Sanny Posted October 28, 2007 Report Share Posted October 28, 2007 Well, I've read about it. Many of you do it! Never tried it myself. But, with the gas burner on the fritz (NOT a KK product), I decided to try it. I got a box of those pressed sawdust fire starter thingies at the grocery. Huge box, $9. Anyway, WOW! I nestled it in the lump, struck a match, lit the edge of the starter, and woo hooo! The little starter stick is well on its way to lighting the lump for my roasted bosom this afternoon. Sorry I didn't listen sooner, or I'd not have fretted about the gas thingy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted October 28, 2007 Report Share Posted October 28, 2007 Since you live far enough North, that people actually need to heat their homes in the winter, you should be able to find fatwood sticks, too. They work the same, but are sticks of natural pine that has a high resin content, so it lights like a candle, and burns hot until it is all gone. Seems a little more grill friendly than the pressed mystery goo. You should be able to get it locally this time of year, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted October 28, 2007 Report Share Posted October 28, 2007 Pressed mystery goo is just sawdust with enough paraffin wax to hold the thing together. (At least many of them are. Avoid ESBIT (hexamine) tablets, and a little web research has found that there are "gel" starters out there that are suspect.) The easiest method I've found to date is the MAPP torch - takes all of about 10 seconds to get a lump glowing and sparking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dub Posted October 29, 2007 Report Share Posted October 29, 2007 ...a little web research has found that there are "gel" starters out there that are suspect... ??? Most of the Gel starters I see are just starched-up ethanol with the requisite Bitrex added. Tell more about this suspectitude please. dub(missing the Greenheat brand WallyWorld useta sell) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted October 29, 2007 Report Share Posted October 29, 2007 Some of the sites/ads I came across did not specify content, and since it is as easy to gel oils as it is alcohol, I am suspicious of them. the alcohol gels won't ruin the flavor of a cook, but napalm and other gelled oils certainly do! Although it isn't a gel, you can still find hexamine fire starters out there, and those create toxic fumes. The little balls of fatwood shavings and paraffin are probably the best, but I've still found nothing that beats the MAPP torch for speed and simplicity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted October 29, 2007 Report Share Posted October 29, 2007 but I've still found nothing that beats the MAPP torch for speed and simplicity. My built in burner is pretty darn fast and easy - hehe. I guess you have not got around to setting yours up yet? -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted October 29, 2007 Report Share Posted October 29, 2007 No, I don't have it yet. I asked Dennis a couple of times how to order one, but never received a definitive reply. He's a busy guy. The MAPP torch is just so darned easy, though, that I may just stick with that. Thiry seconds I've got! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted October 29, 2007 Report Share Posted October 29, 2007 Back @ ya.. I never received a definitive reply. 2mails in your box.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted October 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2007 Re: Back @ ya.. I never received a definitive reply. 2mails in your box.. Careful what you wish for! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted October 29, 2007 Report Share Posted October 29, 2007 Indeed! Just wanted everyone to know I wasn't whining there! I just figured they were in construction or transit, and I'd hear sooner or later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted October 29, 2007 Report Share Posted October 29, 2007 No problem at all.. Indeed! Just wanted everyone to know I wasn't whining there! I just figured they were in construction or transit, and I'd hear sooner or later. This business definitely has a lot of tire kickers.. I'm pretty sure that the other K has made people wary.. The result is that I get a lotta mail.. I used to be able to almost always get back in a day or two.. Now if I'm offline for a few days it takes me almost a week to catch up. I go thru and mark/flag the time sensitive ones and get them out first but I really gotta give up answering the basic inquiries.. time to get back on my plan to delegate some of the mail. The gal I hired to help me was so useful in doing other things in the factory that she's never been trained fore the mail.. BTW I've almost caught up with the backordered accessories.. We've sent out 73 packages... easily a record for us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkline01 Posted October 29, 2007 Report Share Posted October 29, 2007 Re: No problem