Light my fire...

[PaulR]

Oh Sanny' date=' don't tease the guys. They need their komodo goddess.[/quote']

Yeah Sanny, please don't tell us you're actually some burly bloke!

[Syzygies]

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???

I came up with this after a few experiments making charcoal; read up on how one does that at backyard scales. One heats wood without burning it, and the gases produced sustain the needed fire once the pilot fire exhausts itself.

As raw wood chunks burn, they can emit various nasty byproducts, giving that "creosote" taste to food. Skilled ceramic cooks manage to place few chunks to minimize this, and convince themselves that they like the more distinct smoke taste from a bit of this effect (like the tingle on the tongue from eating fugu?).

The alternative is to somehow seal the wood inside an airtight pot with escape holes, so the wood off-gases without ever catching fire. I seal the lid onto a cast iron dutch oven because if it were to jar even slightly loose, the convection effect would burn up all the wood like a chimney, leading to a smoke disaster. I mix a few tablespoons of flour and water in a ziplock sandwich bag, nick off the corner, and use it like a pastry bag to lay a bead around the lid rim, with a paper towel sheet handy for cleanup. Takes a minute or two if one isn't terrified of dexterity tasks, and the result is foolproof.

After my reports on the K forum, various people tried a variant, building a stainless steel "pipe bomb" with a few tiny holes. An expensive special order, but skips the trivial paste step. What one doesn't want to do is to use compound metals like galvanized steel which emit toxins when heated; stick to simple materials known to be safe.

A commercial cast iron smoke box has way too much ventilation; it's designed to salvage a gas grill. Dutch ovens can be found for $10 and everyone has a drill...

This is only for low & slow! I use way more smoking wood than other approaches (2 quarts at a time) but "distill" only a subtle part of the wood's potential smoke. I consider it the difference between moonshine and bourbon, but to each its own. I'm tired of the theoretical debates this provoked; one simply has to try this, or ignore the idea. My wife is completely hooked, so I can never go back.

[PaulR]

The alternative is to somehow seal the wood inside an airtight pot with escape holes, so the wood off-gases without ever catching fire. I seal the lid onto a cast iron dutch oven because if it were to jar even slightly loose, the convection effect would burn up all the wood like a chimney, leading to a smoke disaster. I mix a few tablespoons of flour and water in a ziplock sandwich bag, nick off the corner, and use it like a pastry bag to lay a bead around the lid rim, with a paper towel sheet handy for cleanup. Takes a minute or two if one isn't terrified of dexterity tasks, and the result is foolproof.

After my reports on the K forum, various people tried a variant, building a stainless steel "pipe bomb" with a few tiny holes. An expensive special order, but skips the trivial paste step. What one doesn't want to do is to use compound metals like galvanized steel which emit toxins when heated; stick to simple materials known to be safe.

A commercial cast iron smoke box has way too much ventilation; it's designed to salvage a gas grill. Dutch ovens can be found for $10 and everyone has a drill...

Thanks, I was just hoping that putting wood chips in a smoke box would have a better result than just chucking them on the coals (where they definitely ignite...

Maybe by closing up most of the holes and using your paste method???

[Firemonkey]

I use way more smoking wood than other approaches (2 quarts at a time) but "distill" only a subtle part of the wood's potential smoke.

Do you use that much wood because the vessel needs to be full? If I used a smaller container, should I be able to impart the same flavor without burning so much wood, or do you need more wood because you are burning most of the output??

[tkline01]

Since I have limited storage space for wood I use BBQr's Delight pellets and a BBQr's Delight Smoke Pot. Costs a little more than wood but I can have all the flavors on hand and store them in a very small space. The Mesquite, Hickory, Cherry, Oak, Apple, Pecan, Mulberry, & Alder pellets are 100% wood. They have some other flavors that have herbs and such. They even have some made from the Jack Daniels filtering charcoal.

[Firemonkey]

How big is that pot Tom? It looks like the perfect size. The BBQrs delight page says it has no holes, and the air escapes from under the lid. Other online retailers say there is a hole in the top. Does your have a hole in the top? Did you drill a hole in the bottom if not?

Im trying to do a cost comparison of pellets, because it sure looks convenient compared to garage filled with several bins I keep my chunks in. How many cooks do you get out of a 1lb bag of pellets?

[tkline01]

The pot is about as big around as a can of beer. I will measure it at lunch and post actual dimension. No holes in top or bottom. Smoke comes out around lid edges.

I have bought supplies from GardenLuminary in the past. I bought the "Super Smoker Set" to get started...has 4 bags of pellets and the smoke pot. They claim 10 cooks per 1LB bag. I haven't finished a bag yet so I can't say if that is true.

[tkline01]

BBQr's Delight "rough" Dimensions

Pot diameter = 3"

Lid diameter = 3 3/8"

Pot & Lid Height = 2 3/8"

Pot Height = 1 1/4"

[Sanny]

BBQr's Delight "rough" Dimensions

Huh. That's teenier than it appears to me in the picture. But, don't suppose it needs to be bigger.

