Switched to MAPP

Braddog

I've heard all the talk but always sort of shrugged it off. However, my wife bought me a MAPP torch and the difference is unbelievable. I hit 350 degrees in less than 10 minutes. I can't imagine ever using starter cubes again.

Sorry I waited to so long to switch. Maybe some day I'll graduate to a weed burner, but for now I pretty stoked about the new torch.

Cheers,
Braddog

LESAGEMIKE

MAPP is only way to go!!

Richard Fl

I have used it for about 5 years and think it is the BOMB. This article I found awhile back.

BGE, MAPP

I haven't seen much of a thread on lighting your lump with a MAPP gas torch recently, so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents - what I've learned lighting lump exclusively with my MAPP gas torch.

First :
1 What part of the flame to use. An egger recently asked what was the hottest part of the flame he should use to light his lump. Well of course the hottest part is the tip of the hot blue flame, but you shouldn't lay that on your lump to start it. You should pull the torch back so the feather end of the flame is tickling your lump. This way, there is still plenty of heat to excite your carbon, and most importantly there is plenty of free oxygen being thrown at the carbon as well, as fresh air is being blasted onto your lump due to the velocity of the flame. If you use the tip of the hot blue flame, sure your lump will heat up and glow, but it really won't start burning until you move your torch away and allow fresh air to hit the spot you just heated up.
Second:
1 Where to direct your flame. Many times I don't refill the egg when I relight the fire. And I've found in this situation it's better not to stir the lump around before lighting. When the fire was last extinguished, the lump had set itself up for good burning, so I use that structure to relight it. I direct my flame through the channels that exist in the extinguished lump, and start the fire as deep in the lump as I can. You've probably noticed, that except for lava temp burns, the fire seeks downwards towards the grate. That's where the air is coming in, so when I relight a fire I light it deep in the lump.
Third:
1 Building (not reusing) a fire. First I stir around the lump, helping the ashes and small bits of charcoal fall through the bottom grate. I scoop out all the old lump, and put it in a bucket. I shake the bucket around, and if there are any larger pieces I put a couple in the bottom on the grate. Be careful if you used lump made of milled wood, such as Cowboy, because the milled pieces are flat and will lay over the holes and block the airflow through the bottom grate. In this case I do what I learned in Boy Scouts, I lay one piece lengthwise and lay the others leaning against it so it looks like a little campfire down there. I put in more fresh lump on that, and then I upend the bucket with the scooped-out lump into the egg. If there's still not enough (I usually fill to the middle of the fire ring) I'll lay on some more fresh lump to bring the level up to where I want it.
Fourth:
1 How many spots to light your lump. Well I go with the majority of eggers here. If I'm lighting for a low-and-slow, I pick one spot in the middle of the lump. Again, I direct the feather of the flame down through a channel to try to light as deep in the lump as I can. If I'm lighting for a quick cook, I'll light several spots the same way around the edges and also in the middle.
Fifth:
1 How long to leave your torch in one spot before moving to another. Well this certainly depends upon the brand of lump you are using. Lighter lump like Cowboy and BGE brand will take much less time than dense lump like Wicked Good Charcoal. For lighter lump, I'll hover for a count of 15-20 and for denser lump it's more like 40 to 50. But in any case using the feather end of the flame will light the lump faster than using the hot blue flame.
Sixth
1 I will sometimes use a little battery-powered fan to set up a draft right at the beginning. But don't walk away and forget it, especially on the large egg! I did that once, with a pizza stone inside, and when I came back the outside surface of the egg was smoking, and when I opened it up the pizza stone was glowing and had fused to the porcelain grid, and the felt gasket was fried all the way around. But the inside sure was clean!
2 So the next time you light up your egg (this evening, or tomorrow for many of you!) try a couple of these tips. And enjoy the fruits of your labor. For me, today, it's an injected beef brisket so big I had to scrunch it to fit inside my large egg and it still hits the sides!


Recipe Type
Equiptment/Toys

Recipe Source
Author: Chuckls' Lazy L & Big Green Egg online sandbox

Source: BGE Forum, Chuckls. 09/06/04

Darnoc

The Mapp is great and I used it for six months and then got the weed burner.It is twice as fast to get your lump going.To keep things cost effective i took the Mapp to the beach house to use instead of the chimney starter.When the Mapp runs out of fuel a second weed burner will be in operation at the beach..

