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THE CHARCOAL CHIMNEY, ONE OF OUTDOOR COOKING’S BEST KEPT SECRETS(Or why are you still using lighter fluid!)The charcoal chimney is one of our favorite tools, used to start the charcoal for the grill. Not only do we use ours to get our charcoal started when we are camping, but we also use it whenever we need charcoal at home. If you are like most campers, you will want to eat on your campout, and many times the cooking is done over the charcoal grill or with a Dutch oven. Isn’t that part of the fun of camping? At some point in time you will most likely need to get your charcoal started. You can do like many folks do, about 45 minutes before getting ready to start dinner, send the cook over to start the charcoal. Or, you can use a charcoal chimney. It is the best way for you to get your charcoal burning quickly, with the added bonus of not having to use any lighter fluid. Save money and cook your food without that lighter fluid taste or smell…what more could you ask for!!! CHARCOAL AND YOU-IT DOESN’T GET ANY EASIER THAN THIS!The chimney is made out of an aluminum or stainless steel cylinder. Using newspaper on the bottom, the cylindrical shape creates a “chimney” effect to light the charcoal briquettes, getting them burning both quickly AND evenly. There are many commercial models available…these usually run in the $10-15 range and up, with some well over $40, but we use a homemade charcoal chimney…very simple to make from a large coffee can (the one that holds coffee grounds) or #10-size fruit or vegetable can, and it works just as well as the commercially-made model.
HEADLINE GOING COMMERCIALThe biggest difference between a commercially-made charcoal starter chimney and a homemade one is the handle. The store-bought charcoal starter chimney usually has some type of a formed handle, wood or metal...insulated, to be able to pick up and turn the hot chimney over and dump out the coals into the bottom of the grill. They also have some sort of ventilation system (holes) built in towards the bottom with a grate placed within the cylinder so the air will circulate and the coals will start easily. One of the disadvantages of this system, however, is that you will have to pick up the chimney and turn it over to dump out the hot briquettes. Out of the commercially-made charcoal briquette starters, the one that rises to the top is the Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter. It holds a large quantity of briquettes and gets your charcoal going quickly. This charcoal chimney runs about $15. The way to use both the commercial and homemade chimneys is the same.
YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN CHARCOAL STARTER CHIMNEY TOOOn the other hand, our homemade charcoal chimney has lasted for several years with very frequent use. Not bad for an investment that didn’t cost us anything (we drink coffee anyway, even though we have to use a different brand to get the can!)…the ultimate type of cheap camping equipment. Yes, it is a bit rusted at this point, but when the time comes to get a new one, it is very cheap to replace! Ours doesn’t have a handle, so instead of picking up the hot chimney to dump it over, we use tongs to pull the chimney straight up and the coals just dump out naturally from the bottom. Then we use the tongs to spread the coals in the grill. You can also use the tongs to pick up the hot coals individually to put on and under the Dutch oven if that is what we are cooking with. In the past, we used to use a church-key type can opener to put ventilation holes along the bottom of the can, but over the years we have learned to use elevate the can on a few of the charcoal briquettes and this provides plenty of ventilation. With this method the coals will be ready to use in about 20 minutes. Sound interesting? The links below will take you to pages with step-by-step instructions on how to make a charcoal chimney, as well as how to safely use one. Most people who try our charcoal chimney wonder why they have never seen this method before. And most people who try this method of starting their charcoal never go back to starting it with lighter fluid again. So what are you waiting for? Your grill is only 20 minutes away from ready!
Do you want to make your own Charcoal Chimney??....Click to learn how
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