how do you start your charcoal/lump?


 
My nephew gave me a huge stack of a classified newspapers when he worked for them. I'll use them until my supply is depleted. Initial smoke and ash doesn't bother me since I start the charcoal in a chimney on an outside portable fireplace.
 
I throw is a couple of Kingsford Matchlight briquets on the bottom of the starter. What little ligher fluid is on them burns off by the time all of the coals are lit. This works best for me.
 
I am thinking weber starter cube in the charcoal bowl of the WSM and let the Guru do the rest! I am going to try this weekend without a chimney altogether.
 
I do the paper towels and pam. I have a turkey fryer but was afraid that the coals would clog up the burner. Is this a completley irrational fear?

Clark
 
Irrational...probably not. I've thought about it as I've watched some of the charcoal dust / etc settle into mine. I just pick it up and try and shake it out or the next time I have the air compressor fired up, I hit it with a few blasts.
Todd
 
If you can't fine the weber starter cubes do (as someone earlier in this thread suggested) the following: get firestarter bricks from anywhere (walmart ect...) and cut (or break with your hands) them in to 1" cubes. They don't drop ash at all - they just burn down into a small lump. 1 cube is all it takes to light a chimney. I think a box of 12 bricks (I broke each into 8-10 cubes) costs $6.
 
For the OTG I use the side burner on the gasser because they are right next to each other on the deck. I keep the WSM in the garage, I was using the paper towel and oil method but I just got a single burner camp stove and it works great. It's clean and super easy.
 
I rip a piece off the charcoal bag and stuff it in the bottom of my chimney, load up the top and light it up.

It's smokey, and creates a pile of ash, but I don't care.
 
Although I bought one of the weed burners on a whim and it does work great, I can't beat the ease of the side burner on the gasser....just so easy and quick.
 
I use a lighter to start mine... no seriously. I use Thermos Sure 2 Burn fire starter pack. I use to use the Weber cubes, but with three dogs I had to stop as they break a little bit and the damn dogs try to eat that stuff, and I don't need my dogs to have flames throwers coming out their butts so to speak or worse yet killing them. These packs are very easy to light and are self contained, so there is no leaking of any kind and they are water proof as well. I buy these at Target.
 
hi Ed. those thermos sure 2 burns stuck to my grate pretty bad as they burnt out, resembled melted rubber, and was really really stuck for the next two cooks. they work good but don't do that, as i did. (someone should have known not to light it off on the food grate anyway i suppose!
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I used to use 2 or 3 sheets of newspaper, but I have since started using 1 weber paraffin cube instead. Just easier and more reliable, imo. I don't use newspaper when using the cube.
 
Originally posted by Clark Deutscher:
Is this a completley irrational fear?

Clark
Click to expand...
Yes Clark it is.
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The turkey burner is a little different though than the side burner pic of mine. What type of burner do you have? My low pressure burner does not come apart, but my high pressure jet burner does. Even so, if you had so much ash in there where it wouldn't light anymore, you can just take the propane hose off the burner, then wash out ash filled burner. Using lump in the Chimney makes a mess as you can see. If you use briqs, they are fairly user friendly to the buner.
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My preferred method is the paper towel and pam combination, if I'm using newspaper I make sure I have the chimney set where the ashes from the newspaper will not be a problem.
 
Homemade starter cubes: broken bits of lump charcoal in pressed paper egg carton (NOT styrofoam), add some melted parafin wax. Works great!
 
How much of an advantage is the MAPP torch over a regular torch.

What would you say is the time difference the MAPP makes in lighting a bunch of lump ?

I got the regular torch, and am slightly disappointed in how long it takes....
 
personally i revel in the huge billows of smoke coming out. i use wadded up newspaper and set my chimney on top of a smokey joe i bought for the purpose of lighting coals. if your not starting a smokey fire at some point how are the neighbors going to know your bbqing??
 
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