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Lighting w/Alcohol & Free Gift to Forum Members

WileECoyote
WileECoyote Posts: 516
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Lighting w/ Alcohol & Free Gift to Forum Members

Over the past few years I have tried more than a dozen ways to light the egg including weed burner, propane torch, mapp torch, micronox torch, butane torch, starter cubes, treated wood, wax fire sticks, oil napkins, electric starter, newspaper chimney, and a few others too wild to mention here. After a lot of research and experimentation I determined that the best method is to use 60 ml (60 cc or 2 oz.) of 91% isopropyl alcohol (a.k.a. rubbing alcohol).

There have been many posts and debates about this and it is clear that everyone has their own favorite method. Many of these methods work fine but I prefer the 91% isopropyl alcohol method because it is fast, cheap, clean, non-toxic, no residue, and safer than most other methods.

A long while back I posted two videos on Youtube which explain the process in great detail for those that were curious about the science behind the method. Since then I have heard from literally hundreds of people that are now using this method with great success. There are a few people that claim it does not work for them, with the most common complaint being that the fire goes out or it takes too long to come up to cooking temperature, but in all of the cases that I checked into the person was using the wrong amount of alcohol or they were not spreading it properly before lighting.

If you haven't already tried this method then you might want to give it a shot. Here is a quick summary:

1 - Go to the Walmart pharmacy section and buy a red and white 32 oz. bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol. Cost is about $2.00 and it will light the egg 16 times. Do not use 50% or 70% or any of the colored or scented variants.
2 - Get a plastic syringe with a catheter tip which is big enough to hold 60 ml / 60 cc / 2 oz. You can get these on ebay or at many pharmacies, veterinarians, or medical supply stores for $1-$5 each and it is good for a lifetime.
3 - Get a size 3 rubber stopper which has one hole in the middle. This will fit perfectly in the mouth of the bottle and the hole is just right for the syringe tip.
4 - Stack your lump to allow good airflow and fully open both vents.
4 - Open the bottle, remove the foil seal, insert the stopper, and insert the syringe. Form a firm seal but not too tight.
5 - Turn the bottle upside down and draw out 60 ml. Close the bottle and move it away from the egg.
6 - Insert the syringe tip about 1" down inside the lump and slowly squeeze out the alcohol as you move the tip in an 8"-10" diameter circle around the center of the lump. You should have enough to make about two circles being careful to get it down inside the lump.
7 - Wait 10 seconds after injecting the lump and toss a match in. Stand back as the initial flames are very high.
8 - Keep the egg open for 1 minute or so until the highest flames die down a bit and then shut the dome to let it come up to cooking temp. Most people get up to 400 in 5-10 minutes depending on how well they stacked the lump and how clean the egg is.

Here are the video links if you want to hear all the boring details and see it in action:
Part 1 (9 minutes)
Part 2 (4 minutes)

And now for the FREE GIFT part:

I have helped a lot of people switch over to this method and people are always asking where they can buy the syringes and rubber stoppers. I purchased extra and gave them away to friends and family but my supply recently ran out. So I decided to buy a bunch more and give them away to the members of this forum on a first-come first-served basis. You just need to send me a PM with your name and mailing address and I will drop an envelope in the mail to you with one syringe and one rubber stopper. No cost or tricks and I will not email or contact you. Just a small favor to say thank you to all the great members who post a lot of stuff on this forum which has helped me learn about the egg.

UPDATE ON 2/12: ALL OF THE KITS ARE TAKEN. I WILL BE SHIPPING SOON. PLEASE DO NOT SEND FURTHER ORDERS.

Take care, stay safe, and God bless.

WileE
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Comments

  • uhm......but I thought you said the syringes lasted a lifetime....so how did your "supply" run out?...... :silly:
  • Bobby-Q
    Bobby-Q Posts: 1,994
    Long way to go when a simple Fire Starter square works great. Also you don't have to throw a match and stand back because of the huge fireball alcohol creates.

    Danger Will Robinson!
  • SmokinParrotHead wrote:
    uhm......but I thought you said the syringes lasted a lifetime....so how did your "supply" run out?...... :silly:
    Funny man. B) I am still using the same one for myself but have given away several dozen. The rubber stoppers are particularly tricky to find so I got more to help people out.
  • It does sound like a lot of work to get the fire going doesn't it Bobby? I use to use the Fire Starters too, however I have switched to the Mapp Torch. I can't imagine anything being better than that. I just walk in the garage and grab the torch, walk over to the egg, put the flame of the torch in an area in the center of the lump......and hold it there for maybe a minute...tops.....then walk away and come back when I am ready to close the top and get to temp. I don't know that you could get a cleaner light than a mapp torch either, to be honest.
  • Bobby-Q wrote:
    Long way to go when a simple Fire Starter square works great. Also you don't have to throw a match and stand back because of the huge fireball alcohol creates.

