What is Reddit's opinion of
Rapidfire Chimney Starter?
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24 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
I "cheat" and use a charcoal chimney to light a couple small handfuls of hardwood charcoal, and then pour the hot charcoal into my firepot and cover with coke / coal. Turn on the blower, and wait a few minutes for the coals / coke fully light (no more nasty colored smoke).
I used this chimney, filled to the level of the top of the three holes on the side (so about 50%?). Then poured them over the basket, which was probably 2/3 full of unlit charcoal. How much should I have used?
The other thing to make are Charcoal Chimneys. I use metal coffee cans and save some more money there. You just need some holes on the bottom side of the coffee can. I use a tongue and groove pliers to empty the can.
What sort of smoker do you have? A lot of advice will depend on what rig you are working with.
In any case, www.amazingribs.com should be your first stop. It has fantastic write ups for just about every sort of meat or technique you could hope for.
As for your three requests:
Fuel: Kingsford Briquettes are my favorite (and the go-to for many competition cooks). They are reliable, easy to find and burn consistently. Some folks prefer lump charcoal because it is more natural and imparts a nice taste, however I have found that it burns hotter and is prone temperature fluctuations. The one cardinal rule with fuel, though, is do not use match-light instant briquettes. If you're worried about lighting finicky briquettes, buy a chimney starter. They are cheap and it will quickly become your favorite tool.
Chips: In general, the wood you use should be from some sort of fruit bearing tree (i.e. cherry, apple, peach, orange, pecan). Of course, there are non-fruit bearing trees that produce tasty smoke (mesquite immediately comes to mind). The next choice before you is whether you want to use wood chips or larger chunks. My preference is to use chunks because they burn slower thereby smoking the meat for a longer period. If you choose to use wood chips, which are generally more available, make sure you soak them for at least an hour before putting them on the fire to keep them from burning up too quickly.
Recipes: For now, my main suggestion would be to use Memphis Dust for just about anything, until you get the hang of what flavors you like.
Hope this helps!
18" WSM. It's a perfect size, makes great BBQ and it's fun to use and learn. The 18" is great because it's not too big or too small so he'll be able to use it for large cuts of meat like pork butt and brisket.
You'll also want to get him a charcoal chimney, Meat Thermometer, and some heat resistant gloves. And he'll be set - minus the charcoal and wood chunks.
I just have the standard Webber charcoal chimney.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WEOQV8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_VRx1FbJ6TXE6H
You should get him a chimney starter. They get all the coals burning evenly in about 10 min.
After watching a video I considered that, but went with a chimney firestarter instead. It's not so much a flamethrower as a blast furnace. Either way, have fun and enjoy.
One of these. It's so much easier to get charcoal started in one of these. https://www.amazon.com/Weber-7416-Rapidfire-Chimney-Starter/dp/B000WEOQV8
You want to concentrate the heat but not over cook the items you are trying to sear. If you're crafty, you might be able to fashion something like the chimney starter. The Weber model is one of the larger ones you can get. http://www.amazon.com/Weber-7416-Rapidfire-Chimney-Starter/dp/B000WEOQV8
You just need that metal cylinder that will sit safely somewhere. Any grill grate that will fit on top without toppling over will work. VERY hot and saves on charcoal too.
My local Asian store carries these but I just don't have room for another grill. http://importfood.com/dao_cooker.html Perfect for searing and use with a WOK.
I'd recommend the chimney and the fire starter cubes.
Collectively it's like $20, and they make life easy when you want to start the grill for a simple cook, or if you need to get some additional coals going on a long cook. (This wouldn't be normal since kamado grills hold temps forever... but for $20 it's nice to have the option of starting your coals outside the grill and adding them hot.... and since you're just now starting your BBQ life, there will be some... uhhmm... "learning opportunities" so why not have the proper tools on hand.)
> I don't know how to do a similar thing on the grill, because it seems like you have to use a constant temperature, rather than searing and then cooking at a lower temp for a while.
Nope. For steaks that are around or over 1 1/2 inches thick I tend to do a reverse sear. Comes out great each time.. since you are using Charcoal (I am sure it comes out the same way on gas, never tried it honestly) ill throw out what I do.
