4 ms·

> there are plenty of backyard barbecuers that would rather do their grilling over hot coals, specifically charcoal briquets. Better yet, lump charcoal. My ka

• aidenn0 3y ago
  It seems that if what you're cooking tastes of lighter fluid, perhaps that's because you're using too much lighter fluid? Unless you are talking about briquettes that contain a petroleum-derived accelerant, in which case I can only point you to the ones that do not.
  • dylan604 3y ago
    the use of any fluid is not necessary and is absolutely out of convenience or ignorance of better methods. a sibling comment mentioned a charcoal chimney. like many, i grew up watching the grill get started with using lighter fluid, so it was taught without explicitly being taught so it is something most people never see. i've since switched to solid wood chunks instead of charcoal. my backyard provides me plenty of kindling, and i find the wood chunks easier to start that way
    • aidenn0 3y ago
      Right, my point was that lighter fluid choice is orthogonal to briquette vs lump charcoal. I'll also second (third?) the chimney suggestion; they get the charcoal hot so quickly without fluid.
  • bigstrat2003 3y ago
    Or not letting it burn off, or something. I occasionally use lighter fluid (despite owning a chimney starter) because it's just plain fun. It makes my inner cave man cackle with glee because I made fire! When I do use it, I practically drown my briquettes in the stuff so as to get a nice big FWOOSH, but I've never ever had it affect the taste of my food.
• whateveracct 3y ago
  No reason to use lighter fluid with briquettes. All you need is a chimney and some sort of fire starter (newsprint works and you can buy little bundles that burn like nuts and start the coals every time).
  • albertsondev 3y ago
    My favorite is to cover a wadded-up paper towel or two with a splash (or spritz, in my case) of vegetable oil. Dirt cheap, using things I already keep stocked in quantity in my kitchen, and even more reliable than those crappy $10/pack starter blocks. Definitely want to find a similarly cheap source of actual pure charcoal, though.
    • MostlyStable 3y ago
      I use egg cartons, newspaper/packing paper, and paraffin wax to make homemade starter cubes. It's cheap as dirt since the only thing you have to buy is the wax which is very inexpensive, and extremely effective. You basically just wad up the paper into the egg carton cups and pour enough wax to hold it together (althernatively you can dip the wadded up paper in the wax then stick it in the cups before it solidifies). Cut a carton cup out of the carton, place it under the chimney, light it, and let it g.
      • albertsondev 3y ago
        We go through... a lot of eggs in this house, and I have other uses for waxes as well (such as waterproofing, candlemaking, and sealing wine bottles). This is genius, I'm stealing it. ...or so I'd like to say, practically speaking the minimal prep work of "grease a wadge of paper towel and spark it" is more realistic for my degree of laziness.
    • whateveracct 3y ago
      Ah I never considered adding some cooking oil to my paper! I do like the pre-made ones because I live on a windy hill so the fact that they are overkill helps them not go out while lighting.