Steak Cook

hizzoner

I use an electric starter. I usually poke it down in the middle and let it get to going. But, it will take a good while to spread the heat evenly from side to side and front to back. Do you guys spread your coals out after the fire gets rolling? Or do you light in multiple spots? Or do you just wait until all of the coals are ready? Doing the latter seems to use up time and fuel. I usually just light in the middle and concentrate my steaks in the middle of the grid, but was wondering about that the other night when I was contemplating a bigger cook

Rolling Egg

If I'm shooting for a high temp cook (500+) I always light in at least three spots, sometimes four, with my mapp torch. I can usually get my medium up to 650 in just under 15 minutes by doing it this way.650 to 700 is about the right temp for me. 1.5 to 2 minutes per side and then I lift them up on a higher grid to take them to whatever doneness I'm shooting for.

kmellecker

The number of ignition points I use depends on the number of steaks I am cooking. If I will be covering the grid with meat I'll light in 4-5 places to get an even heat. If I'm only doing one or two, I'll break a starter stick in half and place them in the lump relatively close together for a more concentrated burn. I use an old hair dryer for air and can have the heat up to 600-650 in a relatively short period of time. The added advantage is you can move the single steak or two to a cooler part of the grid and use the radiant heat off the dome to finish the cook after searing.