The Grill
The GRill
The Art of Crawford. Originally built as a high-end stove by Walker & Pratt in Boston Massachusetts in the late 1800s, this particular model was designed to burn coal or wood. You added wood or coal through the small door on the left. The oven has air space all around it so the heat from the fire warmed up the oven itself. It would have taken a few hours to get the stove hot enough to cook on, but once warmed up would not only stay warm, it would have kept your kitchen nice and warm too!
Friends of ours had the stove sitting behind their cottage for years. It was there when they bought their cottage years ago and was covered in vines and leaves. It took 4 of us to move it from their yard to the truck. We loaded it in the back, but it stuck our a few feet beyond the back of the truck. No worries - the maximum speed limit on the island is 20 mph and we kept to the paved roads.
When we got back to the house, my son and I realized that while it took 4 of us to get it into the truck and it was only the two of us left to get it out of the truck. Gravity was our friend. It sat for a year at the edge of the woods, before we moved it to its current location..
When we got back to the house, my son and I realized that while it took 4 of us to get it into the truck and it was only the two of us left to get it out of the truck. Gravity was our friend. It sat for a year at the edge of the woods, before we moved it to its current location..
A bit about location. The winds off the ocean come down the coast form the Northeast in the winter (from Canada) and up the coast in the summer from the Southwest (from New Jersey). In Coastal Maine when we travel north, we "go down" as is , "Motha let's go down to Bah Haba and get sum of that lobsta." Oh for those of you out of state, this translates to "(Insert wife's name here), lets go north to Bar Harbor and have a lobster diner." Now there is a few problems with this statement. Many of us from Maine don't eat lobster and those that do aren't going to Bar Harbor - that's where the tourists go.
Back to location for the grill - we positioned it so the prevailing winds wouldn't smoke us out and left space on all 4 sides so when the winds do shift from another direction, we can still see.
Back to location for the grill - we positioned it so the prevailing winds wouldn't smoke us out and left space on all 4 sides so when the winds do shift from another direction, we can still see.
I took the top off the oven but left the other 5 sides in place. Then put two grates inside the stove itself. The small grate is really heavy iron. I recommend the heaviest iron grate you can find. Once hot, it gets fantastic grill lines and because the surface area touching the food is small, it doesn't really stick. It may not be the prettiest grill, but I'd guess it may be the only one around!
A few pictures of grilling over the past year
My all-time favorite grill recipe books!
Got the wood delivered - I buy it green and let it sit for a year before grilling. We also heat with wood so 3 1/2 cords a year keeps us warm and toasty (and grilling)! On the island, we pay about $150 to have it delivered (even with off-season rates mid October to mid April) - as they have to bring the truck over on the boat - everything costs a bit more on the island. Price of paradise!