    Danger Will Robinson!
    Have you ever seen the huge flames and sparks thrown off by mapp or other torches? Alcohol is tame and much safer by comparison. And nearly all fire starter cubes or similar products contain chemicals and/or leave residue, plus they are slower and cost more. To each his own.
  • hornhonk
    hornhonk Posts: 3,841
    I sent you my info, WileE. Thanks! :)
  • Maybe so.....But, your video(#1) shows the temp going up rapidly when you first close the lid, but that is due to the flames lapping at the tel-tru. It takes a while longer for the lump to actually start burning good and glowing.....much like with a fire starter square. HOWEVER, with a Mapp torch(which I can get 3-5 times the lights out of) you just hold it in place until the lump starts glowing a little and then you get a flame.....a flame that is produced from the lump reaching a combustion temp, not produced by a fire accelerant being added to it and simply burning off......

    Not trying to sound like an ass here either.....I just don't see how that method, which take 2 videos and 15 minutes to explain, could be the least bit easier/better than this...."take the mapp torch over, push the button which auto ignites it, and put it down on the lump for about a minute, then you have a glowing spot already".
  • SmokinParrotHead wrote:
    Maybe so.....But, your video(#1) shows the temp going up rapidly when you first close the lid, but that is due to the flames lapping at the tru-tel. It takes a while longer for the lump to actually start burning good and glowing.....much like with a fire starter square. HOWEVER, with a Mapp torch(which I can get 3-5 times the lights out of) you just hold it in place until the lump starts glowing a little and then you get a flame.....a flame that is produced from the lump reaching a combustion temp, not produced by a fire accelerant being added to it and simply burning off......

    Not trying to sound like an ass here either.....I just don't see how that method, which take 2 videos and 15 minutes to explain, could be the least bit easier/better than this...."take the mapp torch over, push the button which auto ignites it, and put it down on the lump for about a minute, then you have a glowing spot already".
    I have tried mapp and other torches. They do work. They also cost more per light, they throw a lot of sparks, they require you to hover over the egg with your hand and the torch over the fire while lighting, and they still take some time to come up to temp. Mapp refills are harder to find, torches are more expensive, and some people may not like using them. The alcohol method can be explained in 2 minutes and it takes no more than 1 minute to execute. I just put a lot of detail in the video because I was tired of getting all the same questions over and over again.

    Lots of methods work and if you like mapp then keep using it. I just based my decision on lots of scientific testing and comparison of all the methods, which most people would never bother to do - and understandably so. My forum name is not accidental. :-)
  • hornhonk
    hornhonk Posts: 3,841
    Many methods will light the egg. This guy is showing us the method he likes to use and is even willing to send us the tools to do it...at his own expense! If you don't care to try it, then don't.
  • Oh don't get me wrong horn, I wasn't trying to blast him for doing so. I was simply stating my opinion.....it wasn't intended to be negative. It was almost me asking myself the question in my head "could this really be better than Mapp" and I just happened to type it too, lol. :P

    Wile, as for the sparks, I just stand behind the Egg, with the lid protecting me from most of the sparks, and I do always wear my sunglasses to protect my eyes. Of course I am in construction, so I am somewhat use to sparks from a torch landing on my arms, lol.
  • WileECoyote wrote:
    SmokinParrotHead wrote:
    Maybe so.....But, your video(#1) shows the temp going up rapidly when you first close the lid, but that is due to the flames lapping at the tru-tel. It takes a while longer for the lump to actually start burning good and glowing.....much like with a fire starter square. HOWEVER, with a Mapp torch(which I can get 3-5 times the lights out of) you just hold it in place until the lump starts glowing a little and then you get a flame.....a flame that is produced from the lump reaching a combustion temp, not produced by a fire accelerant being added to it and simply burning off......

    Not trying to sound like an ass here either.....I just don't see how that method, which take 2 videos and 15 minutes to explain, could be the least bit easier/better than this...."take the mapp torch over, push the button which auto ignites it, and put it down on the lump for about a minute, then you have a glowing spot already".
    I have tried mapp and other torches. They do work. They also cost more per light, they throw a lot of sparks, they require you to hover over the egg with your hand and the torch over the fire while lighting, and they still take some time to come up to temp. Mapp refills are harder to find, torches are more expensive, and some people may not like using them. The alcohol method can be explained in 2 minutes and it takes no more than 1 minute to execute. I just put a lot of detail in the video because I was tired of getting all the same questions over and over again.

