Help needed with propane connections

[John in Santa Cruz]

you have to be careful with appliances that have a nonstandard integrated regulator... they may or may not be running at 11 inches of h2o, which is the nominal pressure of a standard LP system such as our trailers. I have not attempted to bypass the internal regulator on my Napolean, as indeed, I do carry a spare 3rd 20 lb bottle, used with the Napolean, as well as a 'fire bowl' we use as a faux campfire in places where burning wood etc are forbidden..

[DGLP]

[ATTACH]Attachment 62313[/ATTACH]

Originally Posted by brroberts

Here’s the little CampChef we carry.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

I have not pulled the regulator and hooked it up to the trailer. I’ve yet to see a small quality grill. Even the Magma I had on the boat wasn’t that great to me. In my experience they all will do the job if you are careful, but none work as well as a full size non portable grill. I’ve not seen a lot of difference from $20 to $400 except parts availability.

I’m sure others may feel differently, but that’s my experience.

Randy, I think you've made a great point. I don't think the smaller grills provide the versatility of the larger ones. But what about cost? I was checking out the numerous Blackstone grills, the Green Eggs, and the Webers at a large local garden/outdoor center here in the Twin Cities yesterday. I saw lots of expensive accessories and very expensive grills! The brand names do mean higher price tags. I purchased a small "hibachi-style" propane grill in the mid-80s that I resurrected this weekend. It's grilled many a good burger. Cost? Probably $30 or $40 Canadian at the time. Is it as good as the 5-burner BBQ on my deck? No. But it sure is light! And it's still working, rust and all, after all these years. To each his or her own. And when we're camping, all food, whether it's grilled, griddled, broiled, boiled or raw, seems to taste much better than at home. See photo.

[John in Santa Cruz]

IMHO, that Napolean 2 burner portable grill I posted above works just about as well as our big stainless steel 3-burner Weber Genesis at home... We haven't tried smoking with it yet, but its done everything from grilling perfect salmon to teriyaki skewers to perfect ribeye steaks, burgers, and as I said before, italian sausages with peppers and onions...

Ingredients

• 4 sweet or hot Italian pork sausages (about 1 pound)
• 1 pound bell peppers (any color), seeds and stem removed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rings
• 2 large yellow or red onions, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rings (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 hero, hoagie or sub rolls, about 6 inches long, halved lengthwise but still connected
• ¼ cup red wine, Sherry or apple cider vinegar
• Pinch of dried oregano (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for two-zone cooking over medium-high heat. (For a charcoal grill, pour the coals on one side. For a gas grill, heat all burners covered on high, then reduce one burner to medium-high and turn off the other. If your grill has three burners, reduce the outer two to medium-high and turn off the middle.)
2. Meanwhile, remove sausages from the package to come to room temperature and to air-dry. In a large bowl or baking dish, toss the peppers and onions with olive oil, salt and pepper to coat. Lightly brush the interior of the rolls with olive oil.
3. Clean and oil the grates. (Dip the trimmed end of the onion in oil and use it to grease the grates). Place the peppers and onions over the flame (direct heat) and place the sausages where there is no flame beneath (indirect heat). Cover and cook, flipping occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and charred in spots and cooked through, 14 to 20 minutes. (To keep all of the juices in, insert the thermometer into the ends of the sausages as opposed to pricking the sausage casing.)
4. To the now-empty bowl or baking dish, add the vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and oregano, if using. Season with salt and pepper. As the vegetables finish cooking, add them to the bowl and toss to combine. Move the sausages to direct heat and cook, turning often, until charred and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. (Cover if using a gas grill.) Transfer to the bowl of vegetables to rest for a few minutes. Grill the cut sides of the buns over direct heat until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the peppers, onions and sausages between rolls.

(swiped from the New York Times cooking site)

last time we did this we had guests with gluten intolerance, so skipped the rolls entirely, and just served it on plates, everyone loved it, and there were hardly enough leftovers for lunch for two the next day (reheated on the griddle, natch)

[John in Santa Cruz]

p.s... just about anything can grill burgers and steaks... the true test of a good grill is how well it does at slow cooking with low heat

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

you have to be careful with appliances that have a nonstandard integrated regulator... they may or may not be running at 11 inches of h2o, which is the nominal pressure of a standard LP system such as our trailers. I have not attempted to bypass the internal regulator on my Napolean, as indeed, I do carry a spare 3rd 20 lb bottle, used with the Napolean, as well as a 'fire bowl' we use as a faux campfire in places where burning wood etc are forbidden..

