To Cadac or not to Cadac

[Christhecaravanner84]

It seems to be the rite of passage for any self respecting caravanner to be equipped with a Cadac grill. I like my charcoal BBQ but I do like the idea of a Cadac for doing breakfast outside on a nice day, even roasting meat without over heating the caravan in warm weather. As things are I quite often cook breakfast outside on my Campingaz Bistro stove on my old camping cooker stand because it's enjoyable to cook outside and saves stinking out the 'van.

Do you have a Cadac, do you think they are value for money and do you use it much? Or just an expensive toy?

 

[Hutch]

I have had my money's worth from my 15 year old Cadac, I bought the big one, which was used a lot in our first 10 years of caravanning. We also used it at home for several years, the deflection plate has rusted through and you can't buy spares for it,. There are newer smaller ones now, 30 cm ones I think. Two years ago I bought one of the small Gas BBQs with the coals, ok but not as good as the Cadac. I have a stand for the instant lighting Charcoal ones as well.
How many BBqs do you need to carry 😨

 

[Jcloughie]

We tried various BBQ’s. But ended up getting a teppanyaki. For price, speed, ease of use, easy to clean and weight it wins every time. But it does require mains to work.

John

 

[otherclive]

We bought a CADAC Grill Chef when they first came out and it’s still going strong. It replaced an old gas bbq that was on its last legs. We also would take a Weber Smoky Joe charcoal bbq at times. The purists will poo poo the Cadac as not giving that authentic bbq flavour. But it’s just as easy to burn your food on either. It’s a very flexible piece of kit and gives more options than a bbq. We use it at home alongside a Dancook charcoal bbq.

The breakfast in the picture was cooked on the Cadac.

 

[Mr Plodd]

I have had two Cadac' over the years. A large freestanding one and a smaller table top version (I cannot recall which is called what)

DONT look on either if them as a BBQ, because thats not what they are. If you like the smokey tang of a charcoal (or gas) BBQ dont think thats what you will get from a Cadac, you wont!

The freestanding one has a large cooking area so can be used to prepare a fair biatof food at the same time, But, and there is always a but isn't there? The cooking plates are very large, and are a right pain to try and clean in a campsite kitchen (let alone a caravan sink)
they are just too big to fit into a sink. In addition the entire device does take up a lot of room both when assembled and when packed away. Once assembled it really has to stay outside or in your awning.

The smaller tabletop Cadac is a lot smaller, so is really only suitable for 2 people. The cooking plates are (unsurprisingly) a lot smaller and do fit into a standard sized sink. Being table top it all folds away into a fairly neat storage bag that is a lot easier to store. You woukd struggle to roast a joint of any size in the smaller version, but it is great for breakfast and a few sausages and burgers.
Having had both our preferred option is the smaller table top version. If there was more than 2 of us then the tabletop wouldn't be big enough.

We love using our Cadac, and wouldn't be without it.

Hope that is of some help.

Oh, and if you do get one be sure to add an outside gas point rather than having to keep heaving your cylinder out of the gas locker.

 

[Christhecaravanner84]

We bought a CADAC Grill Chef when they first came out and it’s still going strong. It replaced an old gas bbq that was on its last legs. We also would take a Weber Smoky Joe charcoal bbq at times. The purists will poo poo the Cadac as not giving that authentic bbq flavour. But it’s just as easy to burn your food on either. It’s a very flexible piece of kit and gives more options than a bbq. We use it at home alongside a Dancook charcoal bbq.

The breakfast in the picture was cooked on the Cadac.

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Your dog is better behaved than mine. That breakfast next to him wouldn't have survived long enough for me to get a photo.

 

[Christhecaravanner84]

Oh, and if you do get one be sure to add an outside gas point rather than having to keep heaving your cylinder out of the gas locker.

I'm off to pick up a couple of Gaslight cylinders tonight which I found on Gumtree. I may get another as a spare if one comes up near me. Not too heavy and quick release if I want to swap with one from the locker.

 

[otherclive]

Your dog is better behaved than mine. That breakfast next to him wouldn't have survived long enough for me to get a photo.

Thanks she was very well behaved at times, other times I could have…….well enough said as she went last May. Good memories though

 

[Christhecaravanner84]

Thanks she was very well behaved at times, other times I could have…….well enough said as she went last May. Good memories though

Aww bless, sorry to hear that Clive.

 

[Christhecaravanner84]

Accessories look mighty expensive. Any reason why I couldn't use just a generic skillet pan on the Grillo Chef 40 instead of the Cadac branded one, circa £50 ?!!

 

[otherclive]

Accessories look mighty expensive. Any reason why I couldn't use just a generic skillet pan on the Grillo Chef 40 instead of the Cadac branded one, circa £50 ?!!

Could be an option. Worth investigating. I did the full English in the paella pan that came with our Grillo Chef.

