looftlighter


 
S

Sean C

TVWBB Member
hi all, just want to know if the looftlighter is any good for a WSM! ONLY REASON I ASK. is we have a small yard and when I use the weber charcoal starter, heaps of sparks jump around, & when I pour them into the wsm, its spark city! and I worry whats going to catch on fire!
 
Sean;
I have not used the Looftlighter. However, I do a "tin can Minion Method" start on my WSM and also the Mini-Joe Smokers. I cut a piece of expanded metal to fit the diameter of the charcoal grate. I just lay it on the grate. I place a tin can of the appropriate size with both ends cut out on top of the expanded metal. I fill the charcoal ring around the tin can. I drop a Weber lighter cube in the tin can. I light the cube. I carefully drop the preferred number of briquettes on top of the lighted cube (in the WSM I use 12). In about fifteen minutes I use a pair of pliers to remove the tin can. That's all there is to it and there will be no sparks to bother you.

It "may" work better to drill a couple of rows of holes in the tin can - "may"...

FWIW
Dale53
 
Robert that is a great idea! are there any photos, of this on the forum? would this also work with charcoal? or would the can be too small? & can I light up and put briquettes in and they will light the charcoal up!
 
SeanC;
I use briquettes almost exclusively (not entirely, but-t-t). The limited space in the can would/may give you problems with the irregular shapes of lump charcoal. However, I would think that using briquettes in the can would work just fine. I started out lighting my briquettes in a SS silverware caddy from IKEA, then dumping in the tin can previously placed in the smoker.

My son suggested that we just light it directly in the tin can. You DO need to have a piece of expanded metal over the charcoal grate (to keep the lighter cube from falling through the grate. The expanded metal is also quite useful to keep the smaller pieces of natural lump charcoal from falling through the grate, so it's a good addition to your smoker. Just leave it in place for all cooks.

Here's what it looks like when using a Mini-Joe Smoker:
http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?472...alt-Lake-City-UTah&highlight=tin+minion+start

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
I watched the youtube video of the looflighter - saw it really blowing sparks. I think the OP should watch the video, I suspect he would hate the looflighter. Robert McGee's "Tin Can Minion" sounds like a WINNER - if you cook with lump buy some briqs and put them in the can.

Personally, I use one of and I love it :wsm:
 
Robert McGee said:
You DO need to have a piece of expanded metal over the charcoal grate (to keep the lighter cube from falling through the grate).
Click to expand...
Interesting comment...I use Weber Firestarter Cubes to light a Weber charcoal chimney without using expanded metal. I fill the chimney with charcoal, set it aside, then put two cubes on top of the grate, light them, and put the chimney over the cubes. When I lift the chimney of hot coals, I always see the spent cubes in the bottom of the charcoal bowl, but they stay on the grate long enough to do their job every time without expanded metal. At least that's been my experience.
 
Sean, try some briquettes and see how they work, probably very well with no sparks like the lump puts out.
Try all briq, and no lump.
 
Chris;
When I am lighting my chimney for the OTG, I use an upturned tuna can (empty) to sit the Weber cubes on (set the can on the grate). This puts the cube up into the chimney and I only need to use one cube per light.

FWIW
Dale53
 
Sean C said:
hi all, just want to know if the looftlighter is any good for a WSM! ONLY REASON I ASK. is we have a small yard and when I use the weber charcoal starter, heaps of sparks jump around, & when I pour them into the wsm, its spark city! and I worry whats going to catch on fire!
Click to expand...

Have one and love it. Perfect for WSM.
 
When I bought my WSM Ace Hardware didn't have any charcoal starters, so I improvised with a # 10 can,



Not long after I did away with the grate,



But now I just place the fire starter block directly on the lump, build a small "tepee" of scrape hardwood, then when the tepee is burning good I stack another "tepee" of lump over that, by the time the smoker is at smoking temps all of the hardwood has been consumed and I'm just burning pure lump, this way I'm able to place the middle section, with the water pan and the lower grate in place, after the lump has started to burn, I have all vents fully opened with the door propped open about 2", ...works fine every time.

Karl
 
I have tried the weber cubes was not very impressed. I use diamond strike a fire sticks work far superior to weber cubes.
 
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