Many folks use the Weber Q grill, without issue, at low pressure. Likewise, the Blackstone. This might be considered advantage, I suppose, over the Napoleon. What is the weight of your grill and the 20 lb tank and crate combined, John? Curious, because I use an 11 lb low-profile tank as an extra. It saves weight and space over the 20 lb tank and it stores enough propane for our purposes. Unfortunately, it now costs even more relative to the 20 pounder than it did in 2017, when I purchased it. I like the idea of a table-top grill in combination with, say, the GCI Slim-Fold Cook Station, which weighs 18.9 lbs and provides all sorts of space for additional items. It is very compact, and at about $99, it seems a good purchase.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

IMHO, that Napolean 2 burner portable grill I posted above works just about as well as our big stainless steel 3-burner Weber Genesis at home... We haven't tried smoking with it yet, but its done everything from grilling perfect salmon to teriyaki skewers to perfect ribeye steaks, burgers, and as I said before, italian sausages with peppers and onions...

Ingredients

• 4 sweet or hot Italian pork sausages (about 1 pound)
• 1 pound bell peppers (any color), seeds and stem removed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rings
• 2 large yellow or red onions, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rings (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 hero, hoagie or sub rolls, about 6 inches long, halved lengthwise but still connected
• ¼ cup red wine, Sherry or apple cider vinegar
• Pinch of dried oregano (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for two-zone cooking over medium-high heat. (For a charcoal grill, pour the coals on one side. For a gas grill, heat all burners covered on high, then reduce one burner to medium-high and turn off the other. If your grill has three burners, reduce the outer two to medium-high and turn off the middle.)
2. Meanwhile, remove sausages from the package to come to room temperature and to air-dry. In a large bowl or baking dish, toss the peppers and onions with olive oil, salt and pepper to coat. Lightly brush the interior of the rolls with olive oil.
3. Clean and oil the grates. (Dip the trimmed end of the onion in oil and use it to grease the grates). Place the peppers and onions over the flame (direct heat) and place the sausages where there is no flame beneath (indirect heat). Cover and cook, flipping occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and charred in spots and cooked through, 14 to 20 minutes. (To keep all of the juices in, insert the thermometer into the ends of the sausages as opposed to pricking the sausage casing.)
4. To the now-empty bowl or baking dish, add the vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and oregano, if using. Season with salt and pepper. As the vegetables finish cooking, add them to the bowl and toss to combine. Move the sausages to direct heat and cook, turning often, until charred and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. (Cover if using a gas grill.) Transfer to the bowl of vegetables to rest for a few minutes. Grill the cut sides of the buns over direct heat until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the peppers, onions and sausages between rolls.

(swiped from the New York Times cooking site)

last time we did this we had guests with gluten intolerance, so skipped the rolls entirely, and just served it on plates, everyone loved it, and there were hardly enough leftovers for lunch for two the next day (reheated on the griddle, natch)

Sounds delicious, John! When is dinner time at your place? What is the total time for preparing and cooking this recipe? Don't know if we would would have the energy to put together this great meal after a long day of hiking! I've been using a small Traeger smoker for cooking pork, fish and chicken at low to medium temperatures. The meat seems to retain its moisture nicely, it cooks uniformly and we like the taste. I've been spoiled with the ThermoPro TP20 meat thermometer with 2 probes to keep track of meat temperature, using Bluetooth.

[John in Santa Cruz]

well, the tank and the grill are two trips from the bed of my F250.

and as far as weight goes? I can easily carry either one of them, the grill cart has roller wheels for distances, and my F250 don't care what they weigh. and the 8' bed has plenty of room. On a shorter trip,, I might just forgo the 3rd tank, and 'borrow' a tank off the trailer, takes about 30 seconds to pop off the tank cover, and swap hoses.

I flat don't know what in. h2o the Napolean regulator runs, it could well be 11.

iIf we didn't already have the big Weber, we could easily use this TravelQ 285X as our home grill too....

(goes and hits that dubyadubyadubyaclickclickclcikn-grills-n-chit)...
OH! Napolean makes a low pressure quick connect hose for the 285 series.
https://www.napoleon.com/en/us/grill...ptor-kit-66287

so. yeah, this would work perfectly.

If you don't have a large cargo space, I'd get the 285 non-X version, thats tabletop. do clean the inside of the bbq bowl before packing it up for travel... I take out the grills/griddle, and use a rubber scraper when its still a little warm, and push everything into the drip pan, then remove and clean the drip pan with the same scraper. reassemble and you're good to go.

note, btw, the RED version of the 285/285X comes with the griddle, the blue version doesn't, thats why the prices vary. The 285Pro has the same burners, same grills/griddle, a deeper lid and is black and a lot more expensive.

re: fatty meats, ah, but thats what makes them juicy! the super lean cuts tend to be dry. and oil based marinades are just as big a cause of flareups.

[gbaglo]

What on earth is this?

