Thanks guys! I usually don't mind waiting the 20 to 25 minutes for a chimney, however at 5 am getting a head start is always good. Plus I like the idea of being able to possibly applying it late in a cook if I don't think I want to add more fuel for an hour so so. I know that last part is a BIG assumption.
Does everybody's chimney get their coals ready in 20-25 mins? I feel like sometimes mine takes upwards of 30 to get a full load completely ready. Maybe I'm just waiting too long, but if the BBQ dragon speeds that up I'm all about it.
You can, but my rationale in not waiting that long is all that heat energy is being wasted into the air, the bottom layers of coals are nearly spent by the time you dump it if you wait too long. I usually only go about 15 then dump. Watch for the blue smoke to die down. That's your signal. depending on your humidity level and other scientific variables this should be about the 15 min mark, but watch for the smoke to clear/stop.
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