at all.. Indeed! Just wanted everyone to know I wasn't whining there! I just figured they were in construction or transit, and I'd hear sooner or later. This business definitely has a lot of tire kickers.. I'm pretty sure that the other K has made people wary.. The result is that I get a lotta mail.. I used to be able to almost always get back in a day or two.. Now if I'm offline for a few days it takes me almost a week to catch up. I go thru and mark/flag the time sensitive ones and get them out first but I really gotta give up answering the basic inquiries.. time to get back on my plan to delegate some of the mail. The gal I hired to help me was so useful in doing other things in the factory that she's never been trained fore the mail.. BTW I've almost caught up with the backordered accessories.. We've sent out 73 packages... easily a record for us! By the way, thanks for the screen Dennis! Got it the other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Here's one other nice method to fire up your lump. Put a few tablespoons of cheap cooking oil in a medium brown paper bag. (Keep ALL of your brown paper bags!) Wad it up and shove it in the bottom of a chimney starter, fire it up. The oil extends the burn of the paper bag, and it burns hot. Fire will be ready in 5-7 minutes. For large grocery bags, tear off the top half since a whole bag won't fit in the bottom of a chimney starter. For small lunch size bags, add a little of your torn off remnants, since a small bag isn't enough. No newsprint ink, no starter fluid (y'all don't use that anyway) and better than trashing your brown bags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungeti Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Gosh When I saw the subject, "light my Fire" and it was from Sanny......... Ahem, had to go have a looksee.... well I see it was just about lighting your fire to......... cook. Anyway learned something.. Good post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie from Jersey Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted July 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Re: Gosh When I saw the subject' date=' "light my Fire" and it was from Sanny......... Ahem, had to go have a looksee.... [/quote'] I wonder if this is the right time to tell Mungeti that I'm a scrawny 87 year old man, in baggy boxer shorts, in assisted living? Want some candy? lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie from Jersey Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 For low & slows, I always put my smoking wood (usually hickory chunks and apple chips from the SF Lazzari factory) in a 2 quart cast iron pot with 3 holes drilled in the bottom, and the lid sealed on with flour paste. (This is related to how one makes charcoal; it "distills" the smoke like good bourbon, and my wife doesn't like smoke any other way. The paste sounds tricky till you try it; Moroccans do this all the time with poorly fitting couscous pots.) I then lay extruded coconut around the pot, and use a MAPP torch to heat the pot and start the fire at once. For high temp cooks with Lazzari oak lump, I always use an electric starter these days, buried in the charcoal. I've forgotten about the starter many a time without destroying it, they're tough. I used to start lump fires with 99% rubbing alcohol. I loved the serious "womp" sound it made, as did the neighborhood dogs. The fumes from rubbing alcohol are equally dangerous before and after burning; ethanol (drinkin' alcohol) takes longer to kill you because it's so chemically simple, unburned there's no toxins down the reaction chain, unburned, and burned there's a huge difference between "H2O, CO2" and "H2O, CO". But if one can avoid the fumes from rubbing alcohol, absolutely no trace of the stuff once the fire reaches cruising altitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted July 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Oh Sanny' date=' don't tease the guys. They need their komodo goddess.[/quote'] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 For low & slows, I always put my smoking wood (usually hickory chunks and apple chips from the SF Lazzari factory) in a 2 quart cast iron pot with 3 holes drilled in the bottom, and the lid sealed on with flour paste. (This is related to how one makes charcoal; it "distills" the smoke like good bourbon, and my wife doesn't like smoke any other way. The paste sounds tricky till you try it; Moroccans do this all the time with poorly fitting couscous pots.) I then lay extruded coconut around the pot, and use a MAPP torch to heat the pot and start the fire at once. I have used a small cast iron box (once) to put my smoking chips in (yeah we don't have chunks down-under; well not for sale in the stores anyway). Don't really understand why I would seal the lid with paste as the smoke goes out via the sides (or in your case the bottom?). Should I use the paste method??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
