The Skotti Grill is a ‘foldable’ BBQ made from solid stainless steel that runs on a gas-cartridge but can also be used with charcoal or wood. At least that is the idea. Enjoy the review!
- Price: € 169,00
- Weight: 4.5 kg (claimed 3,3 kg)
- Packsize: 46 x 29 x 5.5 cm (Claimed 45 x 30 x 3.5 cm)
Pouch Part I
The Skotti Grill comes in a very nice pouch; I am a Dutchman and I love the color orange. It is the reason why the outdoorguru logo looks like it does. This pouch is made of a heavy duty bisonyl-like material and has two nice carrying handles. Opening is like opening a book where the pages are held together with firm velcro. It needs quite some force which is good; the grill will never get out by itself.
Packsize and weight
The grill is made from a heavy solid quality steel with a thickness of 3 mm. The result is that it is quite a heavy grill to take with you: 3.3 kg is the weight of the total package according to Skotti and the packsize is 45 x 30 x 3,5 cm and that is pretty decent. However my measurements are a bit different: 4.5 kg and 46 x 29 x 5.5 cm. The packed size is pretty the same but weight is 1.2 kg off and that is pretty much. Not that it matters; it’s not a hiking or backpacking stove in any way.
I was wrong!
I was wrong about the weight…. Thanks to the comment from @pt96hni who has the same generation Skotti Grill and wrote that his weights 3440 grams I had to check my weight. Yes, my total package is 4.5 kg and while I was writing my answer to @pt96hni … Lightning struck. From the beginning I had the Plancha always in that package and that half solid piece of steel weights… 1165.3 grams… so… 4500 gr – 1165,3 gr = 3334,7 grams. So…. Skotti is correct with the claimed 3.3 kg. My bad.
Skotti Grill Assembly
When I write that the Skotti Grill is a foldable grill, that is not completely true. Neither is it wrong… The grill consists of 9 different parts that need to be put together. There is a nice manual and a good instruction on the Skotti Grill website that explains this. And still…when I don’t have them, I fiddle around a lot on how to put this 3D-puzzle together and it never goes in one go. Maybe I am stupid or I am used to grills that are more simple. Watch the video on my channel how everything fits. When you are there: watch the videos on the Camper Gluck grill and the Uco Flatpack Grill and Firepit too. They are so much easier to put together.
I have noticed that in the periode from new to very well used, the fit of all the slits and nocks are still 100% but due to some deformation of the steel because of the heat, it takes a little strength.
Sharp edges
The stainless steel sides, bottom and griddle are beautifully cut out of steel sheets, but all the edges still feel that I want to wear gloves when putting everything together. Let me be clear: I NEVER cut myself while assembling or taking the Skotti Grill apart. It’s just a feeling.
Gas
With the Skotti Grill assembled it is just a matter of connecting the Skotti Grill gas canister. The canister has a weight of 700 grams and contains 500 grams of gas. The gas is a mixture of 70% butane and 30% propane. The canister is an EN 417 certified screw on cartridge type. The cartridge has the Lindal B188 valve with 7/16” thread. The valve is self sealing when the canister is unscrewed. The 7/16” thread is used on many cartridges from other manufacturers like Primus, Optimus, Coleman, Jetboil, MSR, Campingaz and Weber. This is convenient in case you can not buy a Skotti Grill canister locally.
Why gas instead of wood or charcoal?
In general I don’t like barbecuing on gas. When I put something on a BBQ the main reason is because of the cooking characteristics of a BBQ or open fire. A wood or charcoal BBQ gets incredibly hot and that is the whole purpose. It seals meat directly and creates the flavor that I like so much. And it keeps the moisture inside. Depending on the kind of meat or meat product it also gets out a little fat and burns; that – together with little smoke – also gives flavor. But it’s not only meat! I love the smell and taste of lightly charred veggies. Paprika with the burned skin taken off…. wonderful!
Environmental pros
Don’t get me wrong, I might not like BBQ-ing on gas but more and more I see the positive points too. The first of course being the less CO2 that comes from a gas fire. Next to that gas gives no particulate matter. No trees need to be cut for making charcoal. And there are a few more… In Europe one of them is that open fires and non-gas BBQ’s are more and more forbidden to prevent air pollution and – not the least – wildfires. All good reasons to use a gas BBQ.
