Backwoods Competitor "Demo" Grill & Bake

This grill and bake was done a few years ago to show the versatility of the Backwoods line of cookers.

My plan was to grill direct on the lower grid in the cooker over the lump coals at a very high temp and at the same time, bake on two levels in the top of the cooker at around 400-450 degrees.

Wonder how many cookers out there are designed well enough to be able to even consider this type of cook?

I would have no help with this cook so I did get most of my prep work done in advance.



This grilling part of this cook was to be a plate of pork chops and about a pound and a half of some cod fish.

The baking part of the cook was to be one loaf of focaccia bread, two loaves of French bread which will be baked, split, buttered with garlic, and then back on the cooker to be grilled and made into garlic bread, one thick and chewy pizza, and one thin and crispy pizza. The green dough balls in the picture are my baking dough for the above treats. The items in the bowls are the ingredients for the pizza and focaccia bread.



I figured I would need a full load of very even burning lump to keep the cooker where I wanted it for this planned two hour grill and bake. I use two fire cubes to start the fire with one at the left front near the intake vent, and one at the right rear neat the other intake vent. This shoud give me a very even burning fire for this cook.

I also removed my removable water pan from the cooker so I could grill direct over the lump coal in the cooker.



I then set up my two baking hearths near the top of the cooker for my pizza and bread.



I then brought the cooker up to a good baking temp which was about 450 degrees and held it there for about 15 minutes to be sure my hearths were all heated up and ready to bake.



While the cooker was coming up to temp, I made up my first thin and crispy pizza and had it ready for the cooker.



The rest of this cook is just a blur as I was running around like a chicken with it's head off trying to keep up with the cook as I didn't have any help. All the bread products had to be rolled out, prepped, and made into each type of bread I wanted for the cook.

This picture shows the thin and crispy pizza about half done as I was loading the thick and chewy pizza on the cooker.

At this time, I also loaded the pork chops on the lower direct grid in the cooker for my grilling.



When the two pizzas were done, I loaded the focaccia bread on the hearth. Looks like I also turned the chops over on the lower grid.



After the loaf of focaccia came off the hearth, I loaded my two loaves of French bread. At this time, I also took the chops off the cooker.

I then put my perforated fish pan on the lower grid and loaded up the cod fish on this pan for this very short cook.



When the French bread was done, I pulled it off the cooker and at this time, I also turned the fish over on the grid. I then sliced the French bread in half and added some butter and garlic and got it ready for the grill.



The fish came off the cooker along with the pan I used to cook it in and now the cooker was ready again for grilling my garlic bread.



The garlic bread just took a few minutes and it was ready to come off the cooker.



The results of this crazy grill and bake. Top left is the thin and crispy pizza, center is the thick and chewy pizza, top right is the focaccia bread, lower left is the chops, center is the fish, and on the right is French/garlic bread.

I don't think I would try a cook like this again without some help....this old fat wore out fellow is just not up to this kind of work and abuse!!