Starting the fire..

[A.O.]

So what do you guys use to start your fires? Lots of stuff out there for the purpose , electric, starter squares, lighter fluid (Big no no) and my new favorite a propane torch..

 

I've been using lighter fluid for years in my charcoal grills and even my big smoker but everything says not to in one of these Kamados.. I bought my kamado Joe and all I had here was the fluid, I had ordered the squares but they had not arrived yet so I needed to figure out how to light it. Got my self igniting propane torch out of the garage and gave it a shot.. it worked great! Light one place or 2-3 and it does a stellar job.  Got my box of starter cubes the other day but not sure I will ever use them, the  propane torch just works too well.

[willys1]

Cotton balls soaked in 90% alcohol.  I use 1 cotton ball in the middle for low and slow and 2 or 3 spread out for a hot fire. Light up and walk away. They have yet to go out without getting my lump going under any conditions.  200 balls and a bottle of alcohol is less than $5 which equates to 100 or so cooks. 

[dman]

1 hour ago, willys1 said:

Cotton balls soaked in 90% alcohol.  I use 1 cotton ball in the middle for low and slow and 2 or 3 spread out for a hot fire. Light up and walk away. They have yet to go out without getting my lump going under any conditions.  200 balls and a bottle of alcohol is less than $5 which equates to 100 or so cooks. 

Exactly what I do! Of course I use my propane torch to light it just cuz I have it.

[len440]

I've used cotton balls lighter squares and a blow torch they all work good. The lighter fluid is a no no due to the burning fluid giving off gas and petroleum by products that can be absorbed by the ceramics in the grill. There is no set way to light the grill we all have our favorite way of doing it. That's why there are so many BBQ sauces in the stores. 

[BURGER MEISTER]

For years I lit my Weber kettles with my propane torch like that.  Then my last Weber kettle that burnt out on me had a propane igniter built in, so I removed it and made a bracket that would slide into the bottom vent and sit right under the charcoal basket of both Joe's.  60 seconds, remove and set the vents and wait for the desired temp.  I like to repurpose things if possible.

[A.O.]

17 minutes ago, len440 said:

I've used cotton balls lighter squares and a blow torch they all work good. The lighter fluid is a no no due to the burning fluid giving off gas and petroleum by products that can be absorbed by the ceramics in the grill. There is no set way to light the grill we all have our favorite way of doing it. That's why there are so many BBQ sauces in the stores. 

They use BBQ sauces to light thier grills??

[Ricorocks]

Torch target small, med or lg coals (several areas)?  Seems like holding torch, to a coal glows red, remove torch, not red.  This will burn?
If so no more squares. 

 

Thanks

[A.O.]

20 minutes ago, Ricorocks said:

Torch target small, med or lg coals (several areas)?  Seems like holding torch, to a coal glows red, remove torch, not red.  This will burn?
If so no more squares. 

 

Thanks

Slow cook, I do it one place in the middle, hotter cook 2or3 places. I target the smaller coals. sometimes it looks like its not doing anything, I just hold my hand close to see if I feel heat. And remember I'm new at this whole Kamado thing but this works for me.

If you are new also go here  Getting to Know Your Joe: Video Series - Kamado Joe - Kamado Guru  A ton of good info!

[Ricorocks]

Thanks A.O.  Slow cook presume you have wood chunks, at bottom of the heap & coal on top.

 

Not sure but run this by!  Slow cook with deflectors positioned like a "pizza slice" regardless of thermometer temp, wait till dome, touching is warm, then adj temp.  Hotter cooks same, wait till heat when touching dome, then adj for temp.

 

Not sure but run this by!  Hot cook gradual cooling, till closing all vents, less stress on ceramics?

[A.O.]

1 minute ago, Ricorocks said:

Thanks A.O.  Slow cook presume you have wood chunks, at bottom of the heap & coal on top.

 

Not sure but run this by!  Slow cook with deflectors positioned like a "pizza slice" regardless of thermometer temp, wait till dome, touching is warm, then adj temp.  Hotter cooks same, wait till heat when touching dome, then adj for temp.

 

Not sure but run this by!  Hot cook gradual cooling, till closing all vents, less stress on ceramics?

Coal on bottom wood chunks on top ,for me anyway.

Not sure what you mean by "deflectors positioned like pizza slice" 

When I shut mine down I close just the bottom for a bit to extinguish the fire with the top still open to let some heat out then close my top.

 

[len440]

22 hours ago, A.O. said:

They use BBQ sauces to light thier grills??

Hmmmm glad someone else has my strange sense of humor

[Ricorocks]

@A.O.  Pizza sliced for like triangle for deflectors

 

See:  at 2:37 mentions deflectors opened like Pizza with one piece missing, for warming the dome, for low & slow

deflectors apart, heat to dome, warm, deflectors back to normal, then adj temp

[A.O.]

3 hours ago, Ricorocks said:

@A.O.  Pizza sliced for like triangle for deflectors

 

See:  at 2:37 mentions deflectors opened like Pizza with one piece missing, for warming the dome, for low & slow

deflectors apart, heat to dome, warm, deflectors back to normal, then adj temp

  Seems to me that would be trying to heat the dome faster than it should be...

[Ricorocks]

Perhaps!  If deflectors are in place as normal; below deflectors will heat up quickly, while dome is still cool to the touch.

Resulting in yo yo, and not necessary adj.  This could be easily accomplished, by reaching smoking temp without, deflector

(no pizza) then inserting deflectors (whole pizza).

 

I'm just guessing as to SmokingDads, reasoning

 

Also perhaps  NOT doing (dome warm up), when thermometer reaches 250F dome, the lower portion (below deflectors) would be much hotter, than the dome.  The yo yo thermometer & cook, try to adjust, while, upper & lower have, equalize temps.

 

Or deflectors in place, dome only gets radiant heat, while lower potion gets all three heat sources.  Radiant heat is slower to warm, than radiant+convection+conduction.

 

I'm swimming in deep water hear, & perhaps need to be rescued!  Help!

 

 

 

[A.O.]

Again, I am new with this whole Kamado thing but have yet to witness this "yo-yo" thing he talks about. I slowly bring mine up to temperature and it stabilizes and sits right there at temp till I adjust the vents if I want to change the temp. Maybe its just a problem that guy created by trying to warm the dome too fast.

 

Everybody on You tube is not always correct you know.... try something different maybe.