The side light method - The most effiecient way to light a charcoal smoker or grill


 
CaseT

CaseT

TVWBB Platinum Member
This method works great and I use it in all my charcoal smokers. Similar to the minion method, except you are keeping all the energy from the fuel in the smoker and not loosing any of it by lighting the fuel outside the smoker.

Give the sidelight method a try. Works great with the WSM's and there's no wasting fuel. Had my 14.5" up to smoking temp in less than 10 minutes the other day and it was 14°f outside. For those that have never tried it you are missing out.

1. Fill charcoal ring with fuel and wood. Make sure one hole in ring is aligned with lower vent.

2. Put smoker together

3. Open all vents.

4. Light torch and place in one of lower vents.

5. Run the torch until your pit temp is 25°-30° degrees above your target temp. The pit temp will drop considerably.

6. If the pit temp settles 25° degrees or more below your desired temp fire the torch again. If not let the pit come up by itself.

Slowly close one vent art a time. Always leave your exhaust wide open.

For higher temp smokes (above 300°), I will run the torch in more than one vent.

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NOTE: Body of smoker removed only to show what's going on. You want the body and lid on when using this method.
 
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This might be an efficient way to light the smoker in terms of energy usage, but I have my doubts about it being the most economical. I expend two sheets of newspaper that would otherwise be discarded and an average of maybe 5 minutes burn time on a dozen briquettes. I have to think running the torch until the smoker is 25F above the target temp is going to burn a lot of propane; propane that I otherwise wouldn't need to buy.
 
BFletcher said:
Up-to this point is the torch providing nearly all of the heat?
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Yes that would be true. This pre-heats the smoker. By the time the smoker is at running temp, say 225-250 only a few pieces (for the 14.5") are lit and burning. One full basket as shown will get me 14-16 hours of cook time at pit temps below 265° in the 14.5" WSM.
 
JayHeyl said:
This might be an efficient way to light the smoker in terms of energy usage, but I have my doubts about it being the most economical. I expend two sheets of newspaper that would otherwise be discarded and an average of maybe 5 minutes burn time on a dozen briquettes. I have to think running the torch until the smoker is 25F above the target temp is going to burn a lot of propane; propane that I otherwise wouldn't need to buy.
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Really this is about energy savings and efficient fuel burning.

As for money saving I guess it depends on how you look at it. I go through less fuel lighting the smoker this way. I get longer cooks without having to replenish fuel. On short cooks I snuff the fire when I am done. Next cook I shake the ash and add new fuel to the old. So there's money savings there.

The little propane bottle lasts 6-8 months using it to start the smokers 3-4 times a week. A bottle costs $3.99 so that's $$0.50-0.67 a month. Newspaper subscription here is $18.00 a month.
 
Very interesting Case, I was running late getting things set up for a smoke and had mislaid my short chimney but my eyes fell on the torch and did pretty much what you are illustrating! I may never bother to spend the time with the little chimney again, it worked so well!
I had seen someone else do it but, the reinforcement of the idea has planted the seed pretty deeply in my foolishly small brain!
I also liked the firebrick “track” that someone showed for a circular burn and might just give that a shot next time too.
Such fascinating kooks we are here!
 
Yes-sir been doing that since 09 on my kettles and wsm https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?6177-Another-way-to-lite-a-chimney-on-a-OTG
Don't click on the link in my thread for photos cause that's photobucket playing games.
I do it different then you Case, because I use lump only on the WSM. Set the torch about one minute in all three vents, then top it off in the center about another minute or so.
That's a method that Larry Wolfe and Bryan S clued me in on the old forum.:wsm:

Tim
 
Using 12-18 coals in a chimney starter and a couple old bacon grease paper towels that I would throw away is good enough for me. And its not like your wasting the 12-18 coals because they are put in the smoker once they are ashed over.
 
Rusty look for one with a regulator, or it will say on the box you can tilt it at any angle to run. Otherwise the regular ones can snuff out if turned sideways or upside down.

Tim
 
CaseT said:
Really this is about energy savings and efficient fuel burning.

As for money saving I guess it depends on how you look at it. I go through less fuel lighting the smoker this way. I get longer cooks without having to replenish fuel. On short cooks I snuff the fire when I am done. Next cook I shake the ash and add new fuel to the old. So there's money savings there.

The little propane bottle lasts 6-8 months using it to start the smokers 3-4 times a week. A bottle costs $3.99 so that's $$0.50-0.67 a month. Newspaper subscription here is $18.00 a month.
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For me that would be one more thing to buy that only has 1 use. I'll stick with my chimney, but keep the ideas coming.

What's a newspaper? ;)
 
Bill Elwell said:
For me that would be one more thing to buy that only has 1 use. I'll stick with my chimney, but keep the ideas coming.

What's a newspaper? ;)
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It has more than one use, sweating pipes, stripping paint, loosening up rusted bolts etc and even making a creme brulee.:)
Mine was never a uni-tasker, it was in the garage for years for other projects, until I got the idea to use it as a charcoal starter..
Tim
 
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Rusty James said:
And soldering, but I guess that falls under sweating pipes.
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Depends what you're soldering. I had a kerosene lantern that was slowly leeching fuel out the seam around the bottom. The manufacturer suggested using spar varnish, but that stuff has just about disappeared from the face of the earth. What I could find cost more for a quart, the smallest size available, than I paid for the lantern. So I bought a torch and some solder. I figured at least that would have other uses.

Safety tip... When using a propane torch to solder a kerosene lantern, be sure the lantern has been emptied and sitting open for a LONG time, like a week or more, before beginning to heat it. I left mine sit for a couple days after thoroughly emptying it and there was no hint of any kerosene still in it, but there was enough hiding in the nooks and crannies that it vaporized when heated and eventually caught fire rather suddenly. No BBQ'ers were injured in the production of this safety tip, but the same can't be said for his underwear.
 
Spar varnish, not that hard to find. In Michigan anyway.
Open flame and kerosene vapors, dangerous!? Gee, what tipped you off to that?
 
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JayHeyl said:
Safety tip... When using a propane torch to solder a kerosene lantern, be sure the lantern has been emptied and sitting open for a LONG time, like a week or more, before beginning to heat it. I left mine sit for a couple days after thoroughly emptying it and there was no hint of any kerosene still in it, but there was enough hiding in the nooks and crannies that it vaporized when heated and eventually caught fire rather suddenly. No BBQ'ers were injured in the production of this safety tip, but the same can't be said for his underwear.
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I accidentally caught a gas can on fire one time near the house! Why it didn't blow up is a mystery, but my father managed to put it out safely. My underwear needed changing too. :eek:

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I had a kerosene can (5 gallon) that needed soldering around the edges, but I chickened out and threw it away. :eek:

I used to do industrial soldering and brazing. I wish I had some of that yellow acid I used to use. That stuff would remove anything.
 
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