rubbing alcohol method

Thanks for letting us know.

"to me to actually start the fire quicker than the syringe method"

Do you just feel 2 oz of alcohol 'dumping' is quicker or have you actually done some recorded tests?

GG

I’ve never tried lighting a fire like this but I do know this from working with rubbing alcohol. The plastic bottles we get have a foil barrier under the cap. You can just poke a single hole in the foil and spray a measured amount.

Haven't tried the alcohol method yet. Been using the oil/paper towel method with good success.

I'll have to give it a shot.

One of the big advantages of alcohol lighting is that of Propane and MAPP, which is a clean start.

Be aware without care using alcohol can be dangerous.

Using paper towel/oil will cause an initial black smoke during the burning of the oil & paper. That produces soot which can be seen in the initial dark smoke. That smoke has a potential of coating the inside of the egg.

Alcohol, Propane, MAPP eliminates that initial soot type smoke. All three are 'clean burn' type starters.

I have some good timed tests on starting with oil/paper towel. As soon as I get the medium put back together I will do some timed tests lighting with alcohol. I think this is going to be a good comparison lighting test.

It seems like using oil/paper start is less expensive than alcohol, it that is a point of concern.

GG

Stanley,

After the initial burn off I do get some of the white smoke. I haven't taken much notice of how much or how long white smoke, but thinking about off the cuff I would say less.

2 oz (80ml) in about a 8 to 10 inch diameter circle, let it absorb a short time then light. There will be an initial 'whoosh' so be prepared.

This will give you a one spot light.

I have been trying about 1-1/2 oz. in two different spots.

The only time I have encountered a poor light is when I spread the alcohol in too wide of a circle.

A word of caution, probably doesn't need to be said, make sure the bottle of alcohol is capped and away from the flame & starter.

Kent

Ok, I just finished my first keg :blink: are you saying don't light an egg after drinking? hic.. :huh:

Stike,

What type of oil are you using.

I use two 1/2 pieces of paper towel and the amount of oil is much like your pictures.

My assumption of soot is two fold. I do get a black smoke for the burn of the paper towel up to almost the initial peak of the temp.

When I was doing all those tests on the medium the dome was new. The dome 'seemed' to get blacker with fewer burns. The black on the underside of the dome could be wiped off onto paper towel easier than when wiping off of my large dome which has a lot of cooks.

Yes, this is very subjective and more of a visual interpretation of the start up smoke.

I am going to run a test with starting with alcohol as compared to oil/paper towel in the next short while.

I fully expect the oil/paper towel to be a quicker light.

GG

I have been using the alcohol method pretty regularly; I have a plastic syringe so I’ve used the injection system. This is a 30 seconds process.I have had the same problem as gtalvola with Wicked. I might try the mixed charcoal trick.
I like the clean start. I don’t know how much soot is left but I’m a type A as far as the fuel goes.
I sort my lump mostly because I hate uncarbonized charcoal and the sooty smoke it gives off. I don’t like smoldering junk in there even if it is burned off by the time I cook.
The only added technique is that I fan the alcohol injected fuel with a newspaper, I think this blows away some of the fumes, then I toss the match. I still get a little woosh of flame but I think it’s better if I fan it first.
TTFN WLL

I did all sorts of research and testing to come up with the isopropyl alcohol method. In all cases where I had trouble lighting the lump, the cause was one or more of the following:

- Tried to get by with 50-70% rubbing alcohol which can work but you have to use far too much of it. This ultimately costs more and is less safe so avoid it.

- Didn't apply enough of the 91% rubbing alcohol at first. 60 ml works every single time for me. A little more (80 ml) will light the lump a bit faster but too much more and the flare ups will be extreme and you get into the danger zone.

- Didn't inject the rubbing alcohol down into the lump. Tried just pouring or sprinkling it on the surface. This increases the evaporation and makes most of the heat go right up and out the dome instead of passing through the lump to get it burning. Try holding a piece of paper vertically and light it with a match from the top corner. It burns very slowly downward and may even go out. Now try lighting it from the bottom corner and the entire sheet is engulfed in seconds. Same concept applies to the lump. Inject the alcohol down inside the lump by at least 1", or apply the alcohol and then quickly stack some more lump on top.

- Lit the egg to soon or too late after applying the alcohol. Too soon and you get much more flare up, faster burn time because the alcohol has not soaked into the lump yet. Too late and much of the alcohol has evaporated so not enough remains to light the lump. After injecting the alcohol I only wait 10-15 seconds which is just long enough to put the cap on the bottle and move it and the syringe away from the egg before I toss in the match.

- Used damp lump or had clogged air holes in the egg. A clean egg with good air flow and dry lump is needed. Anything less and it will be much harder to light or it won't light at all.

- Left the dome open after lighting the alcohol. This allows too much air into the egg which makes the alcohol burn off much faster and allows more heat to escape quickly. Close the dome as soon as you toss in the match. If the fire goes completely out then you have an airflow problem - check your vents and clean your egg.

As explained in the video, I selected Isopropyl Alcohol because it has a totally clean combustion reaction which does not yield soot, fumes, residue, or toxic chemicals. Pure alcohol would not work well because it evaporates too fast and may contain traces of toxic elements used during the purification process. Low-grade mixtures don't work well because they have too much water which slows down the combustion and most of the heat goes into boiling off the water. 91% is just right.

I also disagree that MAPP or propane are clean methods. They cause tons of sparks which fly up in the air and settle inside and outside the egg as small specks of ash. Some of these ash specks got on my food and some of the hot sparks burnt tiny holes through the mesh screen panels on my outdoor shade tent.

I have been using nothing but Wicked Good for the past 6 months and never had a single failure to light with 91% rubbing alcohol as shown in the video. This is so easy and quick that I don't even think about it anymore. If you are having troubles then check all of the above, or go back and watch the video again carefully from start to finish.

Now that I have a BBQ Guru it is even faster as I turn the fan on immediately after lighting the egg. I would be willing to bet that I can beat or at least tie the MAPP or propane method for getting up to cooking temps fast in this manner.