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Charcoal starting Cubes

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    Charcoal starting Cubes

    I am giving up on the Weber charcoal lighter cubes.

    This last box I got seem to not light the charcoal in my chimney as well and are impossible to remove from the plastic tray they are in.

    It seems that every year the plastic tray gets thinner and thinner and the cubes don’t light as well and don’t burn as long.

    The only pro pro I see with the Weber cubes are they are cheap.

    What do you all start your charcoal with?

    I mainly start charcoal in my Weber chimney or in the corner of my Slow n Sear with 10 pieces of charcoal loaded.

    Thanks

    #2
    I use the Weber starter cubes with no real issues. My only (small) gripe is that I wish when they pour the stuff into the trays, they would do it in such a way that there aren't thin edges sticking up that invariably break off and make a mess when you open them.

    Comment


    • LA Pork Butt
      LA Pork Butt commented
      Editing a comment
      Steve R. I agree with the mess. I deal with it all at once by popping them all out and storing them in an old clean mayo jar.

    • dwlacroix
      dwlacroix commented
      Editing a comment
      I'm not allowed to open them in the house!

    #3
    I no longer have to start charcoal ... but when I did, I had great luck with the Weber cubes by placing them on an old (empty) inverted tuna fish can under the chimney to move them closer to the briquettes. Always worked great.

    Edit: Forgot to mention that I found a pastry torch to be the best tool for lighting them ... especially on windy days.
    Last edited by MBMorgan; April 12, 2019, 02:20 PM.

    Comment


      #4
      I've recently been using these. Probably not as cost effective but they work well.

      Comment


      #5
      I haven't had any issues in terms of the function of them. Used them both under my chimney and for a handful coals in the SnS. However I agree with Steve R. about the mess. I have also used Tumble weeds, but they also make a mess.

      Comment


        #6
        Back when I was a charcoal burner, I was using newspaper.

        Is that a problem?

        Comment


        • Huskee
          Huskee commented
          Editing a comment
          Nothin' more modernly-natural than lighting a chimney with a wad of newspaper! I used to do that until the cons of lighting paper got the better of me.

        • Cheef
          Cheef commented
          Editing a comment
          I hate the ash newspaper leaves behind, and can't stand the smell.

        • JGrana
          JGrana commented
          Editing a comment
          I use newspaper as well - but with an Alton Brown twist. I put a little vegetable oil on the paper then crumble up and light.

        #7
        Originally posted by Potkettleblack View Post
        Back when I was a charcoal burner, I was using newspaper.

        Is that a problem?
        Like you, I’m no longer burning charcoal. If I were, newspaper would definitely be problematic as we only have digital subscriptions these days. Stoopid 21st century ...

        Comment


        • Steve R.
          Steve R. commented
          Editing a comment
          Those digital subscriptions are really tough to light.

        • Potkettleblack
          Potkettleblack commented
          Editing a comment
          As a resident of a major city, there are free newspapers to burn all day long... The Reader, the Red Eye... boxes and boxes of them, free for the looting.

        • Huskee
          Huskee commented
          Editing a comment
          No Buyer's Guide? Man, my wife would die if those stopped coming.

        #8
        How about using a piece of the charcoal bag? Tear a piece off and put a little vegetable oil on it. Let it soak in for a minute. I stole that trick from Mike Vrobel's rotisserie book.

        Comment


        • Huskee
          Huskee commented
          Editing a comment
          I used to use my Kingsford bags too, sans the oil. Those bags are 3 layers thick, and separating the layers and loosely balling them up makes a GREAT fire-starter in a chimney!

        • fkrall
          fkrall commented
          Editing a comment
          Neat trick, Huskee. But what do you do with all the loose charcoal that ends up in your garage?

        • HawkerXP
          HawkerXP commented
          Editing a comment
          +1 on using KBB bags.

        #9
        I used to us newspapers, but one particularly dry windy summer (and the fact that I live next door to a pine woods= dry needle layer on the ground) I grew nervous about the blowing ash. I switched to the Weber cubes. Love 'em

        Interesting to read about your troubles though.. I had one box a couple years ago that fit that description and I wondered if Weber was cheapening them.. Turns out it must've been just a bad run. I still use them and subsequent boxes have proven very lightable. I even showed my dad that I can light them with only a spark from an empty lighter, although it takes a few attempts.

        Don't give up on them completely, you may just have gotten a bad run. Some other things I've grown to love about them is they light when wet, and they can be cut in half and you can use a half one to light a full chimney. Hard to beat that kinda price, and no ash from newspapers if you're in a windy or dry environment.

