Cooking On a Car Engine

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Years ago, I read an article in MotorTrend Magazine about outdoorsy Jeep guys cooking on their engines while driving. What could be better after a day of off-roading than pulling into the campsite, popping the hood and viola…dinner is ready!

A gearhead had written a book called “Manifold Destiny: The One! The Only! Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine!” and the MotorTrend book review the book brought the idea to the masses. I decided to try it out.

In retrospect, the magazine’s lawyer should have recommended the title ‘CAR-B-CUE: A Guide to Burning Down your Ride‘ for that book review.

I sliced up a tender steak that had been marinating overnight and wrapped it up in tinfoil. Then, I carefully placed it on the exhaust manifold. Next, I took some big chunks of peppers and onions and impaled them on a souvlaki skewer before tightly wrapping that in tinfoil and placing it in the ‘V’ between the cylinders. I avoided serpentine belts and radiator hoses, just like the article said.

I planned on stopping in Hamilton after an hour of cooking time, but if I recall correctly, it was actually the Toronto Fire Department that doused my car with water, so I guess I never even made it out of the city.

Cruising along the highway to get the engine nice and hot, the savory smell of grilled onions filled my passenger compartment; things were going well! I remember worrying that exhaust fumes would taint the taste of the food, but I quickly snapped back to reality when smoke began billowing out the side of my hood.

The vibration of the engine must have worn a hole in the tinfoil and sent the vegetables tumbling to their death on the cast iron engine block. That’s what I’d smelled first.

But when the grease from that sliced steak seeped through, it ignited ferociously against the hot exhaust, and the flames then engulfed the wiring harness. To this day, the smell of Car Carne Asada mixed with burning plastic has kept me from ever ordering a flank steak.

~ Chris #16 Demaras ~

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