegetables, to perfectly cooked meat, fish or poultry. And the heavy steel concave cooking surface delivers consistent heat zones for perfectly prepared meals. From brunches to dinner parties, this could be the only outdoor cooking appliance you need to own. Like the catch phrase says, ‘Built to Haul, Cooks it All.’
Captions
Lead - Our food preparation weapon of choice for tailgating, backyard grilling and RVing.
- This is how the box looked after the courier ‘dropped’ it off. Yet it was undamaged and ready to stand up and serve!
- It stacks flat and then stands up without a single bolt or screw.
- Like Texas Hold’em, we went all in with a sturdy set of utensils and accessories.
- All the way in, including five delicious perfect and easily to pack spices.
- The Disc mounts easily and securely on heat resistant rubber tabs and doesn’t move one iota during vigorous flipping during cooking.
- Setup in about 30 seconds.
- For maximum portability use a one-litre canister.
- The cooking grate is perfect for steaming vegetables, making toast or toasting buns.
- Utensils hanging at the ready.
- We prefer cooking with a 20 lb tank using FireDisc’s four-foot adapter hose with tank gauge.
- The pork sausage and sauerkraut were cooked in the centre then moved to the edge while the potatoes were moved to centre to be finished.
- Ready to serve, we’ll clean up later, much later.