A BIT OF SHELTER FOR OUTDOOR COOKING

Outdoor cooking is a wonderful thing.  The open fire (or as is now the case, my Grandmother's wood cookstove), the fresh air and smoke, it is all quite wonderful.  As I am sure you know, even the most wondrous experiences have a downside, and in this case rain falls into that category.  I can't bring myself to complain about rain, but it does present challenges.

Most of my cooking has been done outdoors for a few years now, first on a cooking ring made of car rims, and more recently on my Grandmother's old cast iron cookstove.  Last winter, I made use of a crock pot when the weather was bad, but I really prefer a real fire.  This brings us to the need for a cook shelter.

Recently, I had the opportunity to do some bartering.  Through this bartering, I acquired (among other things) a portable garage.  You know the type, the kind with a metal tubing framework covered with a heavy fabric covering, like they sell at Harbor Freight.  The covering is pretty well worn, but should hold up for a while longer, then it will be replaced with a decent tarp.  It doesn't look like much as a pile of components, but will be good once assembled.

With the framework and back end cover installed, it begins to look a bit more like a shelter.  This is only 2/3 of the frame I traded for due to the space of my cooking area as well as some terrain issues that exist near the back end of the framework that you see in the second photo.  The only real option would be to move my cook stove to a larger flat area, which would not only be quite a bit of extra work, but would also be further from my food storage and living area.  The added space would be nice, but not necessary.  The remaining components will be stored for future use after my cabin is built and I no longer need the cook shelter.


Due to circumstances beyond my control, this little project took longer than I had hoped.  My plan was to have it up before it started raining again.  That did not happen!  I found myself after work on Friday, working frantically in the rain to install the front end and the cover, thoroughly soaked in a slow steady rain.  

With the shelter up, the lack of dry wood and kindling created the next challenge.  As you can see from the smoke, the challenge was met, and I cooked the first meal under my new shelter.  I must say, it was very nice cooking in the dry while listening to the rain falling on the shelter.  With the addition of a table, it will be a pretty nice little kitchen.

With winter coming soon, the walls will also be great.  Nothing takes the fun out of outdoor cooking like a cold wind, or worse yet, a cold, windblown mix of rain and sleet.  This will be good now, with the fall rains, and even better for winter.

I hope this post gives some helpful ideas, and as always, I look forward to your questions and comments.  Now on to the next project:  making a replacement oven rack for the old stove so I can start baking again.