Chimney Starter Tip


 
Status
Not open for further replies.
K

Kevin K

TVWBB Fan
Caught this on Good Eats the other night:

When using a chimney starter, put a few squirts of high smoke point oil on the newspaper. This is supposed to create a wick effect, making the paper last longer.

I've had problems in the past in high wind conditions when the paper burns so fast that the coals don't really have a chance to get lit.

There were some high winds today, so I just tried to light some paper in the chimney with some oil on it (maybe 1/2 T total for the 2 pieces of paper) and the pieces with the oil seemed to burn quite a while longer.

k
 
I have quit using charcoal chimneys. Have found it much easier to use weed burner. I just dump the charcoal in the ring and ignite it. If I am doing a overnighter I just set off the middle of the full ring, if I am doing ribs or chicken and want the whole ring going I ignite the whole ring. I then put the WSM together, leave vents at approx 50% and start cooking. Usually a little into the cook I have to shut the vents down a little to keep temp under control.

Using weed burner on kettle also. Dump charcoal on side, blast the fuel for a few minutes, hit the grill with flames, brush with grill brush and the steaks are cooking! This method is a fast as using a gas grill but tastes lots better.

Why wait, nuke the charcoal!
 
Been playing with my new weed burner this weekend too..normally I'd say it's way too dangerous to be in my hands, but I'm not giving it up?

Speaking of steaks, I'm considering laying a steak on my grill and blasting it with the weed burner...char the outside and seal the juices inside...hmmmmmmmm.....thoughts?
 
I also no longer use a chimney. I have tried and liked the Weber starter cubes. Just pile in the charcoal ring and light the cube. Very cheap as well.

I am also going to be trying some liquid gel I saw at Wal-Mart. I am willing to bet it will be even faster than the cubes. We had some of this stuff last year at the Michigan cook-off but have been unable to find until now.
 
Chiming in with my 2 cents. I found out from this site about starting charcoal with a turkey fryer propane burner. I completely believe this is the way to go.

Purchased one several months ago, have only done one turkey once, but used it many times to light charcoal, the speed in which it lights charcoal alone is worth the price. I am very happy I purchased it! (and will use the burner to make beer, deep fry chicken wings, etc)

Theresa
 
A year or so ago someone on this site suggested using the side burner of a gas grill, if you have one. That works great for me. Just set a chimney on the side burner for about 3 min.

John
 
Mark,

Any oil that can get to a high temperature before smoking...peanut oil, canola oil, etc. That's why peanut oil is used to deep fry turkeys, it has a high smoke point.
 
I'm not into filtering, storing and re-using oils, so for the price, I use canola oil. Canola oil has a high smoke point, as does peanut oil
 
Can I get anal here for a minute?? LOL

Exploding the myth about peanut oil....it's smoke point is actually lower than many other cheaper oils. My Italian family used olive oil for deep frying for many, many years. I keep this chart handy........

Approximate Smoke Points for Cooking Oils and Fats

Butter 250-300˚F
Safflower oil 325-350˚F
Butter (clarified) 350-375˚F
Lard 360-400˚F
Corn oil 400-415˚F
Peanut oil 420-430˚F
Cottonseed oil 425-440˚F
Canola oil 435-445˚F
Sunflower oil 440-450˚F
Soybean oil 440-450˚F

Olive oil 410-460˚F

Extra Virgin Olive oil generally has a lower smoke point than Light Olive Oil because it hasn’t been filtered as much.

Animal fats generally have a lower smoke point than vegetable oils because the saturated fatty acids break down more easily.

Once an oil has been used, its smoke point is lower than when fresh. Most oils, especially those used for deep frying, should be used no more than twice before being discarded, as their smoke points are not only lowered but they begin to contribute acrid flavors.
 
I always find these lists interesting, especially when comparing across multiple sources.

This from Alton Brown's book, "I'm Just Here For The Food":
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Butter: 350*F
<LI>Lard: 365-400*F
<LI>Vegetable shortening: 350-370*F
<LI>Peanut, soybean, safflower: 450*F
<LI>Canola, grapeseed: 435*F
<LI>Corn: 400*F
<LI>Sesame: 400*F
<LI>Sunflower: 390*F
<LI>Olive oil: 375*F
[/list]
And this one from "CookWise" by Shirley Corriher:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Sunflower: 392*F
<LI>Corn: 410*F
<LI>Olive(pure): 410*F
<LI>Peanut: 410*F
<LI>Sesame: 410*F
<LI>Soybean: 410*F
<LI>Rapeseed(Canola): 437*F
<LI>Grapeseed: 450*F
<LI>Safflower: 450*F
<LI>Almond: 495*F
<LI>Rice bran: 500*F
<LI>Avocado: 520*F
[/list]
You'd think there wouldn't be such big differences between some of these numbers. For example, a 40*F difference between peanut and soybean oils in each list, and a 35*F difference in olive oil. Makes it hard to know just what to believe. /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

Regards,
Chris
 
Chris....

I agree! When I was researching this I noticed the exact same thing. I only saved this one becasue it was laid out so nice.

My conclusion is....you can use most any oil as you should never get above 400? anyway. I just see lots of people wasting money on expensive peanut oil when there is really no need to do this.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

 

Back
Top