A Cowboy Wok for Elevated Out of doors Grub
I’ve completed my time on the new facet. I’ve unwillingly sacrificed a number of fingertips on the altar of the mandoline, and I’ve been shoulder-to-shoulder with dish pit felons dans le merde. However my camp cooking, it appears, by no means translated. The best-brow al fresco meal I ever managed was most likely cooked on a PocketRocket, making beneficiant use of hiker-box prompt mashed potatoes, pouch hen, and scorching sauce.
The iKamper Disco Sequence offered the much-needed kick within the pants I wanted to vary all that. It’s a modular and trendy tackle some old-school cooking techniques. Accomplished up with a giant ol’ tenting skillet balanced atop a cooking tripod, this overland-ready tenting range doesn’t draw back from concerned meals. And it sports activities the muscle to feed the entire convoy.
I leaned totally into the function of backcountry culinary this summer time with my iKamper Disco Sequence setup. Whether or not the instrument makes the person or the person makes the instrument, the Disco made it straightforward. Cooking with this method is a pleasure.
Briefly: Name it what you’ll — a skottle, a discada, a cowboy wok, or only a good time — the iKamper Disco Sequence is a modular cooking system that orbits round a 16-inch enameled forged iron tenting skillet. It gives a number of totally different cooking strategies to raise your outside grub rustling. It’s burly, sturdy, and simple to make use of, and it modified how I method camp cooking solely.
For a deep dive into the kitchen drawer of camp cookery, take a look at GearJunkie’s information to the Greatest Tenting Stoves.
iKamper Disco Sequence: Evaluation
Promising to be the centerpiece of your overlanding chuckwagon, the iKamper Disco Sequence is a formidable piece of kit. It stands tall above different dual-burner camp stoves and gives a number of totally different cooking types.
In style in offroad camper circles for a few years, “skottles” like this one have earned their well-worn grooves in truck beds. So, this previous summer time, I got down to see if these overlanders knew one thing I didn’t.
However first, a little bit taxonomy: The time period skottle — a South African invention — has extra recognition within the overlanding neighborhood. However iKamper claims a Southwestern muse for the Disco. The model ties it to the discada cookers of agricultural staff in New and Previous Mexico. These laborers would take harrow blades and weld the opening within the middle closed. Then they may cook dinner on them over propane stoves.
Or, probably, it’s a direct descendant of the Argentinian frypan — disco de arado — actually, a “plow disc.”
Regardless of the place the Disco attracts its roots from, it’s actually, unapologetically, right here to cook dinner. The skillet is enameled forged iron and is of course seasoned. It’s a nonstick and easy-to-clean floor straight out of the gate. A delicate dish retains (most) of your meals the place it belongs. It additionally permits for differential heating to whip up meat and veg concurrently (extra on this later).
Setting Up the iKamper Disco Sequence
Offering the firepower is a Kovea-made 8,455-BTU burner, which can sound underpowered in comparison with some 20,000-BTU brutes in the marketplace. However the iKamper Disco Sequence makes good use of the output when mixed with the metallic mass of the tenting skillet. The burner itself units solidly into the tripod or sports activities its personal deployable ft for solo use.
Greater than something, the Disco Sequence is a cooking system. It’s made to be put collectively and brought aside. It’s supposed for use in several methods relying on what the camp crowds are clamoring for. The cooking tripod is nearly infinitely adjustable in top. It may be used atop a picnic desk or arrange taller than most mortals may feasibly use it.
Affixed to the tripod is a useful desk that may be mounted to any facet. It’s a catch-all to your implements, components, and a brew or two.
Extra obtainable items of package embrace a number of sensible baggage and totes for carrying all the system collectively (the bottom collection individually packs these). There may be additionally a nine-piece stainless-steel cook dinner set.
Lastly, a stable birch slicing board takes the place of the Disco desk. This slicing board proved a burly asset when prepping components or portioning protein.
Fireplace It Up: First Impressions
The thud the Disco Sequence Range made when it was unceremoniously thumped onto my porch was laborious to mistake. I don’t blame the mail man. This cooking setup weighs almost 30 kilos.
The Disco Sequence stands a full 55 inches tall on burly anodized aluminum legs. Or, if it fits you, foreshortened at 25 inches tall atop a camp desk. And even nonetheless: the Disco Sequence stands all by itself. The burner separates from the stand and will be arrange in your tailgate for a fast boil.
It’s this modular facet that units the Disco other than different camp stoves, and campfire cooking choices. Whereas the tenting skillet could intimidate some, it actually isn’t the one methodology of whipping up a meal. Utilizing the Kovea burner by itself makes boiling water or espresso a breeze.
Pulling the Disco range from my truck mattress for the primary time, the reply to the query of the way to break on this new range was easy: basic discada tacos. Carne, tortillas, onion, cilantro — laborious to mess up.
The set-up was an instruction-less affair. A easy push-button prolonged the legs. I fastened the range atop the tripod and saddled it with the Disco skillet. Even earlier than the remainder of the crew had camp squared, I used to be clicking the ignitor on the Disco.