How does the Skotti Grill, grill?
Lighting the grill is easy. Turn the regulator open and the gas starts flowing. Stick a match or a lighter in or near the square opening and the gas starts burning. The regulator enables me to dose the flame nicely.
The top of the Skotti Grill is a griddle and the size of the cooking area is about the size of an A4 paper which is 21 x 29,7 cm resulting in a surface of 623 cm². This is large enough for four persons, but with six it gets rather small. I also have the Skotti Plancha; a griddle combined with a sort of teppanyaki style plate. It is nice-to-have since it is useful for small pieces of meat, fish and veggies that would otherwise stick to the griddle.
It takes – depending on outside temperature – 3 to 5 minutes to get the grill hot enough to start cooking. When hot enough – test: spit or drizzle some water on the griddle – put on whatever you like. Meat sears quite nicely leaving it moist and tender on the inside. Same for fish and vegetables.
Note 1: With temperatures below 10 degrees Celcius… it takes longer and it is harder to grill meat fast. You are cooking meat rather than grilling and it happened occasionally to me that the meat became dry.
Note 2: The griddle is in fact a solid steel plate with slits. The stuff one cooks is far more on the steel and less above the flames than with a conventional wire grill. This makes a difference in cooking and taste.
How about wood or charcoal?
What about it? Yes, you can do that too and I did this a couple of times. Don’t forget to take out the pipe with the gas hose attached to it. On charcoal the Skotti Grill does perform well and actually I prefer this over the gas. With wood… that is a different story. It does work but the flow of fresh air seems a bit limited. Best is to set up the Skotti Grill like a hobo stove which basically means leaving one of the short sides out. The stove does work fine with wood this way but it is a bit less stable; don’t put a complete sheep on it to grill.
Cleaning the Skotti Grill
After grilling it is cleaning time. Let the grill cool for a while; it takes some time. With a wood or charcoal BBQ I always use the remaining ‘fuel’ to clean the grill; just burn away everything. With the gas Skotti Grill this is sort of possible but would be a waste of gas. So cleaning with a metal sponge, soap and a lot of elbow grease is needed to get the stainless steel clean again. It’s a mistake to think that stainless steel will get back to its stainless look; after cooking the first time it looks used. I did not find cleaning easy or fast, like I read in many other reviews. Cleaning the small slits in the griddle is a pain in the butt. A wire-grill is so much easier since there is less surface to clean and the gaps are bigger.
NOTE: Speaking of cleaning. I have had this model already for over a few years. Since that Skotti made a change to the grill and it is called the Pool. This grease drip tray that replaces the, almost flat bottom plate on my grill. You fill the Pool with water preventing drippings onto the grill surface making cleaning after grilling easier.
Pouch Part II
When everything is clean and dry, the Skotti Grill goes back in its pouch. This is an easy thing to do. Except when you have used the pouch as a blanket under the grill. You can do this to prevent already dry grass from getting dryer. Or to prevent vet or juices from getting on to the ground. The grill doesn’t get very hot on the bottom so that is not a problem for the pouch. In the case you did use it as a blanket, you’ll need to clean the pouch too. Bugger! Option II: put everything together in the pouch, fold it close and clean everything at home. The Skotti Grill is dishwasher proof.
Verdict
The Skotti Grill gas BBQ is a well made, very solid grill made from stainless steel. The weight of 3.3 kg fits the product and with the good quality pouch carrying it to the camping or picnic spot is not a problem. Assembly is quite fiddly and not always user friendly. But you get used to this. As a gas BBQ it works fine when temperatures are not below 10 degrees Celsius and there is not too much wind. Otherwise BBQ-ing is more like cooking. The gas regulation is fine. It is usable with charcoal and as a hobo stove with wood too. Its cooking surface is big enough for four people, six is a crowd. Cleaning is not the most fun part. The Skotti Grill gas BBQ retails for € 169,00 and the extra Skotti Plancha costs € 39,00. I rate Skotti Grill at 7.5 out of 10 total.
Information: https://skotti-grill.eu
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