Up or down?

Too many eggers think the white smoke clears, then it good to cook. The problems is that they only lit 1/2 half the lump. What happens when the other 1/2 heats up and it gives of VOC's?

While it may not show up as it does on the immediate lite up, it is still there as your cooking. 

Burn it off on the initial light. Why are so many not in favor of ridding the VOC's on the first 10-15 minutes?

@nolaegghead

@DMW - I should be be in the acolyte's shoes here.  You are an impressive cook and I am looking forward to the same at Salado. 

Let me clarify.  I light my candles the same way as my egg.  I turn it upside down, then light the bottom.  Fire burns up, right?  so I'm cooking off all the VOCs (AKA "wax") off the wick.  Makes a bloody mess but meets everyone's solution to their theory about VOCs, right?

Mikee said:

nolaegghead

I'm with you. Get as much lump cooking and then back down unless your cooking at high temps like steaks.

Really?

I hold my torch on top at 10, 2 and 6 o'clock positions for 20-30 seconds each spot.

FarmerTom said:

This would seem to be a simple matter to me.  If the issue with VOC;s is flavoring the food, then it would follow that the amount of time and where to light the lamp is strictly a matter of personal preference.  If one likes to throw their food on after a five minute burn then that is the right way for them.  If someone else prefers their lump to be totally in a state of combustion, then that is the correct method for that person.  Sort of like driving a Ford or a Chevy, it's whatever floats your boat.

What about those of us who drive both a Ford and a Chevy

I feel kind of guilty trying to make a point through sarcasm.   Let's use this example. 

You have a weird EGG.  This egg is basically a 20 inch tube that's 10 feet tall.  The top and bottom are exactly like a large BGE.  Dome on top with daisy wheel, vent on bottom with fire grate.

You load this elongated egg with 10 feet of lump.  You are planning on cooking at 250F dome.  It takes about a handful of burning coals to provide the heat in the efficient ceramic, enclosed environment of the kamado cooker.

Gravity makes hot, less dense gas go up. 

You only need that one handful of burning embers to maintain the heat.  Let's look at what happens if you burn that column of fuel like a candle or a candle upside down.  (what's not mentioned is burning the whole damn thing, and that's just too much heat for 250F).

Bottom:
You light the bottom and (the fire and heat go up, "cooking" the lump above it.  It's a 10 foot pile, so you're cooking off a lot of VOCs.   Constantly since you need a near-combustion temp to release them from the affectionate ability activated charcoal has to hold on to volatile organic compounds.  The effect - constant release of complex unburned hydrocarbons into your food.

Top:
Light at the top with just enough burning to make the heat you need and you have hot fire that's going right into your food, and not a column of coal, cooking out VOCs that would normally be burned.

Understand this one thing and you'll be making a good fire for low and slows.  Hot fires for grilling are easy.

If one of them was my son's Dodge, I would have to say you like smoke and lots of it.

Why not burn off the VOC's?

Mikee said:

Why not burn off the VOC's?

Even if I'm not, I can't taste them so who cares? My liver will fail first anyway.

Mikee said:

Too many eggers think the white smoke clears, then it good to cook. The problems is that they only lit 1/2 half the lump. What happens when the other 1/2 heats up and it gives of VOC's?

dumb question, where/how does one draw the line between the lit 1/2 and the unlit 1/2?  btw, when I swim in a public pool, I always stay in the no-pissing section of the pool  

DMW said:

@SGH

I used to have that problem. Thankfully my work fleet car is no longer a Ford and is now a Chevy. And I got rid of my wife's problematic Chrysler Pacifica and got her a Tahoe.

We are now a through and through bow-tie family. My truck, her SUV, and my work car. All in the right now.

I was just attempting to be humorous above. I dive a Chevy as well my friend.

Don't listen to SGH.  He drives a John Deere tractor, and he's armed with an AR15 with $600 of tax stamps. And he cooks on a broken down weber kettle.  I think he mentioned that last part.

Mikee said:

FarmerTom said:

Fred19Flintstone   I gotta agree with you.  I don't see the point.  As much as you guys cook, it's obviously not going to hurt you.  Lump costs too much to waste it (at least it is for me.)  Maybe I haven't done a low enough cook, but always seems the smoke has cleared by the time the dome is hot enough for my cooks, and I don't want to wait any longer than necessary to start cooking.

Lump is cheap. I spent less than $120 for the last year.

That sheds some light on the situation.