Grandpas Grub

Going from MAPP to flame thrower (weed burner) is like going from a wet match to MAPP.

10 to 14 seconds (once in a while 17 seconds) and the lump is glowing.

Kent

ThrRoff

Very nice instructions. Thanks. some criter ate through the tube on my torch the other week, and I am not up for a trip to HD just yet, so its back to starter cubes for a while.

Richard Fl

Do you want to trade your MAPP burner head for something BGE related???

Beanie-Bean

Amen to that...I got mine the same time I picked up our Christmas tree, and I haven't lit the eggs any other way. MAPP gas torching the lump is absolutely the way to go.

FlaPoolman

Like Grandpas Grub said 0 to TRex in 10 sec. Only caution is leash the dog before you fire it up. Sounds & feels like the Shuttle going off. Neighbors fear it but know the food is coming soon. :woohoo: no weeds in our neighborhood.

Danger Will Robinson



P.S. wife bought extra insurance when I got this.

Pat

Grandpas Grub

Pat,

HF was out of these here for a long time so I got a rain check. You posted your picture and remembered about the rain check. I went up and picked mine up.

What an experience. Most fun (well almost) I have had since getting my egg. Well I lit the darn thing and I have that nice little pilot flame coming out of the end. I looked at that and looked at the egg and thought, I am not sure the MAPP worked pretty good.

Well, I put the end onto the lump and pulled the trigger. HOLY MOLY! 12 seconds later and all the fun was over.

Now with the MAPP I now have 3 shirts that are very burned from all the sparks caused by the MAPP. (no more holes in the shirts) The lump doesn't have time to spark or give off white smoke for that matter.

Anyway, the egg was going and I waited 5 minutes or so and put the meat on. But I still have some playin to do. I got the flame thrower and began to melt the snow on the patio. I had the snow melted and the cement dry in no time.

My wife came to the window opened it and said 'what in the wild world of sports are you doin'.

Testin the new weedburner, she looks at me then the patio, rolls her eyes and closes the window.

Well, I proceeded to the front sidewalk. Truth be told the snow shovel and snow thrower works quicker but it sure isn't as much fun as grabbin that handle and lettin the flame thrower do its thing.

Love my new eggsessory.

Grandpas (Ready to Launch) Grub.

FlaPoolman

LOL I agree. maybe it is and maybe it isnt the best way to start but is sure is fun. Trying to work it into Halloween next year. :evil:

Pat

Hammer

Good post Richard! I'll gladly give you a thumbs up on it!
Hammer

Grandpas Grub

FlaPoolman wrote:

maybe it isnt the best way to start but is sure is fun

On a serious note, I think it is quite good. I don't 'play around' with it as much as I first did but it sure works quick and I am not sparking my clothes. With the mapp it takes me 30 seconds and I light in 3 spots.

In that time I have plenty of sparks flying out every where. With the burner it takes 10 to 15 seconds, but you know that.

In the summer and fall I do enjoy using towl and oil. I find it peaceful lighting the egg and getting it up to temp. The smell is just enjoyable for me.

Winter time I am up to my knees in snow and it is cold as blazes. I did pizza yesterday I had the egg, pizza stone all up to 550° (on the stone) in 15 minutes. 10 more minutes and I shut the egg down.

You need to come up here in the snow and I need to go to 11 feet above sea level where it iw warm.

Later, Kent

Jeffersonian

Danger Will Robinson

You might find THIS of some interest.

Grandpas Grub

That is cool... a bit pricy but cool. You would laugh if you know how many 'robot' type things I have purchased.

I am wanting to get the robot lawn mower (like roomba).

Kent

East Cobb Eggy

I just bought a MAPP torch last week and had the same experience.

Definitely amazing!!

Greg

FlaPoolman

That was good but where do you light the lump & how can you install a raised grid? :huh: LOL
Pat

Jeffersonian

I dunno, but I think it has its own built-in Guru :laugh:

Mike in Abita

Thanks Richard, that was a good article to post. Answers a few of my questions.

hawkegg

Just curious, I assume the tourch works fine when it is held upside down since this is how it is going to light the lump.
Scott

Beanie-Bean

It works like that...I have to hold it funny sometimes to get the flame to go in the right areas of the carefully staged and arranged lump.