Charcoal chimney

Red-Raider

New Egg owner. Does anyone use a charcoal chimney for lighting? Thanks. 

SmokingPiney

I use one if I need a quick, hot fire.

DaveRichardson

Great for quick and hot fire.  If do a low and slow, only light about 2-3 pieces of lump in the chimney.  When you dump it in, I'd make a little cavity in the lump mass, then stir the lump up around.

Either way, you will need to let VOC's burn off!

Legume

I use one pretty much every time.  One sheet of paper towel that's been sprayed with oil underneath.  Loaded up and let it rip if I want lots of coals to spread out for a hot cook, just a few pieces of lump and just get them going if I'm starting a smaller fire for a low temp cook.

SmokeyPitt

So here is a dumb question...where do you guys put the chimney when starting it?  On a weber kettle there is plenty of room on the charcoal grate but not so much on the egg.  

Carolina Q

Used mine to light my egg only once. Epic fail! Never tried it again.

Now I use it only as a wok stove. 

Legume

If I'm going hot, I'll just scrape away a space on the fire grate for it, then shovel in a bunch of lump around it.  When it's going and I lift it, I push the unlit lump around with the ash tool before dumping the coals.

If I'm setting up for a for a long L&S I get my firebox loaded up with lump and wood chunks, put the grill on and the chimney on the grill.  The. It's just a matter of pulling the grill before I dump the lit charcoal, then in goes platesetter, drip pan, grill, etc.

I have an XL, so there's plenty of room to do this, not as easy in a smaller egg.

blasting

SmokeyPitt said:

So here is a dumb question...where do you guys put the chimney when starting it?  On a weber kettle there is plenty of room on the charcoal grate but not so much on the egg.  

I keep the weber kettle strictly for the chimney.  I took out the cooking grid but left the charcoal grid in.  I store the chimney / lighter / zip lock of paper towels inside the weber and that is where I light the chimney.  keeps things neat.

Jstroke

I skipped the chimney and went straight to weed burner. Never looked back. 

DaveRichardson

I've got a couple of firebricks that I used before I got an official platesetter....  I will put a couple of them down flat, then 2-3 sitting on their long axis, then a few more flat on top of them, making a heat sink.  Chimney goes on top of that.

Most of the time, I just use a paper towel soaked in cooking oil.  If going low and slow, I'll use one.  If going nuclear, I'll use 3.....  Use either the BBQ lighter or granddad's old zippo from WW2 to light it!

Red-Raider

DaveRichardson said:

I've got a couple of firebricks that I used before I got an official platesetter....  I will put a couple of them down flat, then 2-3 sitting on their long axis, then a few more flat on top of them, making a heat sink.  Chimney goes on top of that.

Most of the time, I just use a paper towel soaked in cooking oil.  If going low and slow, I'll use one.  If going nuclear, I'll use 3.....  Use either the BBQ lighter or granddad's old zippo from WW2 to light it!

By using 1 or 3 do you mean paper towels or chimneys?

DoofusOfTheDay

SmokeyPitt said:

So here is a dumb question...where do you guys put the chimney when starting it?  On a weber kettle there is plenty of room on the charcoal grate but not so much on the egg.  

I found an abandoned kettle on the side of the road while running one day.  I came back for it later and put it to good use.  I had to make some legs from a weed trimmer my neighbor was throwing out.  

kwdickert

i have a large and just put it down in the egg. I generally fill the egg with charcoal first then pick out pieces for the starter.  By the time the coals are hot, the ones under starter are hot too. Like they've said, use only a little in the starter if you're doing a low and slow; stack it up if you're trying to get the grill rippin hot quickly.

DaveRichardson

Red-Raider said:

DaveRichardson said:

I've got a couple of firebricks that I used before I got an official platesetter....  I will put a couple of them down flat, then 2-3 sitting on their long axis, then a few more flat on top of them, making a heat sink.  Chimney goes on top of that.

Most of the time, I just use a paper towel soaked in cooking oil.  If going low and slow, I'll use one.  If going nuclear, I'll use 3.....  Use either the BBQ lighter or granddad's old zippo from WW2 to light it!

By using 1 or 3 do you mean paper towels or chimneys?

3 paper towels.....

busmania

Found it way too cumbersome and always was getting in the way...where to put it when lighting, where to put it when not in use etc. I finally gave up and the day I discovered the map torch (low n slow) and weed torch (high heat cooks), my life was changed forever and the chimney starter has never left the shed since. Whatever works for you...but I personally think there are much easier ways to get it lit.

pgprescott

SmokeyPitt said:

So here is a dumb question...where do you guys put the chimney when starting it?  On a weber kettle there is plenty of room on the charcoal grate but not so much on the egg.  