        Comment


          #10
          I like the cubes and they work great for me. I just use one cube for the whole chimney and it works great. The packaging does kind of suck but I just open them all up at once and store them in a jar.

          Click image for larger version

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Views:	354
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ID:	663425


          Comment


          • Huskee
            Huskee commented
            Editing a comment
            Yes, the foil covered tray system sucks. I wish they came in a jar, but the slim line boxes fit well in the drawer I stash them in. I may copy your idea of a jar. I like it!

          • ssandy_561
            ssandy_561 commented
            Editing a comment
            That is a good idea. Deal with them for about 5 minutes once then easy peasy.

          • adamcoe
            adamcoe commented
            Editing a comment
            Came here to suggest exactly this. Get em all out of the package at once, clean up all the little flaky bits once, then you're good to go.

          #11
          I use a propane torch. It might be overkill but it is clean.

          Comment


          • Attjack
            Attjack commented
            Editing a comment
            I did too and keep one near the grill but the cubes are less work.
            Last edited by Attjack; April 12, 2019, 02:54 PM.

          • surfdog
            surfdog commented
            Editing a comment
            That's how I light my cubes. Wind is not an issue with that method.

          #12
          Weber should sell charcoal with the cubes inside the bag!

          Comment


          • Huskee
            Huskee commented
            Editing a comment
            Lol! As an aside, have you seen the tiny bags of Kingsford, where you're supposed to light the bag itself? I've used them several times when going non-rustic camping, and it works!! The bag burns and the charcoal lights, and all is well in the world for a single burger, steak, or hot dog cook.

          • Attjack
            Attjack commented
            Editing a comment
            No, but I recently saw a one time use grill.

            Last edited by Attjack; April 13, 2019, 12:00 AM.

          #13
          I take the Weber cubes to fish camp. They light bonfires SO nicely! I can't believe it took me a couple years of lighting camp fires like Les Stroud to realize a Weber cube would solve my problem with a single flick of the lighter! They burn 10+ minutes. My dad bought some other wooden biscuit things to try up at fish camp and we agreed the cubes are better, not to mention they're water resistant.

          Comment


            #14
            I enjoy using this stuff that's all over down by the river.

            Click image for larger version  Name:	GELM0QKi_RG4r-XHZyZxwse5tfSO-PfrDBRZ8mbEO3ImAnPUWDOO7iGMVlbMCHffGd6HpSlcQNSQLlykqcn0GnHP0zJRSqbHEegYrZMFTqKzTsi4oLc06KqSOYi-IC4jixxbklc1_BzqNeot45kLWS4FChUUWBNnK7I4mRVhNbH9f3lFsuRZ3vxgnT1fU1hUB3gnFV6qHV9WCmZ_RL8U0ALJG2YgStDfAtGWyysWTzUJIdwzjk85SQkY13HAJHS Views:	1 Size:	672.0 KB ID:	663451
            Works great even during the rainy season. The wind keeps them dry.

            Click image for larger version  Name:	G-NxtlLLHGCnfjeyfi-Ft7FrrFi1EgXs7kurLqHxbPL7jUEyZKAy-oY0pdk3SQFufaJXLYVDGjCQ7V6X5UmDokizB4X5wRA9uhTltwrX5PB3PWTL7qPEP1dIJNFU5sNb0YNOLi-1cvfML2R3JxEVbpUY_s2lM3yMatTCyvK_V3KGivjnmaiTYckE3Zrnqbc0Hxv3FFFV3En5pvWkmX1Uql74jQbptuEZZbz1U5cmisIspC6-7vZJvcTMcbMrRaR Views:	1 Size:	477.4 KB ID:	663452

            Comment


            • Attjack
              Attjack commented
              Editing a comment
              That's the Van Duzen river, Mudkat.

            • Mudkat
              Mudkat commented
              Editing a comment
              It looks like a cook about ready to happen!

            • Attjack
              Attjack commented
              Editing a comment
              Mudkat yeah, I burned that wood down to coals and cooked chicken satay, stuffed mushrooms, and sweet peppers filled with cheese pear preserves.

            #15
            Extra large cotton balls placed in a plastic container and saturated with 90% isopropyl (rubbing alcohol) is inexpensive and effective. I use two balls to light a Weber chimney of briquettes. Be careful, alcohol flames are invisible in sunlight.

            Comment


            • Cheef
              Cheef commented
              Editing a comment
              Another thanks for this one. Next on the will try list.

            • Mudkat
              Mudkat commented
              Editing a comment
              Welcome to the burning Pit!

            • Thunder77
              Thunder77 commented
              Editing a comment
              I use that method for lighting lump in my kamado. Works every time.

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