    Lots of methods work and if you like mapp then keep using it. I just based my decision on lots of scientific testing and comparison of all the methods, which most people would never bother to do - and understandably so. My forum name is not accidental. :-)

    I also completely agree that some folks would be intimidated by a torch, thus this method may be better. But then again you have those that wouldn't follow directions and would use WAY too much alcohol, and/or stand right over it while lighting....making this method pretty dangerous too.
  • SmokinParrotHead wrote:
    Oh don't get me wrong horn, I wasn't trying to blast him for doing so. I was simply stating my opinion.....it wasn't intended to be negative. It was almost me asking myself the question in my head "could this really be better than Mapp" and I just happened to type it too, lol. :P

    Wile, as for the sparks, I just stand behind the Egg, with the lid protecting me from most of the sparks, and I do always wear my sunglasses to protect my eyes. Of course I am in construction, so I am somewhat use to sparks from a torch landing on my arms, lol.
    All is well. Every time someone posts a note about their favorite lighting method it seems to start some debate again. I did not intend to start a debate. Just sharing what works for me, and why, and offering to send free stuff to forum members for sharing lots of great info with me.

    As for the mapp sparks... I did try standing behind or beside the egg and I also used an apron with goggles, but the sparks still fly up out of there and they carry on the wind pretty easily. This was too risky for me with lots of wooded acreage and dry leaves / grass around the house, not to mention other flammable things under the carport. And I often light the egg when I get home from work, still in suit and tie or other clothes which I don't care to mess up with small burn marks from the sparks. The alcohol method literally takes me 1 minute, is quick, clean, and it beat out all the other methods which I scored based on cost, time, convenience, etc. Again, to each his own. If you haven't tried the alcohol method then consider it. If you love mapp and will use it to the day you die then so be it. :-)
  • Okay, you got me. I will send you my info and I will try the alcohol! I am not too good to say I am not right in the matter, lol! :):) I do have one question though, as for the sparks......what brand of lump do you use? I have noticed that with the Publix brand(RO made I believe), I have TONS of sparks.....but with the BGE brand lump....not so much.....not near enough that I would worry about starting a fire by any means...and I have Bermuda grass in my backyard...which is dry as a bone, especially in the off-season.
  • hornhonk
    hornhonk Posts: 3,841
    Point taken, Parrot. ;) Have a good night!
  • SmokinParrotHead wrote:
    Okay, you got me. I will send you my info and I will try the alcohol! I am not too good to say I am not right in the matter, lol! :):) I do have one question though, as for the sparks......what brand of lump do you use? I have noticed that with the Publix brand(RO made I believe), I have TONS of sparks.....but with the BGE brand lump....not so much.....not near enough that I would worry about starting a fire by any means...and I have Bermuda grass in my backyard...which is dry as a bone, especially in the off-season.
    You are right that some lump sparks more than others. I tried many brands including Cowboy, Royal Oak, and BGE. I now use nothing but Wicked Good Charcoal which we import by the pallet once a year - just got 3 pallets (4,000 lbs.) which are due to arrive here in Nashville any day! All of the lump brands sparked more than I was comfortable with whenever lit with torches. I think the reason is that the torches provide such intense heat in small spots that they instantly cause the cellular structure of the wood to degrade thus releasing small particles.

    I initially thought that mapp would be my favorite method and I purchased several torches, apron, gloves, etc. and I even made a fine mesh screen to catch some of the sparks. But I was still getting dirty from the sparks and I burned a few tiny holes in some nearby tent screens, plus I didn't like running up to the garage to get the torch, buying expensive gas refills, or standing there for a few minutes while lighting. It was this frustration that led me to research heat transfers, fire starters, chemical reactions, and byproducts... which led me to the isopropyl alcohol method... and after testing all of the methods I switched to the alcohol for good.

    One of these days I will make a longer video comparing all of the lighting methods, pros and cons of each. I would love to go to an eggfest and have everyone try the different methods side by side and time them too. I will bet that most people choose the alcohol after seeing it in action, but again the mapp does work and so do many other methods. Thanks for the comments. Your kit will be on the way shortly. Be sure to let us know how it works for you!
  •  
    Lee, if you want a fast start use a weed burner. A large will be lit and at 400° steady in less than 1 minute. The flame thrower always does the job and does it fast.

    MAPP likes to put holes in clothing from the sparks.

    Kent
  • :) That was a lot of back and forth, glad to see Lee finally decide to give it a try.

    If you recall a long while back I tired the alcohol starting method. It didn't work all the well for me at that time. I went back to oil and napkin and at times MAPP or my trusty flame thrower (weed burner).

    I think my problem was I was spreading the alcohol around in too big of a circle and or the altitude where I am.

    Your video is a good place for folks to start and has some good safety advice.

    I use the alcohol to start most all the time now and it is a very clean way to light my eggs. I had to make some changes but all is good now.

    Thanks for posting the information.

    Kent
  • I haven't read all of the posts, so I don't know if this is a repeat.

    I stumbled across your video about a month ago. Went to WalMart and bought 91% Isopropyl.

