Should I light the fire from the bottom or top?

memphis egg

I was just reading Elder Ward's instructions on cooking a shoulder and it said to light the lump by placing a fire starter on top. I have been lighting my fires on the egg from the bottom for the last five years. What is the difference?

mad max beyond eggdome

MemphisEgg,
i use a mapp torch and alwasy light from the top (its easy and i'm lazy). .. .if i want high temps, i light two or three spots around the fire box. .. .if i want lo and slo, i light a single spot near the back of the fire box. ..[p]now, having said this, you will probably get an equal number of responses that say light from the bottom, or put in a partial load of lump, light it and then put more lump on top. . .[p]bottom line is, there is no 'right' answer to your question. .. do whatever works for you. .

memphis egg

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]I was wondering if one may be better than the other with regard to a fire burning over night. By the way, if anyone is ever coming to Memphis, I can give them a full list of "do not miss" BBQ spots.

mad max beyond eggdome

MemphisEgg,
when i do overnighters i always light one spot in the back of the firebox, on top, and i've never had any problem with the fire holding steady through the night (right in the 230 - 250 range. . . it really seems to work its way around the fire box just fine. . .

Grumpa

The mapp torch works awesome! You cannot go wrong.

Unknown

MemphisEgg,
One more thing on this subject, don't waste any of your lumb after you light it by letting the fire soar way above your chosen cooking temp. I use to do that thinking I was making sure the fire was started good and the toxins in the starter was burned up. I now use the green gel stuff from wal-mart in the large bottle and squirt a little dap in about 5 spots. Starting on top and not letting fire soar way above your temp is very helpful in long lo-n-slo cooks. Next time I do one I'm going to try to remember to do what Max said and just put a little larger dab in the back.

memphis egg

Bob,[p]and what exactly is a mapp torch?

mad max beyond eggdome

MemphisEgg,
mapp is a type of gas that burns much hotter than propane. . .home depot sells a nice kit (gas can and torch) for about $35.00 . . . you find them in the plumbing department. . ..i've had mine for about a year now, and the tank still doesn't need replacing yet. . .also, they work great upside down, important when lighting in the egg. . ..

Sundown

MemphisEgg,[p]For a long cook you should start your fire on the top. Fire wants to burn "up" not down and the temps are more easily controlled by lighting from the top. The fire works hard to get down and then burns to the sides so when I finish an 18 or 20 hour cook there will still be a lot of lump left and most of it around the edges. Lighting from the top has always been the way I do it even so far as just doing a steak or some chops.

Bama Egger

I'm a newbie.......what's a "mapp" torch?