Wok burner advice needed

[wabi]

I have one of these...it gets wicked hot. The airflow through them is such that the charcoal just glows. It's great for searing steaks. 

[Robenco15]

On 2/21/2019 at 7:45 PM, btbyrd said:

I got Rambo as an all-in-one outdoor burner and it's served me well enough, though I can't say that I've used it for any non-stirfry tasks apart from getting my large stock pot up to temp in a hurry. But based on what I observed, it'll work just fine for big pot stuff like low-country boil and clam bakes. Deep frying should work as well, but I've only deep fried in a wok. Maybe one of these days I'll do the turkey thing myself... but for almost everything else, wok frying is a great way to fry. Because of the shape, you're able to fry larger items (like whole fish) in a relatively small volume of oil, and given the power of the heat source, the oil temp's recovery time after you add your product can be very short. The shape is also nice because you don't really have to worry about throwing in product and having the oil/steam bubble over on you. I also just like fying outside, because deep frying in my ventless kitchen makes my entire house smell like "fried." Anyway, I suspect you'll be just fine using a wok burner as an all-in-one. Its worked for me thus far.

Thanks so much for your reply! I found something extremely similar to the Rambo on outdoorstirfry.com and will probably be going with the legless 160k BTU burner. I’ll get that first and then if I’m finding it not easy to boil water for clambakes or whatever, I’ll buy another one for that. 

 

I’m going to go with legless to make it easier to store, but that means I need a table. Any ideas there? A Gridman SS table? Ideally it would be easily put away when not in use as I can’t leave it outside 24/7. That would eliminate the Gridman. I also figure some form of protection needs to be under the burner. Paver brick? 

[jmolinari]

Just looking st this page I have a PF13s160. I got mine at a Chinese restaurant supply store.  It’s about time someone started selling these stoves. 

The online price is only $10 or $20 more than what I paid. Shipping is going to a bear. It’s very heavy. 

I use this stove for wok cooking, frying, ramen boiling etc. it’s fantastic. I use my outdoor grill as a “table”. 

[Robenco15]

I might just open my grill and set it on the grates. Eventually we plan on redoing our back patio and then I’ll have a table for it. I might also buy it with the legs since they are detachable. Store the legs away and then have them if I need them. 

[Robenco15]

With legs- $45 for shipping. Comes to $175 total. Not awful, but yeah shipping is high. 

 

Without legs - $39 for shipping, $150 total. 

Edited February 24, 2019 by Robenco15 (log)

[btbyrd]

I use a small square ALPS Mountaineering collapsible aluminum table. The legs fold and the tabletop rolls up, and the whole thing fits in a bag. They're good for camping and tailgating or wherever you might need a popup table. It's a good height for wokking while standing. I also use it with my konro. Not at the same time, of course... but as you can see, there's ample room even on the small one. 

 

 

 

We go enough places with enough stuff that having an extra table like this is extremely useful. They make a slightly larger size for not much more money, as well as giant picnic table type things. I could see any or all of them being useful for a catering operation, or for cooks like me who want a big backyard kitchen, but can't have everything out all the time. There are many other styles of packable table on the market. This one is fine, but it's not super heavy duty. Check out these reviews to see what the competition looks like.

[Robenco15]

I knew you’d have a great answer. Thank you!

[Robenco15]

btbyrd, do you leave it set up outside, or only bring it out when needed. I’m assuming it is fine in the elements, but curious. 

[jmolinari]

10 hours ago, Robenco15 said:

btbyrd, do you leave it set up outside, or only bring it out when needed. I’m assuming it is fine in the elements, but curious. 

 

The stove will rust in the elements. I leave it outside under my normally covered grill but rust still started happening. 

I spray painted it black with high temperature exhaust paint

[Robenco15]

1 hour ago, jmolinari said:

 

The stove will rust in the elements. I leave it outside under my normally covered grill but rust still started happening. 

I spray painted it black with high temperature exhaust paint

Thanks jmolinari. I was actually referring to the table btbyrd recommended, but that's good to know about the burner. I'd keep it inside when not in use too.

[btbyrd]

I intended to be a good person and break the table down when I'm finished using it, but I've left it outside for months at a time through rain and snow. I think it's been outside for the past three months, as a matter of fact. It's weathered the weather well, but it's not really built to be used outdoors permanently. I'm sure it would hold up outside for a couple of years in most climates pretty well, but the tabletop part that rolls up is held together by bungee cord-like material. It's probably super durable stuff, but that's the part of the table that I suspect would eventually fail (since everything else is aluminum, except for a couple of plastic end caps). 

 

And +1 on jmolinari's observation about these burners rusting. Mine started rusting being left outside overnight simply from the condensation. Good tip about the exhaust paint.

[Robenco15]

Thanks! I’ll look into exhaust paint. I do plan on setting the table up and breaking it down but good to know it can withstand the elements for a period of time. 

[Robenco15]

3 hours ago, btbyrd said:

I intended to be a good person and break the table down when I'm finished using it, but I've left it outside for months at a time through rain and snow. I think it's been outside for the past three months, as a matter of fact. It's weathered the weather well, but it's not really built to be used outdoors permanently. I'm sure it would hold up outside for a couple of years in most climates pretty well, but the tabletop part that rolls up is held together by bungee cord-like material. It's probably super durable stuff, but that's the part of the table that I suspect would eventually fail (since everything else is aluminum, except for a couple of plastic end caps). 

