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tips to speed up hot coals

jerryp
jerryp Posts: 232
edited May 2012 in EggHead Forum
I was wondering if anyone has a few tips for speeding up a hot bed of coals. I use the paper towel in oil method. I don't want to buy a weed burner and I don't like to use a chimney in the egg. The towel method, I'm looking at about 45 minutes to an hour for a GOOD hot bed of coals. Any advice would be great.

Comments

  • misu
    misu Posts: 213
    More oiled towels worked for me but I switched to a small torch and it's 15 min if I light it up in 2-3 places
    You can also point a fan at the bottom vent
  • Jasper
    Jasper Posts: 378
    Electric starter, MAPP torch, paraffin wax cubes, Looftlighter?
  • Doc_Eggerton
    Doc_Eggerton Posts: 5,321
    Multiple ignition points, either by Rutland (or other brand) cubes, or I use a Looftlighter.  This shortens the ignition time, but you still have to wait for the the dome to soak in the heat.

    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

  • jrbguns
    jrbguns Posts: 1

    An old hair dryer blowing in the bottom vent speeds things up.

  • jerryp
    jerryp Posts: 232
    I'm a little embarrassed that it never occured to me to light it up in multiple locations.
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    If it's taking that long, something's wrong with your lump or (more likely) your air-flow.  I've been using the oiled towel method, and can generally be cooking in 20min or less.  If I'm really in a hurry (or having air flow issues), I bring out the home made eggcelerator (12v old PC fan in a project box) and sit that on the bottom vent.  It doesn't take huge volumes of air to make a big difference.
  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    More air
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • Ottawa_Eggman
    Ottawa_Eggman Posts: 111

    An old hair dryer blowing in the bottom vent speeds things up.

    Yup works every time
    :-bd
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,429
    Some of the comments here got me to thinking, and I found this on Amazon:
     
     
    There were no ratings yet, but for $12 I ordered one, will report back.  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669

    An old hair dryer blowing in the bottom vent speeds things up.



    Bingo
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • Use bigger chunks of lump and don't dump the small pieces in. I place my lump in by hand. you don't have to do this but it helps with airflow and airflow = heat. Try not dumping for the next few cooks. Use hand kicked larger pieces and see if that helps.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
    When I need more air, I go old school:
    image

    No batteries or electric cords needed. :)

    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
  • jaydub58
    jaydub58 Posts: 2,167

    Here is what I use,

    Bought at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

    Battery operated, gets to cook temp fast!

    John in the Willamette Valley of Oregon
  • Duganboy
    Duganboy Posts: 1,118
    The problem has to be in your air flow.  I can use an electric coil starter, or the blocks from BGE and be up to temp in 20 mins.
  • gerhardk
    gerhardk Posts: 942
    Once I have the coal burning I give it a a bit of a stir it really speeds the spreading of the fire.  For low and slow I just light it in two three spots.

    Gerhard
  • jerryp
    jerryp Posts: 232
    It isn't a matter of being up to temp. My egg gets hot quickly. It's about having a glowing layer of hot coals on the entire top of the coals.
  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
    edited May 2012
    It isn't a matter of being up to temp. My egg gets hot quickly. It's about having a glowing layer of hot coals on the entire top of the coals.
    If you need hot coals over a big area you need to start the fire in multiple areas.  If I'm cooking 6 big T-Bones I'll start 2 chimneys (using my gas grill side burner; it is mess free) and spread the hot coals out over a wide area. 

    If you are doing the paper towel method, I'd suggest doing 3 - 4 spots so the fire can spread from more than a single location.  When those spots are really going strong, give them a stir to spread them around.
    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
  • burr_baby33
    burr_baby33 Posts: 503
    I don't normally use the paper towel with oil but tonight I did. Twenty minutes and a very hot clean fire. One towel pretty well soaked and that's all.
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    I'm about to do steaks.  I did my usual

    stir up the left over lump from the last cook

    make sure the fire box and fire grate air holes aren't clogged with ash

    add some new lump to the old lump

    Only thing I did differently was this time, I dug a hole in the center until I could see the fire grate.  I used one paper towel with probably about 1-2 table spoons of waste corn oil poured into it sort of bunched up like a cup.  I stuck this in the hole in the center and lit it, then loosely placed a few large pieces of lump over it.  12 minutes later when I went out to check on it, dome temp was just over 600F.  I was only wanting around 400F...so I had to shut things down a bit and let it cool off before putting in the plate setter...I'm going to try something a little different from my usual for steaks tonight.
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    I keep a stainless shop vac on the deck for cleaning out the eggs. If I'm in a hurry, I stick the hose in the exhaust end and shove the other end in the lower vent. Pretty much instantaneous. :\">

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • eggo
    eggo Posts: 492
    I keep a stainless shop vac on the deck for cleaning out the eggs. If I'm in a hurry, I stick the hose in the exhaust end and shove the other end in the lower vent. Pretty much instantaneous. :\">
    That works for me too, hair dryer works well too.
    Eggo in N. MS
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    Gasoline...ok, that's a bad idea bit it would get it up to temp. Same as others have said. More air flow. I've read some posts about folks using leaf blowers.
    Mark Annville, PA