Usually I light up half a grate full of charcoals using my chimney starter (about 3/4th full on the Weber Chimney Starter) and then put the hot, ashed over coals on one side and then a pan for drippings on the other. I also let the grill cooking grate get up to temp so I usually close the lid, leaving the vents the bottom vent full open and then the top about 1/2 open away from the coals (so on the opposite side). This creates a hot as shit side for searing (direct heat), and then a cooler side (indirect heat) for slower cooking. Two zoned cooking ftw.
As for seasoning that is up to you. The two things I do recommend is either coat the steak with some type of oil to help with sticking if you don't have a pam spray (or something like that, it doesn't have to be pam but I don't know of alternatives other than store brand stuff) and salt / pepper. Otherwise do what you want.. Just make sure the steaks are at room temp (take them out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior, it helps get everything good at ready). I find it is a bit easier for cooking (the oil part), but I am sure someone will disagree with me.
So once the grill is at least 400F (I try not to go over 500F) I throw them on the side of the where there are no coals (indirect heat) until the internal temp is about 70-80F, then flip it. Buy a thermometer it will be worth every penny. Once you know the meat is at the 70-80F spot then flip it. Timing is going to be off, but I found it can take anywhere between 5-10 minutes each side.. reason I cant give you an exact time is due to grill temp / thickness and cut of the steak. I typically check around 5 minutes and then if its not at them recheck every 2-3 minutes afterwards depending on how close I am.
When you hit an internal temp of 125F (for medium rare) I then throw it over to the "third degree burn if I touch it side of the grill" (direct heat, where the coals are) and then wait about 1-2 minutes per side. I try to aim for a 3-4F increase per side before I flip, so my ending temp would be (roughly) 135F so I have a medium rare. I don't want it too red, but I find this to be the perfect in between (and my wife doesn't bitch about the "blood" coming out as much).
They usually come out awesome on the Weber kettle.. I am sure I could have found a nice article about this somewhere but eh, I do enjoy typing at 1:30AM in the morning :)
Side note
It is not that hard, trust me. It will take a little practice but with a timer (on your phone, for instance) and a good thermometer you will have a great steak and get use to the way the grill works quickly.
edit
its late.. I had to make grammar corrections so my sentences made sense.
Charcoal Chimney is your friend.
Use newspaper, paper towels with veg oil, or the weber starter cubes. Never need lighter fluid again.
You should be able to pick one up at your favorite big box store or local hardware store.
It's hard to go wrong with starting out with a Weber 22" Kettle.
It is an incredibly versatile piece of kit, and you can pretty much go in any direction you like with one. It's a world famous grill, with accessories ranging from a rotisserie to a Pizza Stone kit. There is also a smoker accessory, but you really don't need it to get started.
There are plenty of "how to" videos on YouTube to guide you in your first forays.
Stick to simple(r)/more forgiving cuts like a Boston Butt at first, then branch out as you learn more.
Buying a dedicated smoker is something to consider down the road once you've learned how to do it. You may find its too much trouble, or you may find that for the amount of food you're cooking, your trusty Weber Kettle is all you need.
If you want to go cheap, the Original Kettle is around $100.
I highly recommend getting the Weber Charcoal Chimney and a good digital thermometer that can read grill temp and meat temp simultaneously. That's really all you need to get started.
The plus side to going this route is you can also use it to grill burgers, steaks, chicken, etc. And if you decide you aren't really into smoking that much, you have a great grill that you can use for other things. If not, Weber grills are easily sold on CL and usually don't last very long for sale.
Honestly. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Weber-7416-Rapidfire-Chimney-Starter/dp/B000WEOQV8
The bottom most rack is probably where the coals go. If there is a bowl bellow that rack, it is to catch ash. Otherwise, there should be another bowl that goes well above that rack and below your meat racks where you will put water.
Also, and this is super important, before you cook anything in your smoker you have to light up at least 1 full chimney of coals and burn it in the smoker with all the vent 100% open and no water in the water bowl (but with the water bowl in place). This burns off chemicals from manufacturing process.
Although your smoker is not a Weber, it is the same style. http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ This website is where I learned literally everything I know about smoking as well as where I get most of my recipes.
