Don’t you hate trying to find somewhere to get a decent meal on a road-trip? We definitely do. It’s always a struggle – either you stop and eat somewhere relatively healthy, or pull over at an Arby’s and scarf down this month’s mystery-meat special.

But there’s another option, one that’s unorthodox, adventurous, and not approved by the FDA. And if you’re willing to give it a try, you might find a new road-trip tradition. Or maybe carbon monoxide poisoning – we’re not really sure which one.

Cook on your car engine

Don’t cook your engine, cook on it. Mythbusters cooked a thanksgiving dinner on their exhaust manifold and the gadget guy cooked shrimp, potatoes, and carrots on his, so what’s stopping you?

Since plenty of people have successfully done this without keeling over, we figure it’s safe to share this idea. Just remember, you’re putting your food in the car’s engine – next to oils, gases, and antifreeze – so follow these directions carefully.

Baby Back Car-BQ Ribs

Go out to the store, buy a full rack of ribs, and whatever you’re going to use to season them. Here’s a whole page of options. Also, be sure to grab plenty of aluminum foil and any sides you might want to include. Personally, we’d recommend a mix of potatoes, carrots, and onions for a side.

Now, wash your hands, get your ingredients, and grab your tinfoil. Lay out your tinfoil, place your ingredients in the middle, and tightly wrap them in three layers of tinfoil. This is done to keep the ingredients from dripping out of the packets and onto your engine.

Time to roast

Once you have all your food securely wrapped, you’ll want to place them on a hot spot under the hood. The best place for this is right on top of the exhaust manifold. The second best place is on top of the engine block. Whereever you put them, just make sure the tinfoil packets of food are secure. You don’t want to replace your engine because a rib-bone snapped your timing belt.

Once your food-packets are in place, close the hood and start driving. We recommend a distance of at least 50 miles for any meat, which should be just far enough into a trip for a meal. Remember to keep an eye on the hood for any smoke. You wouldn’t want to burn the ribs!

Looking for more?

If baby back ribs really aren’t your speed, try some of these car-cooking recipies. There are plenty out there to choose from, and we’re sure you could come up with some delicious car-meals on your own.

Have you cooked on the car before? Tell us about it on Facebook! We’d love to hear your story.

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