I just spent 3 hours today cleaning a 55 year old Portable Kitchen cast aluminum bbq pit that my wife's father cooked lots of steaks and hamburgers for us when we dating 48 years ago. Found it behind the garage with a lot of old leaves. Body is great shape, replaced the connecting hardware on the stand and ordered new grates from the PK surviving company. Its now in basically new condition and will be giving it to my son for Christmas for him to use for years in the future. I also bought another one from a garage sale and will do the same refurbish job to give to my other son.
These bbq's are Cadillac's and should you see one at a garage sale it is a great find.
We got one last summer. There are some previous threads about them from about that time. They are more like the 'Airstreams' of the BBQ world! They have a pretty active Facebook page. If anyone is interested, a web search could find better prices. They excel at smoking foods. The PK is also portable and bulletproof. No Humpty Dumpties'!
I got one of those in the late 1970's for Christmas. I wish I still had it. It cooked better than nearly anything I have experienced since, but alas, it grew feet and left home in 2003. Been thinking about getting another ever since.
"Sometimes I just sit and think. Sometimes I just sit." "Great minds like a think."