Lighting the Pit Barrel Cooker? Do I have to use lighter fluid?

[drholly]

[color=blu
Money?  AND a player?  All I got was some dust.... 

Oh well - worked out for the best. Never would have found the PBC or met all of you if I didn't come over here... 

David
e][/color]

All good things come to those that recruit  more LTBBQ members David.......

Got you!

D

[Over Dunn]

Newspaper under the chimney? What a mess!  Two Weber starter nuggets under the the tube, will have half a load of brics blazing in five minutes! Just try not to put a couple of flamers on your foot, during the transfer! 

OD

[RAD]

Newspaper under the chimney? What a mess!  Two Weber starter nuggets under the the tube, will have half a load of brics blazing in five minutes! Just try not to put a couple of flamers on your foot, during the transfer! 

OD

 I use the ash catcher from the fat boy. No fuss, no mess 


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[Old Hickory]

I wad paper beneath the chimney starter, turn it over and put some vegetable cooking oil on the paper. then turn back over and put the coals into the chimney.  It makes the paper burn longer to start the coals and there is no taste or smell.

[Pappymn]

Newspaper under the chimney? What a mess!  Two Weber starter nuggets under the the tube, will have half a load of brics blazing in five minutes! Just try not to put a couple of flamers on your foot, during the transfer! 

OD

 I use the ash catcher from the fat boy. No fuss, no mess 

I think you are on to something that has vexed me.....lighting my chimney on my wood deck when the grill is already going. What is a fat boy? In your opinion, could I use it safely on my wood deck without scorching it?

[RAD]

Newspaper under the chimney? What a mess!  Two Weber starter nuggets under the the tube, will have half a load of brics blazing in five minutes! Just try not to put a couple of flamers on your foot, during the transfer! 

OD

 I use the ash catcher from the fat boy. No fuss, no mess 

I think you are on to something that has vexed me.....lighting my chimney on my wood deck when the grill is already going. What is a fat boy? In your opinion, could I use it safely on my wood deck without scorching it?

1. The fat boy is what we call the Char-Broil Double Chef Smoker. Unfortunately, it isn’t available commercially anymore. Too, bad. It’s a pretty good smoker.

2. I cannot give you advice on what you can and can’t do on a wood deck. I have concrete slabs and from what I’ve seen lately on here is that the wood decks burn. Use a couple of concrete squares that you can get from HD or Lowes under anything with high heat to protect your deck.

[teesquare]

I would recommend looking at the manufacturer of the charcoal chimney's website for cautions and usage suggestions.

For what it's worth....I would not ude it directly on anything other than a steel or concrete surface. You can purchase a "grill mat" that is made of a fiber cement material that is safe to light your chimneys on, or use your PBC on. I have a wood/plastic composite deck - and the mat works great for me.

Here is an Amazon link for one, tho I think they are sold at Lowe's, Home Depot, and Menard's:

http://www.amazon.com/DiversiTech-GP-42-C-Original-Grill-Pad/dp/B0001MQHZY

[Pappymn]

I would recommend looking at the manufacturer of the charcoal chimney's website for cautions and usage suggestions.

For what it's worth....I would not ude it directly on anything other than a steel or concrete surface. You can purchase a "grill mat" that is made of a fiber cement material that is safe to light your chimneys on, or use your PBC on. I have a wood/plastic composite deck - and the mat works great for me.

Here is an Amazon link for one, tho I think they are sold at Lowe's, Home Depot, and Menard's:

http://www.amazon.com/DiversiTech-GP-42-C-Original-Grill-Pad/dp/B0001MQHZY

I have that mat on my composite deck. Are you saying you light a chimney right on the mat?

[teesquare]

Yep...I have been doing just that. Be certain we are both on the same wavelength. The mat I am using is heavy, and kind of brittle - so it stays in place. But it can really take the heat.
I have a composite deck also.

[Pappymn]

Yep...I have been doing just that. Be certain we are both on the same wavelength. The mat I am using is heavy, and kind of brittle - so it stays in place. But it can really take the heat.
I have a composite deck also.

We are on the same page. I have the exact same mat from amazon. However, since I burnt my deck once already, I am gun shy. I may just break down and buy a little smokey joe and place my chimney on that.

My wife is a little particular about what is on the deck

[CaptJack]

my method
works great in a wind
http://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=1505.0

[Hub]

Since my other charcoaler is a Weber Performer with a built-in propane lighting system I haven't "lit" charcoal in years.  When I got my new PBC I looked around for my chimney but couldn't find it.  So, I bit the bullet and bought a can of Kingsford charcoal lighter at the grocery store and lit the fire like Noah shows in the video.  I was dreading the "petroleum" flavor I remembered from years ago but it didn't happen!

Maybe it is the Kingsford brand fluid?  It seems to have a lower octane and flash point, too.  I didn't get a "WHOOOOOOM - BANG" when I dropped the match in.  In fact it took a couple of matches to get the flames working.

I've used about half the can and done several cooks now and I think I'll stick with the fluid.  I can't smell it after about five minutes of burn and nothing I've cooked has shown any traces of fumes.

Hub 

[drholly]

Hub, I had the same concerns and same experience. I've done dozens of cooks in my PBC using Kingsford charcoal and lighter fluid per Noah's instructions. I have only tasted the charcoal flavor - nothing else. I suspect that any fluid residues are long burned off after the 20 minute mark. One of my brothers is a died in the wool lump charcoal guy and frequently tells me how horrible briquettes are (although since he doesn't use them, not sure how he would know  ) I tell him that I must not have a sophisticated nose or taster like him, and to me there is no off-putting flavor. And, at least to me, there is not.

David

[Over Dunn]

Since my other charcoaler is a Weber Performer with a built-in propane lighting system I haven't "lit" charcoal in years.  When I got my new PBC I looked around for my chimney but couldn't find it.  So, I bit the bullet and bought a can of Kingsford charcoal lighter at the grocery store and lit the fire like Noah shows in the video.  I was dreading the "petroleum" flavor I remembered from years ago but it didn't happen!

Maybe it is the Kingsford brand fluid?  It seems to have a lower octane and flash point, too.  I didn't get a "WHOOOOOOM - BANG" when I dropped the match in.  In fact it took a couple of matches to get the flames working.

I've used about half the can and done several cooks now and I think I'll stick with the fluid.  I can't smell it after about five minutes of burn and nothing I've cooked has shown any traces of fumes.

Hub

Ditto! I just use my chimney starter on the UDS, cause I'll be cooking under 275. 

OD

[CaptJack]

http://www.amazon.com/Max-Charcoal-Chimney-Starter-Burner/dp/B003GW9ZPU