Imagine that.

Looks like a good idea. I don't know how I'd drill holes in a little dutch oven, anyway!

[Syzygies]

Do you use that much wood because the vessel needs to be full? If I used a smaller container' date=' should I be able to impart the same flavor without burning so much wood, or do you need more wood because you are burning most of the output??[/quote']

I also made a one quart pot, and ended up giving it to a friend. For shorter cooks, not all of the two quart pot carbonizes, but I always start fresh. For 20 hour cooks, e.g. brisket or butt, I like the assurance of continued smoke, even though it barely absorbs once the meat passes go.

Yeah, if I wasn't so busy I'd make a one quart pot again and choose, but the two quart works, and I have the wood.

I never really considered the wood an expense, I bought 40 lb sacks of hickory and apple years ago at Lazzari and I may just finish them before they go stale, although I'm getting the feeling they have. If I were buying boutique bags at BBQ Galore I'd be more worried about conservation.

We mostly do lots of high temp and open cooks, e.g. chicken, pizza, paella. I reserve the smoke pot and extruded charcoal for low & slow, e.g house-cured hams, so the 20 boxes of KK extruded I ordered should last me years... Anything of this quality was last available in 2003, so we jumped! Take my word for it, so should y'all.

[mguerra]

I thought my brown paper bag/ cooking oil trick was good, but I tried a Mapp torch last night and it was superior! Paper just makes WAY too much flying ash. I put my lump in a charcoal chimney, hit it with the Mapp, and it was ready in 5 minutes. I probably only actually stood there holding the torch for about one minute. Super.

[ThreeDJ16]

I tried a Mapp torch last night and it was superior!

viewtopic.php?t=2293&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[Amphoran]

I made DJ's unit, and haven't used the mapp torch since - This throws plenty of flame with propane!

Mike

[mguerra]

Being curious, I found that propane burns at 3600 degrees F and MAPP at 5300 degrees F. I presume those numbers are at standard temperature and pressure in "normal" atmosphere. I'm going to try to rig up a circular burner, like those on a camp stove, to place under a charcoal chimney. The idea is to create a larger flame than the narrow, pencil type flame of a torch. This to allow more of the charcoal to be started at once. I don't really care what fuel it uses. In fact, I might just stick my charcoal chimney ON a camp stove to see how that works. Maybe I'll use a replacement burner from a kitchen stove or an outdoor gas grill. If I come up with a really cool rig, I'll post it.

[Tucker]

I use a simple electric element to light with.

I have tried the gas option and the coal chminey.

The electric has no smoke and it lights in no time.

Set it and forget it until you see the little smoke from the coals.

Not sure I'll be using anything else.

Anyone wanna buy a slightly used gas option?

[ThreeDJ16]

Being curious' date=' I found that propane burns at 3600 degrees F and MAPP at 5300 degrees F. I presume those numbers are at standard temperature and pressure in "normal" atmosphere. I'm going to try to rig up a circular burner, like those on a camp stove, to place under a charcoal chimney. The idea is to create a larger flame than the narrow, pencil type flame of a torch. This to allow more of the charcoal to be started at once. I don't really care what fuel it uses. In fact, I might just stick my charcoal chimney ON a camp stove to see how that works. Maybe I'll use a replacement burner from a kitchen stove or an outdoor gas grill. If I come up with a really cool rig, I'll post it.[/quote']

If I were trying to devise a way to set a chimney starter over gas, the simplest solution is to just use a fish/turkey fryer setup. Have done that a few times in the past and it gets the charcoal going really fast.

-=Jasen=-

[DennisLinkletter]

Fastest and definitely most fun way to light your charcoal..

Outside of my children and fishing, I'm pretty impatient.. This definitely applies to lighting charcoal.

My favorite accessory is a cheapo hair drier.. Think of it as a powered bellows.

When you light part of one or two small pieces and then hit it with the hairdryer it immediately glows bright red and ignites all the charcoal around it.. Within minutes you have a raging inferno..

This is also great for when you have a low and slow cook and want to quickly raise the temps without waiting for nature to take its course when adjusting the drafts.

Trust me you will love using a lil hairdryer or a big one for that matter..

[jdbower]

Re: Fastest and definitely most fun way to light your charco

My favorite accessory is a cheapo hair drier.

I've been to the parts of Asia you frequent, a cheap-o hair dryer over there and you can probably just wrap the cord around some unlit coals and it'll be a blazing inferno in minutes!

[DennisLinkletter]

Re: Fastest and definitely most fun way to light your charco

My favorite accessory is a cheapo hair drier.

I've been to the parts of Asia you frequent, a cheap-o hair dryer over there and you can probably just wrap the cord around some unlit coals and it'll be a blazing inferno in minutes!

Yup, 220-240V has a lot more punch!

Much less fun to get hit here, can make your arm hurt for a good while.

[Sanny]

Hairdryer is fine, but if there's any ash in the cooker, forget it! CLOUDS of sneezes!!! What a mess.

Ask me how I know....