Cooking on the Disco Skillet
I discovered cooking with this to be extra of a dance than something. The bipedal stance required shakes up your typical camp kitchen construction, making for a extra fluid atmosphere. You may stir the asada on the way in which to grabbing one thing out of the tent, or shuffle across the facet of the Disco tenting skillet to raised flip the tortillas.
This stand design works nice for individuals who camp with no picnic desk — or for many who simply need a extra communal cooking expertise.
I chopped veggies on the facet desk and sautéd them off. Then I maneuvered them to the sting of the Disco skillet and made room for the meat to cook dinner within the center. The Disco powered by the protein shortly. After frying up a number of tortillas and placing collectively the taco meeting line, dinner was served. By the tip of the night time and with bellies full, iKamper had 4 new adherents to the Disco Sequence religion.
Temperature Zones of the Discada
One of many biggest revelations, nonetheless, was in divining the methods of the discada. The flame sample and dish of the tenting skillet focus the warmth within the middle. That creates totally different cooking temperature zones relying on the place you’ve obtained the meals positioned.
Park your steaks within the middle of the skillet and so they’ll sear to perfection. However depart them there and so they’ll shortly overcook. This additionally permits you to cook dinner veggies first and transfer them to the outside of the tenting skillet to maintain heat whereas the protein cooks.
Does all this require your consideration? Positive, however this consciousness simply creates a unique cooking paradigm. It’s just like the care wanted to stir a risotto simply sufficient or keep away from breaking a bechamel. Utilizing the Disco anoints the person with the duty of chef de delicacies for the night time. This isn’t only a camp weenie cooker, pal. This can be a culinary instrument — to your station, chef!
Weaker-willed camp gourmands could need to stick with their trusty dual-burners and burgers. (I additionally heard there’s sufficient cell reception to name the pizza joint a number of miles again.) However when you’ve jived with the Disco methodology, you may really start to leverage its totally different heating zones to your benefit.
On the Highway With the Disco
As soon as I had the fundamentals of the Disco down, the culinary juices began flowing. “We should always do paella subsequent weekend,” I blurted out whereas driving house. “Or chilaquiles one morning. Do you suppose it will toast pine nuts?”
Together with this inspiration got here a greater understanding of the nuances the Disco had. Particularly when it got here to setup.
For instance: Throughout one setup on a cobbled riverside, I discovered {that a} well-calibrated eye is beneficial in getting the entire unit leveled out. However completely plumb isn’t obligatory. The tenting skillet interfaces with the tripod with a deep lip. Slick.
Related sensible design reward will be piled atop the Disco Desk. That grew to become the cockpit I piloted this range from, wrangled my drinks and kitchen utensils. It was even co-opted into being my private charcuterie board whereas manning the burner. I additionally took the optionally available Disco slicing board for a whirl whereas testing — however I saved coming again to the desk because the extra helpful floor.
Stashing the Disco away, too, is refined and simple, with every part submitting away into its personal storage bag. With the ability to separate all the items makes puzzling them away into odd areas doable (as an alternative of packing across the stable brick of a dual-burner range). And regardless that you’ll nonetheless have to wrestle the hefty skillet, I most well-liked taking the Disco alongside on overpacked excursions.
Cowboy Campfire Cooking
There’s one thing decidedly medieval about reducing a skillet down into campfire flames. Whereas it initially appeared like an adjunct technique of cooking, it has really turn out to be one in every of my favorites.
Establishing the tenting skillet for this acrobat act isn’t as laborious because it seems to be. There is no such thing as a rigging data required. Merely thread the chain by the pulley beneath the tripod, after which connect the skillet by way of the three holes across the rim. The pulley itself cams shut to carry your splendid place. An included keeper chain seals the deal.
Then, it’s solely a matter of getting the previous cowboy TV tuned in proper. (You introduced matches, yeah?) Adjusting the Disco skillet top to dial within the warmth isn’t a lot of an artwork. Decrease is hotter. Larger is cooler. Nevertheless, I did discover that cooking over coals (as an alternative of flames) made for a extra even and constant warmth.
Then, merely, simply, superbly, you wait. Poke on the fireplace. Ponder — flip fish — ponder. It’s a larger artwork — and one finest accompanied by a cool beverage. The stance of the tripod is large sufficient to accommodate most all metallic campfire rings. And the legs themselves are adjustable to degree out on sloping seashores and river bars.
When you received’t at all times be capable of whip up a campfire (although transportable fireplace pits are a factor), having the choice to cook dinner on this method opened up new horizons I vastly loved this summer time. It’s gradual meals in one of the best ways doable.
Superb Eating
I’m glad you requested. Tonight we’ll be having fun with strip steak au poivre from our station excessive on the logging roads above city. I prepped the protein at house within the sous vide fashion earlier than tossing it in a cooler ice bathtub and lighting out for some open-air cooking. It wasn’t precisely shades of Parisian tremendous eating. However I additionally solely used a couple of dollars in fuel to huff it up right here.
As a result of the temperature distribution on the Disco Sequence tenting skillet is fairly concentrated on the middle of the dish, it’s good for getting ripping scorching to pan-fry and butter-baste steaks. In with the thinly sliced shallot and thyme, together with a glug of oil to slick the Disco skillet. One minute per facet, flip solely as soon as, and ladle with butter continuously. Then, let it relaxation. Think about how rattling straightforward this factor is to make use of.
