Tools of the Trade: Ignition
Although there are only three posts in the community so far, I am really happy about the reception my Grilling and Smoking community has received. I've become quite adept at keeping up with comments over the years, but even I had a little bit of trouble hitting all of them over the past week.
There was one that really stood out to me, and because of that, I am using it as the inspiration for this post.
@agmoore happened to stop by my post and made the comment below:
"Bought a grill this summer, but can't get the charcoal to light without an accelerator. And that doesn't taste good on the food!😀"
That made me realize, perhaps before we dig too deeply into the whole grilling and smoking thing, we might need to take a step back and start at the beginning.
There is a pretty widespread agreement in the grilling and smoking community (the larger one outside of HIVE), that charcoal lighter fluid is the devil. It isn't very reliable and it can taint the overall taste of your cook. Pull out a bottle of fluid around seasoned enthusiasts and you will either be scolded, or get that silent head shake of disappointment that makes you wish they had just scolded you.
Don't get me wrong, I'll be the first to admit that I used to use lighter fluid. I think we all start there. In fact, my dad (who taught me to grill) was still using it before I introduced him to the magic of a charcoal chimney.
There are plenty of ways to get your charcoal going. Some people use electric heating elements, some use lighter fluid, but many use charcoal chimney's. There are lots of companies that make them, but I really feel the Weber brand is one of the best you can get for the price. In fact, I have three of them.
The basic premise is, you put the charcoal in the top, some newspaper or other accelerant in the bottom, light it off, and let the magic happen.
The one in the photo above is the original one that I bought many years ago. As you can see, it is a little worse for wear, but it still works and I will likely keep using it until the top fully rusts away.
I used to use newspaper as the accelerant to get the charcoal going, but more recently I have switched to these Zaboomi sticks. They light off easy and they don't leave a weird taste on the charcoal like the paraffin cubes from Weber do. There are tons of brands like this, so you don't have to go with the Zaboomi ones. You can find them pretty easily for a decent price on Amazon or your preferred online vendor.
In recent years, I have started reusing my coals after each cook.
What do I mean by that?
In the past when I was finished with a cook I would leave the vents on my grill wide open and I would let the coals burn down to ash. Now when I finish a cook, I immediately close all the vents on the grill. This starves the charcoal of air and it eventually goes out. This leaves me with enough briquettes that I only need to fill my chimney 1/4 or 1/2 full of new briquettes. Then I place the old briquettes on top of that as you see in the photo above.
This has significantly changed how much charcoal I go through over the course of a year. It doesn't taint the cook in any way, and it has been totally game changing for me.
A lot of times when you hear charcoal enthusiasts arguing with gas enthusiasts about which is better for grilling, you will eventually hear the argument that charcoal takes so long to get going. I've had plenty of people tell me they just don't have the patience for grilling with charcoal. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that they don't know about charcoal chimney's and they are trying to use lighter fluid.
With a chimney, I can have hot and ready coals in as little as fifteen minutes or so. With a little bit of planning, that really isn't much longer that it might take to get a propane grill up to temp.
I started this chimney on Saturday night and then I started working on another project in my garage for a few minutes. By the time I was finished working on the project in my garage, I came outside and I found that my chimney went from the photo you see above, to the one below.
Now that's a hot fire!
With a little less coals in there, I've actually seen people throw a grate over top of their chimney so they can put a blazing hard sear on their steaks. As you can see, with the right tools, grilling with charcoal doesn't need to be as intimidating as people make it out to be.
I should point out that there are definitely different qualities of charcoal out there. Some burns hotter and faster than others, some is just not very good quality. If I am not using lump charcoal, I prefer to stick with the Kingsford Original Briquettes. I am not a fan of the professional competition grade ones.
I have heard B&B charcoal is a good brand as well.
This last photo was from after my cook on Saturday night. As you can see, the coals were still burning good and hot and there are still quite a few of them left. I think back to all the wasted potential when I used to let the coals burn down and I just want to kick myself.
I think most people will agree, there's just something special about grilling over charcoal. While I have met plenty of people who think grilling on propane is easier, I have yet to meet anyone who thinks it is more flavorful than food cooked over charcoal.
With the right tools and knowledge, grilling with charcoal doesn't need to be a lengthy or difficult process.
Sports Talk Social - @bozz.sports
Those charcoal chimneys are crucial to starting coals. I had one for many years, until a wasp started building a home on it. I spray it with bug killer and threw it away.
Well a year or so later I need to fire up the smoker, without one of these chimneys and it really sucked. So I need to buy another one..lol
Oh wow, those dang things will start building just about anywhere won't they? They keep trying to get into the exhaust vent of the furnace on my travel trailer every year. I think the Weber model is a little more expensive than some others out there, but I really like the design. My buddy had one with a flat bottom between the charcoal and where you put the fuel and it didn't work as well as the angled ones.
I've always thought charcoal grilling was complicated, but now I see how using tools like a chimney can make it simpler and even fun.
It really can be a great way to cook.
Don't use lighter fluid, eh? You mean don't be like Homer.
For sure!
Thank you for the guide! It is so simple and makes my grill accessible now.
Your description reminds me of my mother. Years ago, when I was very young (before the age of 11) I lived in a house with a wood/coal burning stove. Actually, we rarely used coal because wood was in the backyard and it was cheap. We only had coal if someone gave it to us. Anyway, every winter morning my mother would start the fire. She used paper and kindling to get it started. Then, of course, there was a chimney. I never thought about it, but it makes perfect sense. She was expert at starting that fire and the stove was always warm when we got out of bed. She didn't want us getting up to a cold house.
You see, memories :) All about coal and your grilling community. I certainly hope it takes off. You have a fan here.
Thanks, I appreciate it! I can't wait to see a post about your next cook on your grill! What a great memory! We had a wood stove in our house a long time ago, so I know well the smells and memories associated with that.
Great tip on the Zaboomi sticks! I've never seen those and that will be going on my list. I have just been still using paper to start up my chimney. I, like you, also close down my grill and reuse the old charcoal again! A great way to save!
Yes, as I said, it has been totally game changing. The biggest thing that made me move to the Zaboomi sticks was the fact that we no longer get the newspaper. With everything going digital, it's getting harder to come by!
That’s true on the newspaper. I started burning my junk mail to start the chimney. Felt like I got to start my coals and it felt satisfying to light up all that useless crap I get in the box daily 😂😂
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good simple way to have some embers ready and always have the fire ready for the kitchen. Very soon I will be making my first publication in the community and helping to promote it
I'm looking forward to it!
Good for you, and looks like a good technique, but I'm strictly a push the button and cook 2 min later without the cleanup propane guy. Lol
I've grilled on propane in the past and it just isn't the same. It should be easier, but somehow it always gets messed up. I think it has to do with the fact that it doesn't get as hot as charcoal. It's harder to do the two zone thing too, which doesn't seem like it should be the case, but it is.
That is a great post! Most people use lighter fluid to start charcoal and it's such a mistake! I've used paper for years and it works without leaving the "funky" taste. I haven't tried Zaboomi, but I'm going to buy some to try out, they look really cool. That chimney looks like a great way to get things going, I've never tried that before, The things you learn here on Hive!
The chimney will change your life, trust me!
!pimp