 

And +1 on jmolinari's observation about these burners rusting. Mine started rusting being left outside overnight simply from the condensation. Good tip about the exhaust paint.

 Last q, I promise. Do you put anything underneath the burner when using it on the table? I’m assuming the table can handle some weight? Think burner, 36qt stockpot, clambake, etc. Thanks!

[nickrey]

On 5/3/2018 at 10:59 PM, btbyrd said:

I just got the Auscrown Rambo. It's kinda pricey, but the build is very nice. Peizo ignition, braided stainless steel hose, chunky connectors, solid construction everywhere. It looks like it was put together by a team of people who were afraid of being sued by the end user. That's a good thing in my book. The burner itself looks almost exactly like the one in the original post that infernooo had shipped to him from Thailand. The high pressure regulator is a lightly modified Chen Fong CF103 and the braided stainless high pressure gas hose was made by ALO. So I suspect that the Rambo isn't much more than a rebranded Thai wok burner with a Chinese-supplied hose and regulator. But as a package, it hits all the right buttons. I was also looking at the offerings from Outdoorstirfry.com which seem very nice as well. But none of their product names were "Rambo," so...

 

 

Here's the Auscrown product video.
 

 

Thank you @btbyrd. I love it when fellow e-Gulleters do the research and product testing for you. I've been looking for one of these for ages. 

 

[xiaobao12]

Nickrey - where are you located? Is that wok from Williams Sonoma? 

[btbyrd]

On 3/1/2019 at 10:27 PM, nickrey said:

Thank you @btbyrd. I love it when fellow e-Gulleters do the research and product testing for you. I've been looking for one of these for ages. 

 

 

Happy to help.

 

Edited March 3, 2019 by btbyrd (log)

[btbyrd]

On 2/25/2019 at 8:07 PM, Robenco15 said:

 Last q, I promise. Do you put anything underneath the burner when using it on the table? I’m assuming the table can handle some weight? Think burner, 36qt stockpot, clambake, etc. Thanks!

 

It came with a steel pan/plate thing to put under it, but sometimes I use a ceramic plate similar to what's pictured in Nickrey's photo. You could use just about anything... and could probably get away with using nothing at all, depending on the surface.

[Robenco15]

12 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

 

It came with a steel pan/plate thing to put under it, but sometimes I use a ceramic plate similar to what's pictured in Nickrey's photo. You could use just about anything... and could probably get away with using nothing at all, depending on the surface.

Thanks. I’ll give it a go on that Alps table. 

[nickrey]

11 hours ago, xiaobao12 said:

Nickrey - where are you located? Is that wok from Williams Sonoma? 

Sydney, Australia. It was from a kitchenware supply store and originally from China I'd say. As you can see, it's seen some use.

[Caruso]

Resurrecting this thread with a question about the versatility of these outdoor burners. For the next year I'm in a townhouse with a weak gas range and no venting exhaust fan, but with a convenient uncovered back deck. Would a portable unit like the Eastman Kahuna be able to handle not just wok cooking, but also cooking (or at least searing) steaks, chicken etc on cast iron and stainless steel pans on a regular basis? I've seen precious little on these units being used for anything other than wok cooking and turkey frying. Beyond it being possible, is it practical or a pain in the butt?

Edited July 23, 2022 by Caruso (log)

[btbyrd]

On 7/23/2022 at 10:00 AM, Caruso said:

Resurrecting this thread with a question about the versatility of these outdoor burners. For the next year I'm in a townhouse with a weak gas range and no venting exhaust fan, but with a convenient uncovered back deck. Would a portable unit like the Eastman Kahuna be able to handle not just wok cooking, but also cooking (or at least searing) steaks, chicken etc on cast iron and stainless steel pans on a regular basis? I've seen precious little on these units being used for anything other than wok cooking and turkey frying. Beyond it being possible, is it practical or a pain in the butt?

 

Sorry this response isn't more timely, but I didn't see it until just now. The short answer is that you can definitely use non-woks on wok burners. I've only used a stock pot and a carbon steel paella, but they work fine. I can't say about the Eastman unit (which seems pretty sweet) but the burner output on the jet engine wok burners is so high that you shouldn't run the burner on high when using normal cookware (obviously) and you should allow your pans adequate time to preheat on low heat to avoid warping. Paired with the right pan, it can function as a pretty epic outdoor sear station. It's not impractical or a pain in the butt, but you will probably want to move it inside to avoid rust issues. And breaking down/setting up a burner like this is a bit more involved than using something like, say, the Iwatani 75FW portable butane burner. That's what I most often use to sear outdoors and it does a fantastic job. Not quite a high output wok burner, but easy to set up and use basically anywhere. 

[EatingBen]

I’ve a jet engine wok burner, love the thing to bits!

 

i use all suitably sized cookware on it on low or just above. It’s brilliant to boil a stock pot will bring it to a ferociously rolling boil in no time and bring it back to the boil in half a minute. The only issue will be you can use small pots, however a wok is a fantastic pan for more then just stir frying, sear a steak, deep fry, steam and sauté a wok very versatile item. Oh and get a Korean bbq rack thing for bulgolgi the burner will nicely char the meat.
 

it’s also great cooking outside although I’m in Brisbane so I don’t get snow.