Help me replace our rusting Safari newspaper grill

August 9, 2007 8:58 AM

Help me find a "safari grill" - the collapsible square metal box my parents used 50 years ago in Africa to grill food over burning newspaper.

Growing up, whenever we wanted to cook something outdoors, my parents used this thing they called a "safari grill" that they picked up when they lived in Africa in the 60s. It's just a folding black metal box, about a foot or so tall, with feet to allow air into the bottom, that you fill with wadded up newspaper and set aflame. Steaks laid over the fire on a grid drip fat onto the burning newsprint, take only about three minutes to cook and develop a crust that's tastier than anything I've had at the fanciest steak house. (There were great ritual arguments about what newspaper produces the best steak.)
Google searches for "safari grill" turn up restaurants or a trademarked portable gas thing – not what I'm thinking of. I've been able to find this ebay auction that has the same funky package as my parents' grill, but it's a bulky, barrel shaped thing, not a simple square box that folds up flat, which is what I want. Apparently there was also a thing marketed as a "qwik cook grill" for a while, but that's barrel shaped too.
I'm striking out with "folding fire box" and similar other search terms. Not being a camping type, I'm wondering if I'm missing something obvious. Can you help?

posted by CunningLinguist to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

Could you describe it in enough detail to have something built? Perhaps if you could make a sketch or something, on e of your fellow MeFites might be able to weld something for you.

(hint, I'm skilled in welding.)
posted by jimmyhutch at 9:19 AM on August 9, 2007

first google link for "folding grill"
posted by contraption at 9:43 AM on August 9, 2007

Here's a folding barbecue. Barbecue might be the key word you're missing (over here in Western Europe we'd never call it a grill).
posted by tiny crocodile at 9:57 AM on August 9, 2007

Here's a patent for something similar.
posted by Floydd at 10:03 AM on August 9, 2007

Response by poster: All of those are too shallow. To cook with paper, you need a deeper box to hold lots of wadded up newsprint. These seem to be great, but for coals.

Jimmyhutch - thanks for sweet suggestion. I may take you up on it. But I really thought a folding metal box must be manufactured somewhere!
posted by CunningLinguist at 10:34 AM on August 9, 2007

Response by poster: Contraption's linked grill is almost exactly right, if it were as tall as it is wide.
posted by CunningLinguist at 10:38 AM on August 9, 2007

Well, if you want, I suppose you could get something like this, and mod it with a drill and a grill grate pretty easily.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 10:48 AM on August 9, 2007

Here's one that looks like it might be close.
And it features: "Electricity swims spurts the heat-resisting paint!"
posted by Floydd at 11:12 AM on August 9, 2007

How 'bout this? It's cylindrical, newspaper-fueled, and it stacks down into a carry case.
posted by tiny crocodile at 11:25 AM on August 9, 2007

Response by poster: Floydd, that is eight types of awesome. And the closest yet. Plus it comes from Shanghai Shininess. I'm tempted by the ballot box too, though. You'd have to burn actual ballots in there I think, but it would be a helluva conversation starter.
posted by CunningLinguist at 11:43 AM on August 9, 2007

Is what you're looking for a jiko? If so just google a place that will sell and post you one, of which there seem to be many.
posted by gadha at 11:46 AM on August 9, 2007

I had one of the qwik cook grills, but I could have sworn mine was rectangular not barrel shaped.
posted by inthe80s at 12:35 PM on August 9, 2007

Maybe it's the Skrazo Flip and Grill?
posted by jabo at 1:21 PM on August 9, 2007

If your old one is merely rusting and not rusting through, you could wire-brush it and buy the heat-resisting black barbecue grill paint and swims spurt it on there without electricity.
(And folks, she said she wants "a simple square box which folds up," not a "bulky barrel shaped thing.")
posted by Floydd at 1:48 PM on August 9, 2007