Charcoal Chimney Platform?

dawgfan, put it right in the egg while heating up, here's how I do it, the oil soaked paper towel twisted up, lit, chimney on top, after about 10 minutes, lift the grid off & dump the burning coal in & you're ready to cook:







works great, Marc

You will get smoke with any method, maybe not as much this way as with newspaper. What I like about this is that the coal is contained in the egg, where it should be. No matter how careful you are, if you light your chimney outside the egg, when you go to pick it up to move it to the egg, some small pieces of burning coal will fall out of the bottom. If you're working on a wooden table or deck, it could be a hazard. My method eliminates this, you simply flip the chimney upsidedown & all the lump ends up where it should be...

Where in Maryland do you live highpress?


I am also in favor of the MAPP torch dawgfan76.

the mapp torch is, as everyone else has said, a great option. I have a propane blow torch & use occassionally for my mini, but still prefer the chimney in most instances. But the point I forgot to mention above (another in favor of lighting the chimney in the egg as opposed to an outside platform) is wind. You want that flame, whether it be from a starter cube, newspaper, or paper towel, to go straight up. I light the towel then shut the egg dome creating a perfect wind-proof environment. I used to light it outside the egg on a stack of fire bricks, but the slightest breeze will cause the flame to bend sideways which does not bode well for quickly lighting the lump...

I use a coal shuttle, the chimney fits right in for the lighting of the lump.

Hey now-

To limit the flying ash and hot charcoal handling, I light my medium with newspaper directly in the bottom of the Egg (through the bottom vent). Usually it takes 2-3 sheets of newspaper, inserted and lit one at a time with the slide gate and lid wide open, to get 'er going. Once the last sheet of paper is about burned out, I shut the lid and listen for the slight crackling of the charcoal as it grows from a babe to a cooking fire (don't burn your ear).

About 15 minutes later, the smoke clears, the flames start lickin' out of the top vent, and the temps rise quickly. I slap on the daisy wheel, close down the slide gate, and go get your meat of choice.

Try to avoid walkin' away during the lighting process, if possibe (it is another great time to crack a beverage and relax- but my kids always seem to choose this time to need me desperately). It is easier to sneak up on a temperature than it is to wait for a cool down. Just remember to relax. Thx!

Dont get me wrong, but, why is anyone using a chimney starter for the Egg? I see no real reason, much less using newspaper anywhere near the Egg. I use a mapp gas torch light in 3 spots and I'm done. Oh well, to each their own.

Terry, it does seem a little odd as a choice, & I cannot speak for other chimney users, but after trying ever method known to man, I've settled on the chimney as my method of choice for these reasons. One, once you have the chimney, it's practically and endless free lighting supply (the oil I use is re-cycled frying oil that would otherwise go in the trash); two, no moving parts; three, I like the way it lights all the coal in the chimney. When I dump it (depending on how long you let it go), the red coals cover the entire surface of the lump in the egg, so you are instantly ready to cook. Finally, & maybe most importantly, I find it the easiest & most convenient. Any time after the egg cools down, I can open it up, do an ash knock, & load the chimney. I keep the tupperware container of oil, matches, & a paper towel in the egg. Basically at all times its locked & loaded, so when I want to cook, I open it up, dip, light, close the lid, & walk away. While the chimney is doin its thing outside, I'm inside prepping my food. By the time I get back outside, the egg is scream'n & read to go - it's become a very fluid motion. To me anyway it's as easy as pulling the Mapp trigger.

We're in College Park, if you ever find yourself nearby just let me know..