Tembo Tusk Skottle Kit

MSRP: $275

WEIGHT: 22 lbs

SIZE: 18” Diameter Grill, 28” Assembled Height

INCLUDES: Grill, Legs, Grill Bag & Leg Bag

The Tembo Tusk Skottle cook system isn’t something you are going to throw on your back and head out on a backpacking trip with, but it is ideally suited for overland and car camping excursions. It quite honestly works great in your back yard, or on your apartment balcony, as well. Sure it’s pretty big and not light, but it does pack up relatively small and should easily fit in the back of your vehicle.

This style grill originates from South Africa, where farmers turned their old harrow discs, used for turning over the soil, into outdoor grills that could be placed directly on a fire. There might be no better way to cook traditional South African Boerwors sausage than on a braai, or barbeque, especially the Skottle style grill.

The Skottle creates a really fun social cooking experience. The round self-contained shape really entices people to encircle it like a campfire, and the food is on full display while it’s being cooked. It is really easy and quick to setup, and I can’t think of a way you could set it up wrong.

It is very easy to burn food the first few times you use the Skottle, as it quickly gets very hot in the middle 7”+, and is just warm outside that area. From using and seeing multiple Skottle systems being used I’ve also found that the brand and model of burner you use with it matters. The burner unit that came with my kit directly from Tembo Tusk works consistently and well, but doesn’t seem to have a super low setting like some other burners, like the basic Coleman one’s you can find at Walmart, and sometimes come with the kit from Tembo Tusk. I was able to fix this issue for now by lowering the burner away from the Skottle’s cook surface a bit, just by loosening the two long eye-bolts which hold the burner in place, which allowed me to achieve a lower cook surface temperature at the lowest setting the burner offers. The burner I have also requires you to light it with a match or lighter, where many burners have a built in ignition system.

It can be a bit tricky to start with, but once you figure out the basics of your particular Skottle system you can find ways to cook a wide variety of meals. There are lots of Skottle cooking accessories out there, and so far I’ve found that having a lid makes the system way more user friendly for a wide variety of meals. The steamer tray looks like a great addition and having the all weather cover also seems like a great addition when you want to leave the Skottle setup around camp.

The bag system for the Tembo Tusk Skottle is made of a burly material that should hold up to abuse well. The bag is designed to protect the Skottle, and all the gear you store around your Skottle while in transport. The big rubber zipper pulls are a nice touch. I found that it wasn’t as easy as it could be to slide the Skottle into and out of the bag, due to the relatively small zippered opening, and that there was pretty much just enough room in there for the Skottle Grill, burner and a propane bottle. If you have a lid or other accessories they would have to be stored separately. The leg bag is well designed and easy to use, but it would be nice to have a way to attach the leg bag to the Skottle bag for transport.

Cleanup can be really easy with the Skottle system, but can also make a mess if not done correctly. I used my plastic spatula the scrape the stuck on food off the hot Skottle my first time cleaning it, and that turned out to be a bad idea. The hot Skottle melted the spatula away as I scraped. Two MUCH better ideas are to simply put a bit of water or some salt on the Skottle and scrub with a paper towel or cleaning cloth. Either of these methods makes cleanup extremely quick and efficient.

PROS:

-Social fun cooking experience

-Able to cook a WIDE range of meals

-Easy to clean

CONS:

-Heavy

-Not small

-Does not work well to heat liquids or boil water, which will require a separate cook system

These are honestly just my first impressions of the Tembo Tusk Skottle cook system, and I will be checking back in a few months once I’ve spent more time with it, and get my hands on a few of the available accessories.