[Hawkeye Ed]

Napoleon makes an adapter kit (hose) that allows you to use your RV's low-pressure quick connect to supply propane to a Napoleon TQ285 series grill. It's overpriced at $40 on Amazon but at least shows that the TQ285 grills use the same propane pressure as offered by the trailer's propane plumbing. Probably works with cheaper hoses but size of fitting on stove isn't specified. You have to remove the regulator attached to the grill to screw on the connector on the end of the hose. That's a minor hassle as long as you have the correct wrench.

https://www.napoleon.com/en/ca/barbe...ptor-kit-66287

[John in Santa Cruz]

that looks like a pretty standard gas fitting, like where the regulators on our campers screw onto the low pressure hose, I believe that is a 3/8" NPT female fitting.

[JeffinBC]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye Ed

Napoleon makes an adapter kit (hose) that allows you to use your RV's low-pressure quick connect to supply propane to a Napoleon TQ285 series grill. It's overpriced at $40 on Amazon but at least shows that the TQ285 grills use the same propane pressure as offered by the trailer's propane plumbing. Probably works with cheaper hoses but size of fitting on stove isn't specified. You have to remove the regulator attached to the grill to screw on the connector on the end of the hose. That's a minor hassle as long as you have the correct wrench.

https://www.napoleon.com/en/ca/barbe...ptor-kit-66287

Attachment 62318

Agreed. You can use pretty much any hose with the correct size of quick connect. Also correct that Napoleon’s adapter/connector (to make it work with the hose) is very hard to find if you don’t order their kit. I was not able to find one despite trolling many online sites as well as my local big box and bbq stores. They usually don’t show the adapter in the photo but that’s what you really need to make the TQ285 work with the rv quick connect. The hose they supply is not that useful it’s only 6ft long.

[CharlesinGA]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye Ed

Napoleon makes an adapter kit (hose) that allows you to use your RV's low-pressure quick connect to supply propane to a Napoleon TQ285 series grill. It's overpriced at $40 on Amazon but at least shows that the TQ285 grills use the same propane pressure as offered by the trailer's propane plumbing. Probably works with cheaper hoses but size of fitting on stove isn't specified. You have to remove the regulator attached to the grill to screw on the connector on the end of the hose. That's a minor hassle as long as you have the correct wrench.

https://www.napoleon.com/en/ca/barbe...ptor-kit-66287

Attachment 62318

The male nipple on this Napoleon hose is not the same as an ordinary low pressure LP hose that would plug into your Escape or my Bigfoot.

[brroberts]

John that grill is Waaaaaay bigger than anything I’m going to make space for.
I’m glad it works for you. It’s not something I’d consider.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by brroberts

John that grill is Waaaaaay bigger than anything I’m going to make space for.
I’m glad it works for you. It’s not something I’d consider.

folded, its not actually that large, like about the size of a carry-on roller case, but I do have a big truck. you can get the same grill tabletop style without the X stand.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

What on earth is this?

Sorry for the lack of detail that comes with a file less than 400 kb. It's a grill mat, with burgers cooking on it. Inexpensive, less sticky than metal, it contains the grease so it doesn't drip onto the grill. It's much easier to clean than a metal grate, grill body, burner, etcetera. We don't like the odor of grease, which seems to linger even when it's stored in a covered tote. Something like Dawn Platinum Power Wash spray works well to clean it.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=grill+mat...st_review-rank

[comsult]

Bought a Napoleon grill and adaptor hose 2 years ago, they work well. Also have an old Coleman camp stove that used the little blue propane bottles. Way back I purchased an adaptor hose to run the stone off a 20lb tank.
The hose is now aging & I’ve never been able to find a replacement. Whenever I visit old hardware stores etc, I’m always on the lookout for this particular hose.
Good luck in your choice of BBQ.

[gbaglo]

i believe green bottles are propane and blue are butane.

[John in Santa Cruz]

the tall skinny 1(?) lb bottles are usually propane too, just intended for use with blowtorches such as Bernzomatic. The little often blue bottles are isogas which is a propane/butane blend, for use with small backpacking stoves. they have a completely different sort of attachment

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by comsult

Also have an old Coleman camp stove that used the little blue propane bottles. Way back I purchased an adaptor hose to run the stone off a 20lb tank.
The hose is now aging & I’ve never been able to find a replacement. Whenever I visit old hardware stores etc, I’m always on the lookout for this particular hose.

Would this work or do the older Coleman stoves have a different fitting?
https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-High-.../dp/B01M5AOUWD

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Would this work or do the older Coleman stoves have a different fitting?
https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-High-.../dp/B01M5AOUWD

Here is another option, a propane tree and high pressure Coleman hose (or two or three) depending on how many Coleman appliances you want to use at a given time:

https://www.amazon.com/Stansport-Out...01DC5HAW&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-High-.../dp/B0009PUQBO