Edit: I read your post again and I'm pretty sure I get what you are saying. The coal goes in the bowl on top of the rack which is also in the bowl :P. The rack is there for the coal to burn evenly by allowing air to flow under the coals, otherwise the area where the coal is touching the bowl will be black and won't burn right. With this type of smoking you will likely want chunks of wood, not wood chips. Sometimes chunks can be hard to find as markets don't carry them. You can get them online or at stores that specialize in bbq. Hardware stores that sell bbqs may have them too.
If you don't want to buy a chimney (I highly recommend buying it) you will have to pile your coals in the coal receptacle in a pyramid shape and pour lighter fluid on top of it. Let it soak for 5 minutes, then light it and wait. Might help to have a big flat object to fan the coals with after a couple minutes. Do this with the entire top half of the smoker off of the bottom half!!! When coals are ready, assemble smoker carefully.
I got a gas/charcoal combo grill like this model. It's held up great for me, I can do meats on the charcoal side to get that smokey flavor, and do the veggies on the gas side in a grill pan. I also picked up a charcoal chimney which happens to fit perfectly over the side gas burner, so I don't need to fuss with newspaper. Takes me about 20 minutes to have a food ready grill.
I've never used a PK, but I've heard nothing but good things. They follow a similar design to the Weber, the materials are good, the design is simple, and it grills things effectively. I'm sure you could do the two zone thing, and with some clever charcoal placement and a water basin you could probably get a decent smoke going on a PK as well. And if your list of grills to decide from is as follows:
-- Weber Kettle (get the one with the removable ash catcher, it makes life better)
-- PK
-- Akorn
You're going to have a damned hard time making a bad decision. I think for all around ease the Akorn is probably the best of the 3, but you're debating amongst all stars here. And honestly the only must have accessories are as follows:
Lighter fluid? I would change that out for a chimney starter. The chimney starter will get the coals going without the lighter fluid taste.
Wood chips/hunks will depend on what you are smoking, and what kinda smoker chips/chunks.
As for welding gloves they are great for the fire, I use these to handle the food.
I have / use a maverick ET732 and a maverick ET-73
The most important thing you need to remember about BBQ, is to have fun, enjoy the company of your friends and family, and make good food, that is what it is all about the equipment is way down the list of all of that.
Oh my goodness, you HAVE to try Alton Brown's method for grilling steaks! Here are the written instructions. They used to have the video on YouTube, but pulled it. I think it may be on Netflix...look up Good Eats - Porterhouse Rules. It explains everything extremely well.
Basically, you get a nice thick porterhouse steak. Season it with kosher salt. Let it come to room temp. Get one of those chimney starters but make sure it's got a diameter big enough to cover your steak completely! Fill it with charcoal, light it up and wait for the coals to get red hot. Put your steak on a grate and put the starter right on top of it for 90 seconds. Flip the steak, replace the starter and sear the other side for 90 seconds. Then, put the grate on top of the starter, cover it with a metal bowl, and leave it for 60 seconds. Flip and cook for an additional 60 seconds. Remove from heat, cover it with foil and LET IT REST FOR FIVE MINUTES!! (that's the hard part) Then, enjoy the best steak you've ever cooked in your life. Mmmmm, my mouth is watering as I'm typing this...brb, gotta go to Costco....
The Platinum has a heavier, sturdier frame, thermometer in the lid and two side tables with tool hangers. I love mine. The side tables alone are worth the extra money.
As for the trays, this is what they look like. They are just a neat and contained way to hold the coals. I only use one if I have space constraints, but usually two if I am smoking and have room. For regular grilling I normally don't use the trays.
WSM for sure then! As far as accessories, a good fire chimney starter(you can get these at local hardware store) is a MUST!
I would also recommend a some cheap gloves, make sure you put latex gloves over these to keep them clean. These are great for just picking up your smoked meats without having to deal with burning your hands.
Rib Rack, this is great for the 18'' WSM, you can fit a heck of a lot more full slabs this way. It also acts as a great chicken roasting rack.
And for when you perfect your own rub, a seasoning shaker, though you could just recycle an old plastic spice container.
For wood, I would Chunk wood, a good Apple or Hickory wood are great! Avoid insta-light charcoal, this stuff is nasty.
Si no quiere batallar para prender el carbón pueden probar esta alternativa:
Weber 7416 Rapidfire Chimney Starter https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B000WEOQV8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ULYfBbXK04JSX
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