Exactly. Also it is not necessary to get all the lump lit like it is on a weber kettle. I love this method for the weber and hate it for the egg. Having said that if you like it, go ahead and do it. 

blind99

I use it a lot. I fill it with fresh charcoal and set it on the side burner of my gasser. Takes about 5 minutes or so then I put it in the egg for a few more minutes then dump on top of the old coals. Works great though one member has warned me to be careful of starting fires using the side burner. 

xfire_ATX

blind99 said:

I use it a lot. I fill it with fresh charcoal and set it on the side burner of my gasser. Takes about 5 minutes or so then I put it in the egg for a few more minutes then dump on top of the old coals. Works great though one member has warned me to be careful of starting fires using the side burner. 

I did this for years when lighting my side smoker, now that I have the Egg I used that method twice and used newspaper in chimney bottom once.  I wasnt crazy about the paper as it seemed like paper ash was everywhere.  I hadnt even thought about less lump for slow and that really makes sense to try next time.

onedbguru

Full chimney for hot. Low/slow 1/2 chimney. We get a bunch of ad papers that I use 1-3 pieces balled up to get it going.

anton

Totally doable if that's what you have, I use a mapp torch.

Lit

heat guns work amazing. I just melted my first one on accident when I was pretty drunk a couple weeks ago but it lasted like 8 yrs. gonna get a new one as soon as I remember when I'm at homedepot.

Steve753

I use a chimney for my Weber, but I use a Weber Lighter cube for my large BGE. I place one cube in the center, and put a couple of pieces of charcoal on top of it and light it. It's a cheap and easy way to light my Egg.

Dredger

Found mine in the garage way back when we got our egg and use it to hold the BGE electric starter while it cools off on the deck after lighting the lump. Very handy.

dougcrann

Weed burner EVERY time. Need a small fire for 225* only concentrate on one arear. Need a bigger fire light multiple spots. Chunk we use sparks a bit. With how dry it has been here always have a garden hose handy. 
I used to use a Chimney,  got tired of having to clear a spother in the Egg. Swear local paper company puts some sort of flame retarder on the Newspaper,  it just don't burn. I use enough paper towels as it is. And we have 5 digs that seem to only be interested in the Chimney when it's hot..

Ragtop99

blind99 said:

I use it a lot. I fill it with fresh charcoal and set it on the side burner of my gasser. Takes about 5 minutes or so then I put it in the egg for a few more minutes then dump on top of the old coals. Works great though one member has warned me to be careful of starting fires using the side burner. 

I did this until the side burner started to fail.  Now I use a weed burner.

onedbguru

@DoofusOfTheDay, when I had mine on a deck, I used a piece of cement hardi-back board (used for tile walls/floors) under my egg just in case there were some renegade sparks/charcoal bits.  Like the repurposed kettle.

Begger

Full chimeny produces a BLAZE.
Partial for low / slow.

My XL has space for the chim after I light it.   I put in a FEW pieces of charcoal, around the edge.   A lighter cube in the middle, then fill 'er up.   Lift and light, than place on the charcoal grate.   15 minutes?   Yep.

KiterTodd

Red-Raider said:

New Egg owner. Does anyone use a charcoal chimney for lighting? Thanks. 

I use it all the time.  Works great.

I load it up with lump, put it on top of the grate, and light a piece of newspaper under it.  Usually one does it, occasionally some charcoal requires a second one.

Then it's 5-10 minutes until I see flames just starting to lick out the top which is when I dump it for a normal cook.  For a low and slow I don't let it go that far as it lights up too much lump.  I just look inside and when I see solid red coals at the bottom I dump it.

I have an ash rake/stirrer that also has a little hook on it for lifting the grate.  So, I pick up the chimney, lift the grate with the hook, dump in the charcoal and put the grate back on.  Sometimes I swap grates...I use the thin stainless one for lighting the chimney, I then put that in the side grate rack.  Stir the lump so It's how I like it, and then I put the cold CI grate on and I'm good to go.

I've never had an issue that required me to consider using any other method to light up.  This is simple.  I don't have to stand there, I don't need a power cord, I don't need to buy anything else other than scrap paper I always have around anyway.

Works for me!  YMMV.