Cooking outdoors on a sheet of iron is a technique that is likely as old as the bronze age, when the material used was the copper-tin

The most inexpensive and environmentally green outdoor cooking surface available.

alloy, rather than iron. This process consist of placing a flat sheet of iron on top of  rocks, or salvaged concrete blocks, and cooking on it. With a little work, a commerically saleable product can be made that will not only provide an easy way to cook outdoors, but make you some money too. Entire companies have been founded on thinner concepts.

 To fabricate the cooking surface cut out a rectangular piece from 1/4-in. thick  cold rolled steel  about 2-feet wide by 2ft. 8in.  On one side of this either cut a D-shaped hole for a handle or weld on a half-moon of 3/8-ths in. rebar. To make the product more user friendly, take off the sharp edges with a grinder and round the corners.

To use, place on two used concrete blocks. Build a fire under it with sticks picked up in the yard or any other salvaged wood. After the fire starts burning, dress the cooking surface with lard, animal fat, or cooking oil. Now you can cook anything on this that can be cooked on a Waffle House grill – steaks, eggs, hash browns, etc.

With a little more trouble you can cut a well, a circular hole, in a corner that will fit whatever cast-iron pot that you might own. This now provides a place where food, like deer stews, may be boiled or deer burgers may be cooked in a frying pan with  the water that is needed to keep them moist. Now the utility of the cooking surface has been considerably enhanced. The same well with a Dutch oven can be used for baking.

The advantages of this system is that it is inexpensive to make, convenient to carry, does not require the bringing of external fuel, stores as one flat sheet of metal and it can cook fried, boiled and baked products. It is as environmentally “green” as you can get.

With the publication of this document, this product is now in the public domain. It is non-patentable, and anyone with a minimum of welding and metal-working skill can make it. The maker can fabricate and sell it in any numbers with any individual modifications that he/she would like.

If you are unemployed and have some metal-fabrication skills you can make this product, sell it and garner some income for youself and your family. Because this product is heavy, it is best that it be made locally, rather than shipped for long distances.

I hearby give the rights for anyone to make and sell this product. After you have made it for a month, send me a dollar for each one you sell. This is not an enforceable contract. If you cannot pay me now, do so when you can; or not at all. That is strictly up to you.

What I would request that you do is to direct people to this site and to my book Backyard Deer Hunting for recipes. When there is interest I will have a continuous series of postings on this product and new recipes.