    I've just been pouring it out of the bottle, sparingly, and that works great for me. It doesn't create a big fireball but comes up gently.

    I like it, very cheap to use, burns clean, and easy. I'm not sure why you go through the syringe thing. :unsure:

    When I'm not in a hurry, I use this. When I'm in a hurry, I use my $18 weed burner hosed to a propane tank.

    But thanks for putting me on to it. :)
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • starter cubes are paraffin and sawdust. i don't use them, but that's not a "chemical" with an exclamation point. paraffin's an ingredient in some candy....

    just sayin. as you mentioned, there are a bunch of ways to skin the cat of egg lighting. every one of them has its place, its defenders, and detractors. which is essentially proof (empirical anyay) that they are, and it is, all pretty much scheiss egal
  • temp of the egg is very different than temp of the thermometer.

    flames during start up reach the thermometer with a lot of lighting methods. but those flames never mean the actual interior of the egg is at that temp. p[ay no attention to the therm, ever, until the start stuff is out, whether it is alcohol, paper/oil/ gas, or a hunk of nespaper
  • if the lump sparks from MAPP, it'll spark from a weedburner too.

    this is an odd thread. people arguing over different ways to do the same thing, all of which work perfectly fine.

    what's easy and fast for one person is not necessarily easy and fast for another.

    i own a weedburner and i use it when I light WGC or other dense stuff. but my storage is limited, and so it's not kept near the egg. if i want a hot fast fire (say 15 minutes, clean, at 600), i'll use fresh lump and a couple of the paper/oil twists.

    if i want to sweat a copper elbow, i use the MAAP.

    starters are absolutely fine and safe, but they can snuff out a biut if airflow is an issue, and might then take a while to burn off. i'm also a cheap pr!ck, and they are $6 a box where i live and go fast the way i use them.

    haven't tried alcohol, but it seems poerfectly fine, too. the video makes it look far more complicated than it is, frankly. a little too much exposition... but if i got dinged every time i spent to much time explaining things, i'd be a bloody pulp
  • Kenny 13
    Kenny 13 Posts: 321
    OK, I'm trying to learn as much as possible here in my "pre-egg owner" status, so excuse me in advance if this comes across as a dumb question. Using the isopropyl alcohol as a starter sounds like it could be a pretty inexpensive and effective way of getting your temperatures up quickly, but how does it work out for low & slow cooks? It seems to me that this way would be fairly easy to overshoot your temperature if you're only looking to get up to 250°. In that case would you just use less alcohol to get started? Just curious.
  • I have used an alcohol based gel firestarter that I used to get from Wally World that worked very well. If you Google "gel firestarter" there are several available that should work quite well. You don't need any paraphanalia or special techniques to use them. They stay where they are put. No huge fireball either. I much prefer my Mapp torch though. The fire is caused by direct ignation of the charcoal. Yes, it sparks a lot, especially with new lump or the bottom of the bag where there is a lot of dust. I do have have some t-shirts made of man made fibers that are flammable (with the char holes to prove it) so be careful. Thse are fabrics that the military has banned because of that. Sparks give a nice effect when lighting it after dark for an all night cook.
  • i used to collect and wear some vintage 40s/50s/60s/70s shirts many of which were definitely "man made fibers", but i never wore them when starting the egg. are you putting a butt on before you go disco dancing? if so, do like Tony Manero (Saturday Night Fever). wear a towel over your shoulders. Better yet, light the egg in a tee shirt before you spray your hair and don your wide-lapelled shirt and leisure suit. ;)

    of my old shirts, my old boss once said one of them looked like the plumbing diagram for the yellow submarine. hahaha true story (sadly)
  • if you want a lower temp, just light a smaller fire. no sense overshooting with a bigger starter fire
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    It's also not very cost effective. I buy the Rutland cubes, 144 per box for $12. I cut them in half for a total of 288 fires started per $12 spent. You could buy 6 bottles of alcohol for that yielding 96 fires. No telling how many fires you could light with 1 propane torch.
    And yes it seems like alot of effort. I drop in a cube half and walk away for 10 minutes, shut the dome and walk away for another 5 minutes. Done.
  • Firetruck
    Firetruck Posts: 2,679
    I mix gasoline and diesel fuel 50/50 and pour over the lump. Just don't do it under a covered porch or I'll have to come see you in my "firetruck" :laugh:
  • i still think it is nice of the guy to offer the stuff free, and he's put a lot of work into it. If my participation in the thread seems negative, that's not the intent.

    though i still think it's not exactly the definitive way to light the egg. it's just another one...
  • Firetruck
    Firetruck Posts: 2,679
    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: ;)
  • I'm always up for trying something new with the egg. I'm currently using the propane trick since I had some laying around but like the idea of the alcohol. Sounds like fewer little holes in my clothes from sparks... Info sent!