How do I control the smoke from a chimney starter?

How do I control the smoke from a chimney starter? - Smoke from chimneys of factory

I'm seasoning my new Weber Smoky Mountain smoker according to the excellent instructions, given for free, on Amazon, by a 20x BBQ grand champion. (What an amazing thing for this guy to do!)

Anyway, I'm using a Weber RapidFire chimney starter, and both times I've used it so far, it's completely filled the entire backyard with wood and paper smoke.

enter image description here

My upstairs neighbors sleep with their windows cracked when it's warmer (which is when I'll be BBQing), and so I'd really like to not smoke them out of their own bedrooms at 6 in the morning. Any advice for minimizing smoke when using a chimney starter?

There's some advice here about using only one sheet of newspaper doused with a bit of oil, but I don't know if that mitigates smoke.

barbecuecharcoal


Best Answer

First off, I'd cease using paper as your tinder. While it is the cheapest way to get your charcoal started, it does create a lot of smoke and ash flying around. And avoid oil-soaked paper. This will create even more smoke (I speak from experience).

I started using firestarter cubes, as they burn hotter and longer, meaning my coals are ready for cooking faster. Also, another side effect has been that the only smoke I see is from the charcoal itself. I started using the Weber ones, but they are expensive and don't burn as long. So I switched to a different fire lighter. You'll have to forgive me, as the name escapes me -- once I get home I'll edit this answer with a picture of the bag. Anyway, they're cheap, at about US$ 5-6 for a bag of 72. And they burn long, hot, and smoke-free.

The only remaining problem you'll have is that when charcoal begins igniting from a low starting temperature, it puts out quite a bit of smoke. If you are still worried about smoking your neighbors out, you will probably want to experiment with different brands and types. Stubbs briquettes are a bit less smoky on ignition, as is most lump charcoal. If you use lump, though, you should make sure you pack the charcoal ring in your WSM nice and tight, or it will burn very hot and fast. Also, put a piece of expanded steel on the charcoal grate to keep the small pieces of charcoal from falling through.



Pictures about "How do I control the smoke from a chimney starter?"

How do I control the smoke from a chimney starter? - From below of clouds of smoke from industrial factory pipes polluting atmosphere against cloudless sky
How do I control the smoke from a chimney starter? - Industrial chimneys on power plant platform under sky
How do I control the smoke from a chimney starter? - Smoke pipes near river and forest


Quick Answer about "How do I control the smoke from a chimney starter?"

If you use lump, though, you should make sure you pack the charcoal ring in your WSM nice and tight, or it will burn very hot and fast. Also, put a piece of expanded steel on the charcoal grate to keep the small pieces of charcoal from falling through.

How do you stop a chimney starter from smoking?

If you're using newspaper, try using oiled paper towels; much less smoke. Also, if you're using briquettes, try lump or all-natural briquettes, they tend to smoke less. As previously mentioned, the blow torch method works really well, but isn't quite light it and forget it.

When should I remove charcoal from my chimney starter?

If you wait for all of the charcoal at the top of the chimney to be fully ashed-over, much of the charcoal in the bottom of the chimney will be spent, so go ahead and dump the charcoal into your cooker when it looks as shown in the photo above.

What do you put in a charcoal chimney starter?

Don't put too many liquids: Excess smoking, which damages the amount of smokiness you were going for. You're going to have to go a little easier on the oiling and cut down on some of the fat from now on to make sure that your grill and coals aren't overwhelmed by the amount of liquids dripping onto them.


Tips For Using a Charcoal Chimney Starter



More answers regarding how do I control the smoke from a chimney starter?

Answer 2

I've had this problem for years, but i found the perfect solution:

  • Use a gas torche on the charcoal (i'm using a small gas torch dedicated to crème brulée, but any gas torch will do).
  • light the top of the chimney, not the bottom

Burning from the top, the black smoke is burnt by the flames and doesn't escape. The ignition of the full chimney doesn't take more time than the bottom up method.

Answer 3

Use alcohol (ethanol, meths, methylated spirits, rubbing alcohol depending where you live)) to start the charcoal

Fill a cup from a bottle of alcohol, and close the bottle. Slowly pour the cup over the charcoal, give it a few seconds to soak in, and flick a match at it

It will flare up about .5 m (2') so stand back. The flames will die down quickly, and will light the charcoal without any smoke

Remember to always close the alcohol bottle before starting the fire. Never pour from bottle onto a potential fire, Never add more alcohol to a fire that has already been lit, even if it goes out

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Kelly L, Ludvig Hedenborg, Kelly L, Kelly L

Related Questions