First Time User Of The Cobb Cooker

Cobb America Inc. Warns Charcoal Grill Purchasers of CO Hazard
Marketing Material Showed Product Being Used Indoors
The following product safety alert was voluntarily conducted by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC.

Name of Product: Cobb Premier Charcoal Grills

Units: About 2,000

Importer: Cobb America Inc., of Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Hazard: Like all charcoal grills, this grill emits carbon monoxide gas, which can kill within minutes when used indoors. The Web sites, recipe book, and visuals in a promotional video create the impression that the Cobb Cooker can be used indoors. The recipe book says that it can be used on your dining room table, and the promotional video showed a man carrying the grill into the house while the charcoal was still burning.

Incidents/Injuries: No incidents or injuries have been reported.

Description: The product is made of stainless steel with a wire mesh bottom and a dome-shaped lid. It has a non-stick-coated grill grid. It weighs about 10 pounds and is about 10 inches tall. An outside label reads “Cobb Premier.” It comes with several accessories, including a black carrier bag with “Cobb” lettered in yellow on top.

Sold at: Cobb America Web site and other outdoor and camping stores including some web sites nationwide from March 2006 through October 2006 for about $140.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should never use any charcoal grill indoors. Charcoal grills should only be used outside. The promotional video, which created the impression that the grill could be used indoors, has been removed from the firm’s Web site, www.cobbamerica.com, and a warning about the hazards of indoor charcoal use and carbon monoxide poisoning has been posted. The firm is sending warning letters to all known consumers.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Cobb America collect at (954) 427-5202 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or write an email to chris@cobbamerica.com

Hmmm. That is talking about charcoal use, not heat beads, but incomplete combustion of any carbon based fuel will create carbon monoxide. The trick is to ensure adequate ventilation. Without that even the average gas fire can kill.

Pete

Ardent Cobb user, even inside the house.

(Then there was that time I dropped it taking it back outside. The bush princess likes the new floor covering I laid that doesn't have little heat bead shaped burn holes in it!)

heat beads, charcoal, whatever! It is downright dangerous to use any of these heating utensils indoors. There was a family in the outskirts of Perth about 8 years ago who bought the weber inside to heat up their gamesroom and the children ended up in hospital and several warnings have been posted the the local and major newspapers sinse!

I have a Cobb and I am very pleased with the results. A dozen heat beads versus half a tree. The Cobb wins!! But I have to ask; what are heat beads, compressed Unleaded? Diesel? LPG? LNG? fallen timber? or are they compressed CHARCOAL. THEY ARE CHARCOAL! Follow the advice of the manufacturer; leave them outside!

Pajman,

Good points you have put forward Pete.

Have never had a problem with mine inside.
I often place the uncovered Cobb inside the Camper after cooking to heat up the air a little, before retiring for the night. The beads have done their job on the food and as they are burning well by this time, would not be giving off anything more than good old heat and maybe a little Co2. (Dioxide rather than Monoxide)

Just love our Cobb, but still use the Camp Oven too on occasions.
I sit the Camp Oven on a layer of heat beads on a rack, sitting in a cast iron pan, with more beads on the lid and use it for another joint of meat, more veggies, or baking the bread. (I tend to feed the "mob" sometimes)
I have done a leg of Pork in the Cobb and Lamb & Beef in the Camp Oven for a group of 12 or so hungry campers, including the veggies. Don't get any complaints.

Actually, I haven't tried bread baking in the Cobb. The results from the Oven have always been superb and I have no problem in setting it up.

Thanks Bongo, I should obviously think before saying something is ok to do on a public forum just because I do it. You have brought up a very good point.

Yes if you put you head over the cobb you will smell the fumes, but obviously it makes sense not to do it in an enclosed space with no ventilation. Our house is pretty much open plan and the back door near the kitchen is usually open unless it's freezing cold outside.

I always assumed the heat beads were some sort of compressed carbon (I guess it's what charcoal is).

However it is my opinion that using only a few beads and being in a well ventilated place would be of minimal risk.

Heat beads are a mineral coal product, not charcoal. Their relationship to trees is considerably more distant. They are still a carbon based fuel however and as with any such fuel (diesel, ULP, gas, wood etc) incomplete combustion will lead to carbon monoxide rather than carbon dioxide as a byproduct. This will only happen when the oxygen falls to too low a level to support normal combustion.

People have managed to achieve this with portable gas heaters and kerosene heaters.

The key to avoiding problems is good ventilation. If your space is so tightly sealed that 8 heat beads become an issue, I would be concerned about having more than a couple of people in the space simply breathing. Better not use the gas oven or cook top either, they both draw their oxygen from the surrounding air. A Weber with 50+ heat beads is a different issue.

I also note that Bongo's quote above says:

"Incidents/Injuries: No incidents or injuries have been reported."

Remember that complete warning came from the land of litigation. My pruning chainsaw which is designed for single handed use - it's reason for existence - came with a warning notice to always use 2 hands ...

Cheers

Pete