Using a Charcoal Chimney

[Guest]

I've used one on a couple of occassions and want to double-check to make sure I'm using it right. What I've done is to wait until all the charcoals in the chimney are turning ash colored prior to dumping into the WSM charcoal ring. I then add my unlit coals (if needed) on top.

I am waiting too long to dump the lit chimney of coals? If I will be cooking a standing rib roast (bones 10-12) with one chimney full of lit coals topped with a chimney full of unlit coals, do I want to wait until all the lit coals in the first chimney full have turned ash color before dumping in the WSM?

Chris' recipe says to wait until all the coals have turned ash color prior to adding meat----thus, I'm wondering if I am burning the first chimney full too long in the chimney prior to dumping in the WSM.

Can you tell I'm wringing my hands over this wedding party dinner, LOL?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bruce Bissonnette]

Jeff,

When I use to use the standard method of lighting the WSM, I would light a full chimney and wait until I could just see the edges of the top coals getting grey. I would then dump them into the charcoal chamber and then add the unlit coals. I would then wait until I could tell that most were getting ashed over. It's kind of a subjective thing but I think you get the idea.

 

[Wesley S]

I don't have a WSM and maybe someone has proved this wrong but, if you wait till a full chimney is ashed over THEN put unlit coals on top of the lit coals wouldn't it essentially be faster to just put a heaping pile in the WSM and light it all at once since you waiting for all of the ashes to grey over?

Has this been tested?

 

[Doug D]

The chimney is designed to accelerate charcoal ignition by convecting the heat of the bottom coals-- that are quickly lit by the newspaper-- upwards. Then, by spreading the unlit charcoal over the chimney-lit ones distributed evenly in the charcoal ring, there are hot coals under a relatively thin layer that needs to be ignited-- essentially making the charcoal ring a short, wide chimney.

Absent a chemical accelerant, or a second chimney, the method of igniting from the bottom up-- in both the chimney and charcoal ring-- would seem to be the fastest. Conversely, consider the Minion Method-- igniting a lot of charcoal with a little lit charcoal from the top down takes a long time.