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Well, you asked for it. Here, Smoky answers the most commonly asked questions. He is direct, honest and offers an insight into the time proven techniques to preparing great barbecue that is unavailable elsewhere. If you are unable to locate the exact answer you are seeking, feel free to contact him directly and ask!
He returns all questions . . . . . . .
Topic: Spraying on a kind of lighter fluid . . . .
From: Karl,
Subject: Re: Charcoal Starters
Hi,
Here in Sweden we generally use charcoal grills, starting the fire by spraying on a kind of lighter fluid, which can be dangerous. Recently I heard from a friend coming back from America that there is a better way - charcoal that's been "impregnated" with some lighter fluid. This is definitely not available in our country, but I would like to change that. Do you know any brand names, suppliers etc?
Yours sincerely,
Karl Tellander
Hi Karl,
How wise you are. But you would be wiser still to avoid the impregnated charcoal - unless you enjoy the smell of kerosene burning.
You are probably a city dweller and don't have ready access to my favorite fire starter. I collect small limbs and twigs which have fallen from oak and hickory trees, make a fist size pile, add some charcoal and one match does the trick. Another of my favorite starters is trimmed fat. I cut the fat into small cubes, melt it down to a liquid, then pour it into a flat pan. When it hardens, I cut it into 1" cubes and refrigerate. To use, place a layer of charcoal, a few shreds of paper, then the fat. Add charcoal to circle the fat and ignite the paper. The fat will begin to melt and ignite with good results.
Alcohol is a safe, odorless starter. It works best if you soak a couple of briquettes rather well, pile the others on, then light. If you just spray it on, too much evaporates or is burned without bring the charcoal to ignition temperature.
Eight or ten years ago, a product made in Sweden or Denmark was imported to the US as a charcoal starter. It was a 1" cube of soft white material that ignited easily and produced no odor. It is my understanding that the import rights were bought by a company who killed the product here. It would be a worthwhile project for you to look around to find the manufacturer. If you do, please let me know.
Luck,
Smoky |
