Last year, startup HitchFire launched a vehicle-mounted swing-away grill called the Forge 15. Now it’s grown that grill into a more robust cooking station complete with cutting board table, side burner and refillable LPG tank. The new Ultimate Grill Station readies nomadic cooks for even more successful tailgates and impromptu roadside grill-outs.
When the minds behind Tepui rooftop tents introduced HitchFire last year, they showed the Forge 15 grill sizzling away atop an oceanside bluff, a couple of cooks using the pickup truck’s tailgate as a prep counter. The Ultimate Grill Station package brings that same seamless functionality to SUVs and crossovers without drop-down tailgates, creating a table out of a large 30 x 15-in (76 x 38-cm) maple cutting board atop two legs mounted to the tubular swing arm. This adds some extra worktop space beyond the Forge 15’s side table.
The Forge 15 only has one side table in its Ultimate Grill form because the second side table becomes more of a holder for the new side burner, which adds extra cooking power for tasks that demand a pot, pan or kettle. This burner should prove a particularly helpful addition for those who want to brew up some morning coffee to go with their grill-top breakfast.
The Ultimate Grill Station package also includes an Ignik Growler 5-lb LPG tank. The tank packs the same amount of propane as five green bottles and is refillable in an attempt to cut down on the waste created by disposable LPG containers.
Perhaps the most important piece of the new package, the grill cover wraps the Forge 15 up whenever it’s not in use. We wondered last year why a cover was not part of the original Forge 15 package, and we still wonder why it isn’t included with every Forge 15 purchase. An all-terrain hitch-mounted grill is basically a big magnet for mud, dust, salt and all-around road debris, and who wants to put food anywhere near something that just went through this:
Better late than never on the grill cover, we guess.
The Ultimate Grill Station launched late last month for US$899. HitchFire also sells the Ignik Growler, grill cover, side burner and cutting board individually.
HitchFire grows its bumper-back grill into a fuller off-road kitchen [New Atlas]