Weber Chimney Starter No Ash


 
Heck Jay, the Kalamazoo Gazette isn’t even PRINTED in town anymore! There is enough for my winter consumption by picking the rag up on Sunday. Summer make me find alternative ignition sources, unless Bob sends me his cool starter! I’m not seeing that happen so, I’ll be watching for one while I’m snooping summer garage sales (at 20 MPH) and antique shows or, figuring out a home built brick “ignition chamber” with a torch. Hmmm..... easier than a few other things I’m supposed to try to figure out around here!
 
JayHeyl said:
If I'm lighting a full chimney and want to give it a little boost I'll roll up some charcoal dust in one of the sheets of newspaper. That seems to get things going even quicker. It also gives me something to do with the stuff at the bottom of the charcoal bag.
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This reminds me - I used to tear up pieces of the old charcoal bag & use them to light the coals. Of course, this doesn't help with the o.p. & ash...
 
Ive used bag paper in a pinch and it does pretty well, Amazon packing paper, not so much and that feels like it has been treated. I used to work in food service paper products which used several kinds of (food safe) treatments but the packing stuff from boxes seems almost like it been treated with plastic.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Heck Jay, the Kalamazoo Gazette isn’t even PRINTED in town anymore! There is enough for my winter consumption by picking the rag up on Sunday. Summer make me find alternative ignition sources, unless Bob sends me his cool starter! I’m not seeing that happen so, I’ll be watching for one while I’m snooping summer garage sales (at 20 MPH) and antique shows or, figuring out a home built brick “ignition chamber” with a torch. Hmmm..... easier than a few other things I’m supposed to try to figure out around here!
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My hometown paper hasn't been printed in town for decades. They don't even have an office here anymore. Quite a change from the days when I used to keep score for little league games and drop my score sheet and written highlights off at the paper so they could do a little write-up. I think I made $5 a game.

The first "smoker" I bought was propane-fired. It was basically a tripod propane burner from a turkey fryer kit combined with a metal enclosure that could be used as a smoker. I rather quickly moved on to a WSM but I kept the tripod burner and used it for a number of other things, including lighting the charcoal chimney. Nothing like a 50,000 BTU flame to get that charcoal going. You might want to keep an eye out for one of those at the garage sales.
 
If I get a carriage designed and built maybe I should include the turkey fryer and use that for chimney ignition? Stop it guys, I’m not going to be able to put my wife’s car in the garage if I get too many more “labor saving devices” on hand!
She will not be amused!
 
I've used my turkey fryer a few times for lighting a Weber chimney, but you got to watch it. I got it so hot that the bottom was glowing bright red and the rivets almost popped out.
The cone was almost toast after that so I figured the Weber chimney is not designed to handle that type of concentrated heat.
I hate newspaper, so it's Weber starter cubes or my propane torch.:)

Tim
 
timothy said:
I've used my turkey fryer a few times for lighting a Weber chimney, but you got to watch it. I got it so hot that the bottom was glowing bright red and the rivets almost popped out.
The cone was almost toast after that so I figured the Weber chimney is not designed to handle that type of concentrated heat.
I hate newspaper, so it's Weber starter cubes or my propane torch.:)
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I mentioned 50,000 BTUs, but I was joking at least as far as using it to light the charcoal chimney. This one may have been a bit different since it was designed as a smoker in addition to being a turkey fryer. It had very good control on the low end, allowing you to maintain a very small fire. I also seldom let it go for more than a minute or two -- just enough to get things going.

As to the newspaper, I had a love/hate relationship with it for a long time. It appealed to my desire to get something for nothing, but it never really worked well for me. I'd usually end up with a lot of smoke and a barely smoldering fire that took more than half an hour to have charcoal ready to cook. I eventually gave up on paper and started soaking three briquettes in charcoal lighter fluid and placing them equally spaced around the bottom of the chimney. It worked.

Then I discovered the newspaper donut method and my whole BBQing/grilling life changed. I've never had it fail. It generates not all that much smoke and only right at the beginning. Now, every time I see somebody on TV just cramming newspaper into the bottom of a chimney starter I want to scream. I followed their example for years and it was a disaster. Roll the paper. Form it around the inner perimeter of the bottom of the chimney. Two sheets will do it. Leave a hole in the center. Load the top with charcoal, light the paper, and in 15-20 minutes you're ready to cook.
 
I just use Diamond Strike-a-Fire Matches Match/Fire (strike on box) 1 at the bottom of the chimney will do.
 
I normally use the weber cubes or some other premade fire starter type. But for fun you can use 2 to 4 Doritos chips, they actually do work!
 
I have one Performer with gas ignition. On the other, I use the Weber starter cubes. I use an empty tuna can and one Weber cube (the tuna can, turned upside down puts the one cube higher up towards the charcoal in the chimney and you only need ONE cube). I've been doing that for years. It also works on my Jumbo Joe, etc.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Dennis Derrick said:
Side burner on my gas grill is quick and easy....
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Agreed!!! That works great.

Another great method is using a dollar store Chafing fuel(generic sterno). It has a wick in it that I pull out a little farther, light it and set the chimney over. Low smoke and no additional ash. $1 lights 15 or so chimneys and you can refill it if you want to.
 
M Strickland said:
I absolutely LOVE my WSM and my other Weber grills! With the Minion Method, my WSM gives me incredibly steady temperature control.

The only thing I did not like was the floating newspaper ash left after using the Weber Chimney starter. I just didn't like it floating and blowing around.

I discovered a better way to start my coals in the chimney starter one day when I didn't have any newspaper. I grabbed a few feet of paper towels and used them instead of newspaper. Worked great, and there was no ash left from the paper towels!

About six feet of paper towels burns completely and does a great job!
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I get the free 'entertainer' rag from the local bowling alley. Just a paper with bar ads etc that gets tossed out after a week anyway. Use it to start the wood furnace as well.
But when lighting the chimney for getting the smoker going, I always start it on the Weber Kettle, then transfer to the smoker. The ash never makes it out of the kettle
 
I used a propane torch for years and bought a electric cal-rod heater to use on my cowboy grill,works great,no chemicals to leave a flavor.Seen somebody has 1 out that looks like a blow dryer ,years ago matchlite but they had to be 1/2 burned down to get rid of most of the kerosene flavor
 
I started with the paper towels sprayed with Pam when I quit getting the paper.
My new method is to use the left over bacon grease after I make bacon. I grab a few paper towels and ball then up and sop up some grease. Then I stash them in a Ziploc bag in the fridge until I need them.
 
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