12/3/6/9/center????!!!!

mad max beyond eggdome · July 2011

trying to figure out why anyone thinks its necessary to light their lump in 5 places to get it cranking?? even when i'm doing a t-rex burn i light my lump in maybe two spots, and even then i'm going nuclear in 15 minutes....for almost everything i cook i light in one spot....either dead center for direct fires and high temp indirect roasting, or near the back for indirect low and slows. ...this is all you need to do....i think lighting in 5 places is simply going to burn through your lump much faster, particularly on a long slow cook where you want the fire to work its way around the load of lump...

Bordello · July 2011

I'm with you Max, I prefer the the starter cubes and I use one in the center or cut it in half put the two just outside of center.

Cheers,
Bordello

Hungry Celeste · July 2011

After a few recent false starts with a single point of ignition, I've amended my ways. I now use the paper towel & oil method, but I tear the PT in half and light in two spots, generally at around 3 and 9.

mad max beyond eggdome · July 2011

hi bob,

this seems to have cropped up very recently as a lighting technique...not sure where it came from, but until recently i hadn't seen or heard of it in 10 years on this forum....just a waste of starter cubes if you ask me!!

srq2625 · July 2011

The rate of burn determines the temperature .... and vice-versa. If you are stablalized at, for example, 350°F, your lump will be burning at a certain rate (that rate will vary from one egg to the next and from one load of lump to the next, but I digress). No matter how many fire spots you have, the total rate of consumption will be the same as if you had only one.

If you drive the temperature down from a higher temp, then some of the fire will die thus decreasing the rate at which the lump is burned.

I start my fire in a chimney (about 3/4 full) and then dump the entire chimney into the top of the load of lump in the egg. If I'm cooking at a higher temp - this works quite well. If I'm doing a low-and-slow, the fire will die down to the point governed by the air flow rate. The upside of this technique is that a lot of the VOCs are burned off in the chimney, especially when I've got a decent load of leftover lump in the egg.

mad max beyond eggdome · July 2011

2 spots i get. . .and i've done the papertowel/oil method when i'm out of mapp gas or starter cubes...its 5 spots thats excessive...

mad max beyond eggdome · July 2011

scott, i love science....but if you have 5 separate fires going instead of one or two, i can promise you that you will burn through a load of lump faster at 350 degrees when you light it in 5 spots (ergo 5 fires) vs. one spot where you have a single fire burning...the egg is very efficient, and once the ceramic is heated up it will maintain the temps just fine on a single lit spot. . .someone like the naked whiz would have to verify this, but i think five separate fires makes for poorer efficiency and temp control ...

ChokeOnSmoke · July 2011

I use an electric starter, pull it out after 8 minutes or so, and then stir the coals. No idea how many spots that is???

...but I can tell you it works great.

fishlessman · July 2011

thats insane, light it at 1/3/5/7/9/11.... helps to compensate for the off center lower vent setting :laugh:

vidalia1 · July 2011

Max,

I have a MAPP torch and I light my BGE in 4-5 spots...why?? Because the MAPP torch is easy to use & easy to light the lump...I do not see any more lump being used when I light in multiple spots v 1 or 2 spots the way I used to do it...once again it is just a different way to an end process...

vidalia1 · July 2011

:lol: :silly:

:woohoo: :pinch: :laugh:

fishlessman · July 2011

i think what would happen stabilizing at say 225/250 that the individual fires would be so small that 2 or 3 would go out and your back to just a couple lighted areas. im one spot, been either a napkin or weedburner depending where im cooking

Spring Chicken · July 2011

I sometimes light in multiple locations because I think it's pretty and I like playing with my MAPP torch.

But I also like to use alcohol or oil or starters sometimes because I like variety.

Does this mean I failed at fire-lighting?

Spring "Pretty Colors Are More Fun" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

lousubcap · July 2011

I always light in one spot, generally at the bottom dead-center. Once going I build up this area with lump especially if piled into the fire ring for low and slow. Never had any temperature or fire issues.

fishlessman · July 2011

have you tried lighting from the top, makes life alot easier

vidalia1 · July 2011

You are on a roll today...LOL :lol: :silly: :lol: :silly:

dhuffjr · July 2011

I'll split hairs and say I light it 2-3 spots. B)

Spring Chicken · July 2011

I should also point out that Texas is Dr Pepper Country so 10 2 & 4 would be the most desired points of choice.

Spring "Light On Dots" Chicken

BostonButterfly · July 2011

I'm the one who got Mad Max going about this. I'm new, and I don't remember where I read to do this, but it was somewhere on this forum though. It seemed to make intuitive sense that if you light in 4-5 places, you'd have a more consistent fire across the load of lump.

I've been lighting in 4 - 5 places since I started a month ago. I'm still not confident in achieving a stabilized temp. I'm curious to see if anything changes when I switch to lighting in one spot.

Bobby-Q · July 2011

Comes from ignorant dealers and chatty users most likely.

Ripnem · July 2011

C'mon Max- It takes 'X' amount of lump to get your egg to 350, no matter how many places you light it.

If it is 2 fires vs. 1 fire, the two would be roughly half the size of the one, 4 fires would be about 1/4 of the 1, and so on and so on.

I'm out the door to straighten a smashed garage. :laugh:

Mickey · July 2011

I just light in one place:

vidalia1 · July 2011

but then again I do fast briskets, butts & ribs....so what do I know...LOL

B)

vidalia1 · July 2011

Mickey,

Clearly you are wasting charcoal...

:lol: :silly:

Bobby-Q · July 2011

Plenty would have to be my response.

gdenby · July 2011

FWIW, a few weeks ago, I passed my MAPP torch over a full load of lump, all 1 thru 12, and the center. I then tried to stop the fire at 250 by shutting the vents at 200. The dome temp reached 400. So, start too many places, and a lo-n-slo we be very difficult to achieve.

Desert Oasis Woman · July 2011

:laugh:

glad to see someone gettin Max back posting :evil:

Desert Oasis Woman · July 2011

:whistle:

wonder how many places he lit :evil:

Photo Egg · July 2011

OK, I'm no pyro expert but when I light my large and esp my XL for direct grilling temps in the center of the Egg it creates a big hot spot in the center. By the time the lump on the outer edges gets hot I have full depth inferno in the center.
If I light in multiple spots up to 5 or 6 spots on my XL I get a nice even fire that spreads the entire surface of the lump w/out reaching super high temps.
I guess this would be similar to evenly dumping a chimney full of hot lump over unlit lump.
For a 350-450 grilling temp it's fairly even over the entire cooking area.
For low and slows and indirect cooking I only light one spot.
I guess this is not normal but it works great for me.

vidalia1 · July 2011

Because I had a great teacher...

Photo Egg · July 2011

I say light as many spots as it takes... :laugh:

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12/3/6/9/center????!!!!

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