 

[Buckman]

We have had the Cadac Skottle and also the Cadac Safari Chef and neither of them come even close to the taste of meat done on a charcoal BBQ. Cadacs are only good for doing breakfast. We sold the Skottle and the Cadac Safari is lying the garage somewhere. We now have the Smoky Joe in the front locker of the caravan. ideal size for the two of us.

 

[otherclive]

We have had the Cadac Skottle and also the Cadac Safari Chef and neither of them come even close to the taste of meat done on a charcoal BBQ. Cadacs are only good for doing breakfast. We sold the Skottle and the Cadac Safari is lying the garage somewhere. We now have the Smoky Joe in the front locker of the caravan. ideal size for the two of us.

Sell the Cadac to Chris ?

 

[Buckman]

Sell the Cadac to Chris ?

Good idea as we have only used it 2 - 3 times and it is almost brand new.

 

[Mel]

We are accessorised to the teeth.

We have a Cadac which is an excellent grill and general cooking surface. We do curries, stir fries, and all sorts on it. We also have a little Weber charcoal barbecue ;a Smokey Joe. Fantastic quality. We generally don’t take both with us, depends on how long for and what the weather is going to be like.

mel

 

[Christhecaravanner84]

I certainly wouldn't get one to replace my charcoal barbie, it would just be another camping toy to play with cooking option.

 

[Hutch]

We have had the Cadac Skottle and also the Cadac Safari Chef and neither of them come even close to the taste of meat done on a charcoal BBQ. Cadacs are only good for doing breakfast. We sold the Skottle and the Cadac Safari is lying the garage somewhere. We now have the Smoky Joe in the front locker of the caravan. ideal size for the two of us.

But then again, most of your purchases have not been fit for purpose, the Elldis, The Jeep, and the Cadac. Oh well have a good spring and summer caravanning season. Hope it goes well. Just a thought Which tyres do you have fitted to the Jeep ?

 

[Christhecaravanner84]

Good idea as we have only used it 2 - 3 times and it is almost brand new.

I could be interested if it's the "low pressure" version and you are within an hour of Wantage, Oxfordshire...

 

[Dustydog]

Our 20 year old Cadac has proven itself every trip.
It is not just a BBQ. Paella, griddle. Fry ups but more importantly a brilliant oven. Roast leg of lamb and roasties come out perfectly. Don’t remove the lid too early! On low the lamb takes 90-120 minutes depending how you like it.
Basically imo the Cadac is one of the most versatile cookers available.

 

[Buckman]

But then again, most of your purchases have not been fit for purpose, the Elldis, The Jeep, and the Cadac. Oh well have a good spring and summer caravanning season. Hope it goes well. Just a thought Which tyres do you have fitted to the Jeep ?

I am detecting some sarcasm? I never said that the Cadac was not fit for purpose. We did not like cooking on it. The caravan and the Jeep were both fit for purpose, but had inherent faults both of which have been resolved to our satisfaction!

The Jeep has OEM tyres fitted and all our previous Jeeps have had the same brand of tyres fitted. Not sure what car tyres, caravans and cars has to do with the post about Cadacs?

 

[Dustydog]

A friend uses the Weber Smokey Joe. It’s well made and cooks well. The downside for me is the time taken to light up the charcoal, cooking within the “hot coal window” then the time taken for cooling down and ash/ clinker disposal. Is is any good at roasting a joint?
Seems to me the SJ is a great BBQ but maybe not as versatile nor user friendly as the Cadac.
As BB says each to their own😉

 

[Buckman]

A friend uses the Weber Smokey Joe. It’s well made and cooks well. The downside for me is the time taken to light up the charcoal, cooking within the “hot coal window” then the time taken for cooling down and ash/ clinker disposal. Is is any good at roasting a joint?
Seems to me the SJ is a great BBQ but maybe not as versatile nor user friendly as the Cadac.
As BB says each to their own😉

For our SJ we bought the Australian heat beads. A handful or so is enough for the two of us to cook chicken, sausage or a steak.

In addition, once the cooking has finished, we close up all the vents on the SJ to extinguish the coals. The next time we use it, we add some new coals to the old ones and we can have another BBQ making a bag really stretch out.

The heat beads are not cheap to buy, but I think because you can reuse them they may be more economical?

 

[Mr Grumpy]

We have the Safari Chef and are well pleased with it.
On site during a recent dry spell and the owners had banned all forms of charcoal BBQ's due to fire risk.
Quite happy for us to use the Cadac though.

 

[GaryB]

We also caught the CADAC obsession and have several different plates etc, but to be honest, since we bought an electric hot-plate a couple of years ago the CADAC hasn't been used. The hot plates are just a lot easier to use and considerably lighter.

 

[Beachball]

We also caught the CADAC obsession and have several different plates etc, but to be honest, since we bought an electric hot-plate a couple of years ago the CADAC hasn't been used. The hot plates are just a lot easier to use and considerably lighter.

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Was the Rainbow trout tasty