am i a lazy american?


 
B

brady martin

Banned
even though its not a lot of work at all, i hated starting the chimney with newspaper. i dont know what the deal is but that would stop me from grilling some times.

a few days ago i installed a 20# propane tank on my weber performer. fill chimney and set on charcoal grate with propane on. lit coals in 5 minutes. now im using the grill almost every day. its just too easy

the only other thing i hate doing is cleaning the top grate. hopefully theyll come out with a cheap disposable grate or something.
 
hey now, after a hard days work you come home then have to light the paper. some times you need to keep retrying due to weather. also need to clean all the newspaper ashes afterwards.

ok i am lazy when i get home
 
I can appreciate that. Use the starter cubes. They cost little and never fail. The grates never have to be and never will be spotless. Hey, it's a grill. Heat up the grate, brush it off, oil it or spray with Pam and grill.
 
Brady,
I hooked up a 20lb propane tank to my Performer last summer and never looked back. I even use it to start a chimney of lump for the WSM minion method!

For cooking grates, I have both the Craycort CI and Weber stainless steel. I find that both clean a lot easier than the standard nickel plated.
 
Brady - I've got an inexpensive solution for you. Instead of the Newspaper, take (1) one paper towel, wad it up and pour some vegetable oil on it. Light it and lay it on your grate. Put your chimney over it. Just one paper towel will light your chimney and won't leave a mess or ashes to dispose of. It works great, fast lighting and cheap. Bob B
 
I just tear up a piece of an old charcoal bag and stick that under the chimney. Never had a problem. I'm a minimalist.
 
What's been working for me - fill chimney halfway - put electric starter in - fill the remainder of the chimney - plug it in and pull it out after 15 min. - gets it going with no unnecessary smoke
 
I'm with you on the chimney starter. I used to absolutely hate to start that thing up with newspaper. The Performer makes it so much easier and quicker to get the coals started.

I can't agree with you on the grates though. How clean are you trying to get them? It takes me less than a minute to brush them off.
 
I agree, I thought newspaper was a pain and had heard about the Weber starter cubes but I couldn't find them anywhere. I did find fire starter cubes at world market, it was $6 for 72 cubes and it only takes 1 to get it started and they work great! Plus, they're wood and veggie oil so it's not like they're just soak in lighter fluid which would defeat the whole purpose. I don't think I'll ever go back to paper. I definitely recommend them.
 
It's not lazy. It's called working smart. I use the side burner on my Genesis or my Camp Chef Stove to light my chimneys. I use whatever is closer at the time.It also has the advantage of lighting the charcoal quicker than a cube or paper, especially if you're in a real hurry (because you had one too many beers and forgot) and need to get the coals ashed over quickly. You just leave the burner on longer.
 
I also use the method of one paper towel with a bit of vegetable oil on it, its like a wick with some fuel. Easy easy.
 
I thought it was SOP to hook up a 20 lb tank and use it fire up a chimney full of coals for either grilling or the minion method for the WSM???

There are people out there that don't do this??
 
If it makes you feel any better I never felt like newspaper worked well and was a hassle. The weber starter cubes are great though. The local store seems to have bumped the price up from $3 a pack to $8 a pack this year. If I can't find them cheaper I'll be going to a weed burner or mapp torch too.
 
Use 3 or 4 Viva paper towels with oil and light it and go inside and pour a beer. 20 minutes you be G2G. Also, no newspaper ash
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Viva burn up to 95%
 
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