A bit of single-burner range enjoying concord right here makes a giant distinction when throwing collectively the separate cream and pepper sauce (I fairly just like the Eureka SPRK stoves for this). However taking it to the tabletop with the Disco burner can also be truthful play. In the long run, I went proper again into the skillet with the butter, cream, and pepper. Divine.
“Dirtbag” Favorites
Or, possibly, the common-or-garden frankfurter is extra your vibe. I get it — and so does the Disco (no dirtbag disgrace, right here, mates). After we did true dragged-through-the-garden Chicago canines throughout a latest path crew feed, the Disco didn’t miss a beat. It grilled up scores of canines for our mud-spattered mates.
The sting of the skillet labored a deal with to flippantly toast buns. The middle did the heavy lifting in getting our ballpark protein snapping scorching. Condiments parked it on the desk (sorry, no ketchup), and even after killing the warmth, the skillet stayed heat sufficient to maintain canines within the wings for many who needed seconds.
Recent From the Water
Nonetheless unsatiated? Pull up a chunk of driftwood, pal, as we additionally did fresh-caught rainbow trout completed up à la Navarra in a way that will go well with Francis Mallmann: slung beneath the Disco over a beachside campfire. First, nonetheless, we’ve obtained to get this asparagus completed off. After the hearth had ebbed a bit, I dropped the skillet down and fired the Serrano ham-wrapped trout.
The 16-inch tenting skillet itself has sufficient dish for shallow frying. As soon as it obtained going, the ham crisped into an unbelievable salty swaddle across the fish. Yard the skillet up a number of notches, and again in with the veg to heat every little thing collectively. Then sprinkle with coarse sea salt, and eat whereas looking on the ocean — take pleasure in your spiritual expertise.
This model of cooking requires a bit extra flexibility when it comes to cooking instances, as you’re on the whim of your fireplace. However each end result has the smoky style of getting earned it.
Misfires?
Gasoline Selection
One of many issues I seen instantly whereas establishing the Disco was its gasoline of selection: isobutane tenting fuel. The overwhelming majority of different tenting stoves elect to make use of your trusty inexperienced bottles of propane. So the choice to make use of a gasoline extra generally related to backpacking was intriguing.
Isobutane has extra power packed into it. And since it’s saved at decrease pressures, it isn’t as heavy as propane. That makes it splendid for schlepping out on climbing journeys. It’s, nonetheless, typically dearer, and never as eager on low temperatures. iKamper’s option to go together with isobutane apparently boiled right down to it being simpler to acquire globally, per iKamper.
Fortunately, a separate adapter permits you to use propane in case you so select.
Skillet Form
Past the gasoline dialogue, one other remark that steadily got here up was the shallow dish of the Disco skillet. It lands someplace between a wok and a flat high. At instances, this had me wishing for one thing with elevated sides like a paella pan, and when you can actually sub in your personal cookware, it received’t interface as properly with the range.
Worth Level
Lastly, the value tag: $490. I haven’t owned automobiles as low cost, however some have been fairly rattling shut. So the thought of parading round in your overlander rig with the Disco in tow may be near galling for some. The entire humble farmworker origin story doesn’t assist, both. However I supply this salve: no one is wrenching your trusty Coleman from you.
A bit extra palatable (however nonetheless overland-ready) setup often is the Camp Chef Everest 2X ($190). Or spring for the Mountaineer ($390), which options an all-aluminum construct. Each are rugged dual-burners which have seen lengthy lives within the backs of pickups and vans alike. Each would undoubtedly present the cooking energy you want.
Or, for a similar value, purchase 5 Coleman Cascade Camp Stoves and run them into the filth. However know that sustainability is just not solely a metric of the issues that go right into a product but in addition how lengthy you employ it till the wheels fall off. Trying on the construct of the Disco system, I can’t truthfully say I see a failure level but. I think about it far outlasting all 5 of these Coleman burners.
Think about it a righteous motive to put money into a high-end cooking system.
iKamper Disco Range System: Conclusion
So there I sat; well-done, sautéd, over-easy, however greater than something, satiated. The iKamper Disco Sequence makes an announcement boldly shouted throughout the campsite. I paid heed to the decision this summer time, making an attempt to do the range justice with a lot of meals in lofty and naturally air-conditioned locales. And based mostly on the clean-plate membership most nights, I’d say I didn’t do half-bad.
The credit score is owed all to the Disco, nonetheless. As a rule, it lived as much as the promise of elevating our outside cooking. The system is overland-ready, rugged sufficient to toss into the again of your rig, and modular out-the-wazoo with nearly as many cooking modes as there are days within the week.
Don’t get it twisted, the Disco Sequence will do sincere, blue-collar burgers in addition to the remainder of them — it simply received’t hand them to you, and greater than that, it needs for use for the next calling.
Attempt one thing new, go to the hole-in-the-wall market, experiment with an ingredient, royally screw it up, strive once more. Take the Disco someplace lovely, and throw collectively some nosh worthy of it.
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