bbqPete Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Any recommendations or feedback on the use of the gas lighter for my KK? Anyone using it? What capacity? Useful or not? Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Re: Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You I have one and love it. Would definitely purchase it again. I only use it to light charcoal. Well that's kind of a lie, I've also been known to start fires with it in my outdoor fireplace. hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbqPete Posted August 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Re: Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You Thank you. Do you remove it after the charcoal is lit or leave it in the KK but have it turned off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ifly61ce Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Re: Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You I have the gas burner that goes in the KK but have not used it. To light the charcoal I use a Bernzomatic outdoor torch JT850, I use Mapp or propane and it lights the coals in less than a minute with no paper ash or lighter fuel smell. Here is a link, well worth the money. http://www.amazon.com/Bernzomatic-19425 ... B00008ZA0F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Re: Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You It's a matter of preference more than anything else. I use it in my 23" because I've got it, but realistically I'm a little ambivalent towards it. Using an external torch is probably a bit more practical since I can use it with all sorts of things, but the built-in burner is nice in that you light it, plug it in, come back in 15 minutes, remove it, and you're done. Having a 20Lb propane tank means I rarely need more fuel. I do remove it once things are started, otherwise you've got issues about cleaning out the ashes, wondering if you've left it on, and moving the propane tank away from the lit KK just in case the Stoker goes crazy and brings it up to 1500F is a little piece of mind. Note that my 23" is extruded coconut charcoal. For my 19.5" with regular lump either a paraffin wax packet or a chimney starter (usually if I've got the firepit going) is my weapon of choice. Or tell a joke at my wife's expense and her glare will get me to temperature in no time flat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbqPete Posted August 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Re: Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You Thank you for all of the feedback. Gonna go with the torch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted August 22, 2011 Report Share Posted August 22, 2011 Re: Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You Thank you. Do you remove it after the charcoal is lit or leave it in the KK but have it turned off? I see you've made your decision. But, just to follow up I remove burner after lighting the lump. Another reason the burner is so convient in my case is having a NG outlet on my patio with a quick release disconnect. I forgot about not having a tank to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Alcohol I pour on as much 91% isopropyl alcohol as I dare, and throw in a match. There is an art to this. I've made some rather loud pings (the kind of ping that can upset the chickens in four neighbors' yards) when I get carried away, but I haven't lost any limbs or anything. It really doesn't take much, and there is a window in which one can close the KK. This isn't like flashback, which is dangerous. The combustion byproducts are said to be carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, so I steer way clear till the fumes burn off. After that, there is absolutely no sign of the accelerant, unlike lighter fluid, or even those wax cubes which leave trace smells in the fire. Isopropyl alcohol The carbon monoxide could be why you don't see this widely recommended. But it works, really well. Ethanol costs more, but one doesn't have to worry about carbon monoxide in the combustion byproducts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LATrapp Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Re: Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You Having only used propane, is there a major advantage to picking up a mapp tank next time I need a bottle? To light the charcoal I use a Bernzomatic outdoor torch JT850, I use Mapp or propane and it lights the coals in less than a minute with no paper ash or lighter fuel smell. Here is a link, well worth the money. http://www.amazon.com/Bernzomatic-19425 ... B00008ZA0F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Gas burner NOT Gas Lighter I always try to steer people way from buying the KK burner as a charcoal lighter.. First of all it lights too much charcoal for anything other than high temp cooks or searing. It's a big cast iron burner that lights the whole bottom of the charcoal basket when you only need about a tennis ball worth of charcoal for 235º Also for low and slow cooks, it's best to light from the top and have your burn travel down into the fuel as opposed to from the bottom and having the new fuel tumble down into it as the charcoal is burned up. But if you want to come home and crank it up with a couple inches of charcoal to get to grilling temps quickly it works very well. Tony uses a 10psi regulator (or adjustable) and bakes pizza with his at 650º Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNakedWhiz Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Re: Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You I assume that those two holes in the floor with the ss sleeves in them are for supports for the burner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Re: Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You I assume that those two holes in the floor with the ss sleeves in them are for supports for the burner? Correctamundo... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
