OT--Outdoor Grilling

Jiles · Jun 28, 2014

I do a lot of outdoor grilling and was wondering if Charcoal Lighting fluid is simply Mineral spirits.
There must be a less expensive lighting fluid.
Yes--- I have tried the chimney type lighting using paper and tinder with mixed results.

Fergienewbee · Jun 28, 2014

I use the chimney exclusively now. Food tastes better and in my experience the coals are ready sooner.

Larry

Russ from MN · Jun 28, 2014

I have seen people use regular gas, but you have to
understand what will happen and take precautions,
and no it did not blow up and burn him! I use paint
thinner to start our wood stove sometimes, but there
again you have to understand what you are doing.
SWMBO was going to use some the other day and now
she doesn"t have as much hair on her arm as last
week! We use propane for grilling, it"s easier.

Dick2 · Jun 28, 2014

We are fortunate enough to have a stove in the house, so we don't have to cook outdoors where all the bugs are.

Russ from MN · Jun 28, 2014

How lucky!

in-too-deep · Jun 28, 2014

The chimney starters do not work with briquettes. I use real chunk charcoal and it starts great with 2 balls of newpaper and a match. Unless you leave the lid off the Rubbermaid container that you store the matches, newspaper and charcoal in and it rains.

Chuck (CA) · Jun 28, 2014

I use lump charcoal, (Big Green Egg) and sometimes I'll use the little fire starter bricks, but one of the electric starters really work good with no after taste. It's basically like an oven element that you bury under the coals, plug it in and in about 10 minutes you're ready to cook.

john in la · Jun 28, 2014

Dick2
One day when I find the right paying job I would love to have all the modern conveniences you have.

C.R. · Jun 28, 2014

Ever try one of the electric charcoal starters?
They work well,no fumes or kerosene taste. They work great if you have power near by. Put the heating element in the pile of charcoal and give it ten to fifteen minuts and you are good to go

Dan T in MO · Jun 28, 2014

I use hardwood-cheaper than charcoal.

Last time I lit my grill, I found I'd ran out of lighter fluid and town is 4 miles away. *Kids: Don't try this at home* First thing I found was a spray can of Gumout carb cleaner. I was smart enough to throw the match from some distance. Wrhoof!

I now make sure I have lighter fluid handy

FLOLDFORD · Jun 28, 2014

I do a lot of cooking on a grill that I built here in my shop. It sits about 30 feet away from the door on a small deck I built for it. I do use lighter fluid to start my charcoal but if I run out I just roll the torch buggy out to the grill and use it. Light the torch and wave it over the charcoal for a few minutes and your good to go. I use alittle charcoal and then oak or orange wood on top of that. My grill was made from the 36'' end caps of a propane tank and a band rolled and welded in the middle and then I built a smoker box off to one side. My brother grills all the time and does some barbeque catering on the side and you never see him use lighter fluid says he can taste it in the meat. Me I can't tell the difference

oldtanker · Jun 28, 2014

I use a chimney and briquettes all the time with no problems. If you have too little paper it won't burn long enough and too much it just smolders.

Rick

littlered1 · Jun 28, 2014

Chimney, newspaper, charcoal and a long snouted butane lighter.

And, a Big Green Egg.

Remove the grate and the ashes from the grill, fill the chimney with charcoal, stuff 4 single pages of newsprint into the bottom, hang the chimney of the side of the grill, hot side in, fire up the Bic and light it up, baby!.

Tim (NY) · Jun 28, 2014

For our chicken bbq"s (100"s at a time) around here we use half and half gasoline and kerosine. Works about like lighter fluid.

Mike (WA) · Jun 28, 2014

Never did like the lighter fluid, gave a taste to the meat. Used an electric starter for years, but now have a chimney- doesn't take any longer than the electric, and you can get more going at once. Leave the bottom grate in, put the wadded up newspaper under, fill the chimney with bricquets, and touch it off. Ususally repeat on the paper a time or two, until you can see the heat rolling off the top of the chimney. Then wait a few more minutes, and dump it into the grill. The wait time allows you time for a couple of adult beverages to get your attitude right for the whole operation.

in-too-deep · Jun 28, 2014

I like your style, Mike.

Brad Buchanan · Jun 28, 2014

Hey Jiles.

Here is a shop-fabricated chimney made out of 18
gauge stainless with an oak handle.

It will hold about 5 lbs. of briquets and with all
the newsprint you can wad up and jam in the bottom
lights with one match.

Brad

Jiles · Jun 28, 2014

Thanks Brad, along with most other replies, I like that idea.
I figure anything I can make myself will be better then what I buy. Especially with the quality of "made in china"! Did you fabricate it?

rd 2N in mo · Jun 28, 2014

they have been working fine since '69

Pitch · Jun 28, 2014

Kids got me a Weber Kettle grill. Uses a one pound propane tank to start the charcoal.

teddy52food · Jun 28, 2014

Years ago, people cooked in the house & crapped outside. Now it is the other way around!

Royse · Jun 28, 2014

A hand held propane torch like you would use to sweat pipes
together works pretty well. Not sure its cheaper, but no taste.

Dean Olson · Jun 28, 2014

I use a propane weed burner. It gets it going quick.

Brad Buchanan · Jun 28, 2014

Hey Jiles.

I fabricated the chimney with a shear brake and
roll gadget that I had available in the shop but
it could be formed by hand if you took the time.

The holes were cut with a bi-metal hole saw and
the pieces were put together with self-drilling
screws.

The metal part of the handle is mild steel.

Brad

Geo-TH,In · Jun 28, 2014

Isn't there an electric heating element to start
charcoal?

Rich_WI · Jun 28, 2014

(quoted from post at 09:12:09 06/28/14) I do a lot of outdoor grilling and was wondering if Charcoal Lighting fluid is simply Mineral spirits.
There must be a less expensive lighting fluid.
Yes--- I have tried the chimney type lighting using paper and tinder with mixed results.

Its pretty close, charcoal lighting fluid is usually called heavy naphtha. Its slower than gas but faster than kero. You can use mineral spirits, naphtha (or even gasoline if you want), just cut it with clear kero or diesel to slow it down. You have to play around with your mix to get rid of the "poof" and have a nice easy start and burn. Just read the MSDS sheets for what you are mixing with so you have a good guess to start with. The MSDS on store bought charcoal lighting fluid is available online.

How much charcoal lighting fluid do you go through in a year? Its expensive but you wont save a much if you just watch for it to go on sale and stock up. Gas, diesel, kero are all about $4 a gallon and those are the cheapest alternatives, the others are more. A gallon (4 bottles) of charcoal lighting fluid is about $10 a gallon on sale, so what you going to save in a year, $10 tops for a heavy grill user? Just throwing it out there, I mixed my own starting fluid when I had a manual lighting pellet stove and that was worth the messing around but for grilling, I dont think it would be worth the effort.

Daryl in PA · Jun 28, 2014

(quoted from post at 16:05:13 06/28/14) Years ago, people cooked in the house & crapped outside. Now it is the other way around!

Now thats funny!!

Mark - IN. · Jun 28, 2014

Well, two things are for sure. Home Depot has two 20 lb bags of Kingsford charcol on sale this weekend for $9.98...for two. I stocked up. Then tonight I saw a Lowes commercial, same deal.

You need to stock up. What are you waiting for?

Mark

OT--Outdoor Grilling

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