Lighting a BBQ naturally

[Paul W]

BBQ season is here again.

Of course it would be much better to get out and light a real fire and have a proper slow barbecue, can't always do this though and sometimes it has to be my cheap stand up steel grill type with charcoal briskets in the paved backyard.

So I'm just wondering if there is any practical way of lighting it without using the solid paraffin firelighters or meths and so on but something natural instead?

I was thinking pine pitch might work, but then again that contains turps so is technically cheating.

 

[Mesquite]

One of these with a load of birch bark for tinder and lumpwood charcoal would be pretty natural

 

[Bumbler]

We never use any artificial fire starters. My wife used to make the char coal her self back in Thailand, but that's another story. Anyway they do a lot of barbecuing in that country. And she has always started the barbecue simply by starting a small fire of sticks on top of the char coal. We keep a plastic shopping bag full of dry kindling for the purpose. Most of that is leftovers from my whitling projects.

 

[British Red]

I go the other way Bumbler - start a small fire with straw and twigs (you can flint and steel the straw bundle if you like), then build up to inch thick sticks, build a charcoal pyramid of lumpwood around the small fire, let the sticks burn down and the charcoal is alight.

 

[santaman2000]

I have two methods I routinely use:

1. Instead of parafin based starter fluids use ordinary cooking oil such as veg oil or meat grease.

2. a comercially available starter chimney such as these www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=chimney+charcoal+starter you stuff crumpled newspaper in the bottom then charcoal on top and light the paper. It also helps if you use a little cooking oil on the paper.

 

[Shewie]

I use scrunched up newspaper and then build a fire up on the top, once it's established I build up the lumpwood charcoal on top.

I used to use twigs and logs from almond trees when we flitted to Portugal for a while, it's amazing what difference it makes to the taste of the food, especially fish.

The instant lighting blocks and gels contain nasties I don't want in my food

 

[rancid badger]

Why not just light a bit of charcloth with a flint and steel, transfer the ember to a piece of charcoal, blow it till its got a good ember, then simply place the lump in the BBQ, and add more charcoal?

It works quite well, if rather slowly but short of lighting it with a fire drill set up or maybe iron pyrites you wont get much more natural.

If I'm cremating meat etc at home, I often go totally off topic and use a hot air gun! Extremely effective, as well as spectacular.

Cheers and good luck

Steve

 

[Zingmo]

Pine cones work well.

Z

 

[mountainm]

Char cloth is no more natural than cotton wool and petroleum jelly?

 

[Robbi]

i use one of these

 

[Teepee]

This birch bark set up over a bed of sticks will be roaring in 30 seconds and lights it very well. Smells great too.

 

[shaggystu]

Blow torch to start it off and then a hot air gun to get it all nicely established..........but the charcoal is homemade, how natural do you want?!

 

[wingstoo]

Piezo ignitor when the gas starts coming through, quick, simple and cheap

 

[rik_uk3]

I'm old fashioned, I use half a pint of paraffin.

 

[rickyamos]

I use an old catering bean can with top and bottom cut off fill with charcoal and set light to a fire lighter in the bottom, once going pull off tin with tongs and pile brickets on top as they burn longer

 

[rancid badger]

Char cloth is no more natural than cotton wool and petroleum jelly?

I'd like to see you make petroleum jelly (or cotton wool for that matter), in your back garden but I do see your point

 

[mountainm]

I'd like to see you make petroleum jelly (or cotton wool for that matter), in your back garden but I do see your point

Go on then. Weave some back garden cloth. Then char it

 

[rancid badger]

Oh well, er............well of course, I'd be happy to give it a go.....er................but it's really very windy here at the moment

Mind you, you've got me thinking now:bluThinki

It really is blowing a hooligan here by the way

cheers

Steve

 

[John Fenna]

Go on then. Weave some back garden cloth. Then char it

Although I have yet to do that it is quite possible to achieve - grow your own flax, ret it, weave a bit of linen and char it ... no biggy
However refining oil and making petroleum jelly, growing cotton in Britain for the balls ... a bit more difficult.... probably easier to make char cloth...

If you make your charcloth out of recycled clothing you are still probably being greener than using Vas ... if not more natural

 

[mountainm]

Although I have yet to do that it is quite possible to achieve - grow your own flax, ret it, weave a bit of linen and char it ... no biggy
However refining oil and making petroleum jelly, growing cotton in Britain for the balls ... a bit more difficult.... probably easier to make char cloth...

If you make your charcloth out of recycled clothing you are still probably being greener than using Vas ... if not more natural

So to make the char cloth you have to make a fire... Which you could use to start your bbq.