Coals started with a Chimney


 
Andrew16

Andrew16

TVWBB Member
Hello All,

Quoting an older post from Jeff R below, and a comment to post a new thread from Jerry N, Here it goes.....

Jeff N older post
Don't mean to question you but I have never had a full chimney light in 20 min. And when I rush it before the top is fully going thinking that when I dump that the unlit will be on the bottom and catch, always results in lower temps and all coals going grey instead of red hot coals

New Post from me.
I am glad I'm not the only one having this issue once in a while. I also tend to get excited and dump out the chimney after about 30mins even though the top is not completely ashed over or burning hot. I have heard different opinions on this and maybe someone can clear it up for me.

1) Filling a chimney full of coals and waiting ~30mins => I have noticed that the coals on top are not fully lit or ashed over after this amount of time. If i dump them out then I have ~10-15 coals not lit which then doesn't give me the hot temps I am looking for.

2) Filling a full chimney of coals and letting them burn ~45mins - 60mins does create a full burning chimney, ashed over on top (all coals) but i have heard that if you leave them this long, the coals near the bottom of the chimney will slowly burn out since they have been in the chimney for around 45-60mins which leaves you with theoretically half a chimney of usable coals.

Can anyone share other methods with a full chimney? Some say 20mins is enough time some say 30, but I find I need a min of 45mins to get the complete chimney burning, but then have the negative of burnt out or almost burnt out coals at the bottom.

Sorry, I am also still new to the Weber family and all this BBQ/Grill experiences. So far I am enjoying ready the advice on here and also learning by doing.

Thanks for your help!
 
My experience, with a "cheapo" chimney, and using Royal Oak lump, a full chimney takes me about 20-30 minutes. Depends on the conditions, (i.e. wind, temp, etc.). One thing I do, which may not be a good thing, once the bottom coals get going, I will pick up my chimney and give it a bit of a shake to shift coals around a bit and help get some more airflow going through the chimney.
 
I try to dump after 15 minutes or so. I try to mix the lit and unlit when I dump the coals. I give them about another 5+ minutes. By then, they are ready to go. That way, I don't use all of my coals in the chimney. The total time is about 20 minutes.
 
I'm pretty much like Darren on this one if I use a full or mostly full chimney. The coals on the top arent necessarily grey but they are definitely hot so not far off. I almost always use less than a full chimney and dump on top of some unlit anyway. Pour them on and let it all get happy while I finish prep. I dont like letting a full chimney burn that long because the bottom coals are nearly gone in some cases. Either way, I've never seen a full chimney take 45 minutes. Not even close.
 
20-30 min is a normal time for me to get ready to grill.

Once I see flames coming from the top I normally dump them in the bowl and spread them. I put my grill grate and heat it up and clean it. Then I will bank my coals or just spread them evenly.
 
I'm not sure why you guys are having problems lighting coals, but it's got to be your technique. I can always get a chimney blazing hot in 20 minutes.

Try these tips:

Use fresh, dry, quality charcoal. Try to keep charcoal from ever being out in the rain. Don't overstuff the chimney. Leave an inch of headroom.

THIS IS BIG>>> Don't just crumble up a section of newspaper. Separate out individual sheets of newspaper and crumple them up individually. Add a couple to teaspoons of vegetable oil to the newspaper. Don't overstuff the chimney bottom with newspaper, which prevents airflow. 3 or 4 sheets of newsprint are fine.

Put the chimney on a safe surface, or take the cooking grate out of your grill and set the chimney on the charcoal grate. Leave the lid off and open up the grill's bottom vent fully. Position the grill lid in the grill's bail on the upwind side of the chimney to act as a wind shield.

Light the newsprint in at least two spots. Blow on it a little just to get the newsprint going.




My guess as to the biggest mistake people make is overstuffing with newspaper, assuming that will make it burn better, and/or not not crumpling up individual sheets. Individual sheets creates more surface area to mass ratio for the paper fuel, and allows it to burn hotter and quicker, thus lighting your charcoal that much quicker.

I want 2 charcoals worth of hot coals, I light 1 chimney worth. 15 minutes later I pour it out, spread it out, and then pour another chimneys worth of unlit coal on top. 5 minutes later I have a super hot bed of coals.


Kinda funny: replies here have come from Derek, Darren, Daryl, and Darrel {and Tony}
 
I use a propane torch. 2-3 mins for lump, 5-6 mins for briqs.
Weber starter cubes.. maybe 8 for lump, 10 for brigs.

Tim
 
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