Blaze Ball

[STEbbq]

This is actually quite an interesting product and I can see the utility.

What says the Pit?

https://smokeware.com/products/blazaball

[LA Pork Butt]

I have seen it, and it has looked inviting for starting my BGE, but I didn’t want to pay for the tumble weeds which I thought were quite expensive. A propane torch can get the fire started quickly. Also, if you have electric handy a cheap hair dryer can speed things up once the fire has started.

[Smoker_Boy]

That's why I bought a Bison Airlighter.

[58limited]

I buy 100 packs of the tumbleweeds on Amazon for about $20.00

[LA Pork Butt]

58limited Dave, I could only find 100 at $17 on a limited time offer but the others seemed more pricey. Is that your favorite method for lighting your Kamados?

[Jerod Broussard]

I totally dig the strategically placed air pockets.

[Bkhuna]

I'm not buying it unless they change it to tactically placed air pockets.

[realdocBBQ]

So true... sooooo true!

[Duanessmokedmeats]

No problems with my Weber cubes, so far.

[STEbbq]

Well, I bought one off eBay for $16 shipped. I think it could be pretty useful for starting smaller fires in the BGE and PK for low and slow. The wind at the end of the driveway is constantly nuts and I have no windbreak. We will see! Hopefully not one of my silly purchases!

It’s probably important to note I gave away my Weber chimney when I sold my Weber maybe five years ago. I don’t want to light chimneys of charcoal most days.

[RlsRls]

I use chimneys all the time in my PK, Especially for hot and fast cooks. I guess I'm just impatient! How do you start your fires for different cooks?

[STEbbq]

RlsRls Firestarters placed in charcoal. For low and slow, usually I do one or two for the kamado either in the SNS or nested in the charcoal. Similar approach for the PK. For hot and fast, I usually light three our four with the vents wide open. As I have noted, wind is an issue.

[RickyBobby]

It looks cool, but honestly, I’ve never had a tumbleweed go out on me when I just stuff it in the fuel of the day. Also, then I have another hot metal cage that I need to do something with once I pull it out of the coals. I’ll be curious to hear how you like it though!

[STEbbq]

It seems like most everyone just leaves it in there for the full cook.

[STEbbq]

RlsRls

Particularly for the BGE I prefer to start smaller fires to maintain better control of the temp and conserve charcoal. I try to bury the firestarters in the charcoal but usually the charcoal will cover up the firestarters and somewhat snuff it out. I don’t have a fan to control temp. When starting fires in the kamado, wind is less of issue as the firestarters are buried with the smoker. When I use the BGE SlowNSear being at grate level, wind is a larger problem and they are snuffed out. There is a similar issue with the PK as the coals are closer to grate level and therefore wind.

Could I use a chimney? Yeah. But then I am starting a larger fire which would be problematic maybe for the kamado and I am not sure it will solve for the wind sitting at grate level.

[RlsRls]

As I mentioned above , I use a chimney almost exclusively because, A. You don't have to fill it to the brim if you feel it will create too much heat for your cook. B. You can also dump a full load of coals when the chimney is only 1/3 or 1/2 lit to help control temp as well. One tumbleweed or fire starter is all it takes!

[Huskee]

My first honest opinion is it looks like overkill, a solution in search of a problem. The only time I've ever had trouble with fire starters going out is when I've used the flat graham cracker-style starters, if I lay them flat by themselves, they tend to go out in the first 10 seconds of lighting them, but once they take they're good to go. The other more three-dimensional ones, like Weber cubes and Tumbleweed style ones, never an issue. That said, certainly nothing wrong with playing with fire! I would probably pass on this myself though, but your situation is different from mine and I look forward to your thoughts if you get it and play with it.

[STEbbq]

Yeah, I am not sure if it is the Melt ones or not. But they will get going and then just are snuffed out without lit charcoal. I bought the Rutland ones just now which are larger and less crumbly and I felt more successful at lighting charcoal.

[STEbbq]

$16 shipped isn’t bad for something fun.

[N227GB]

I use Rutland starters; they work great here in the sub-tropics.

[FireMan]

Who all here is havin a big Ol problem startin a fire? I mean this here is The Pit fer crankin a Ford! I have not had a problem unless it has been somebody’s strange to me gasser that they haven’t used in awhile.

[Oak Smoke]

It doesn’t solve a problem that I have. Years ago I learned right here in the Pit how to build a lump pile and light a fire.

[hoovarmin]

It's pretty cool, but a Benzomatic torch is cooler.

[Spinaker]

No question. I use mine all the time.

[STEbbq]

First use was pretty successful. The two firestarters in the FOGO ball completely burnt up while others outside the ball did not. More experiments required but it seems
handy.