Well, with the Cray Twins working flat out, you lot can probably forecast nightfall with reasonable certainty these days.....;)

We keep our charcoal in a 7.5 litre steel drum with a seal-able lid; pop any left over lighter blocks on top; the fumes from the blocks seem to permeate into the charcoal and make it very easy to start.

That's exactly what you don't want. The petrochemical smell becomes a taste in the food, particularly if you're smoking meat.

Top tip - use plain old isopropyl alcohol for lighting fluid. Use a wood-resin firelight block, a couple of ounces of alcohol and a match/lighter. Leave alone for 5 minutes, some back to red coals. The alcohol creates only water, and the wood block just burns down into ash. No nasty smell, nothing to go bang (assuming you use a small amount of alcohol!)

Pine needles and cones for starters ............. nature's finest.

Get the grandchildren to collect, and keep for best part of a year.

Magic

[don't keep the grandchildren, return them to parents]

I've always found that industrial methylated spirit was a superb accelerant for lumpwood charcoal on the Weber. Pour on a reasonable amount, allow a couple of minutes to "inpregnate" a lighted match, and off we go. No residual aftertaste, a guarunteed start and as clean as it gets. And no need for brats !!!! Though Bratties might feature.

Smudge :ok:

Need to light charcoal without accelerant 'tainting' ... Gas is the answer :ok:

You need one of these ... available from most Garden Centres in the UK ... the Weed Wand :}

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...aL._SY355_.jpg

Heap your black stuff into a mound ... ignite the Weed Wand (striker provided on the handle) poke hot end in to charcoal heap and after a few mins ... Bob's your Uncle. Spread the embers out and you can then continue to use your pagan cooking technology to your hearts content :E

PS. The Weed Wand also makes a satisfying 'Thwack' sound when closing off the gas ... akin to a V1 running out of fuel (so I'm told).

BEagle ...

Do my eyes deceive me ... but are you trying to stuff poor old Fluffy Bunny in a microwave in that picture of yours ... shame on you :=:=:=:=

- no, she was being weighed. Place Teddyzwergkaninchen in bowl, then weigh. Release bunny, weigh bowl, subtract from first result.

I'm sure the weed wand actually makes a 'pouffe' sound when shut off.....which confirms all our suspicions about using the gas-faggotry of Satan's bottom breath.

Has it been a barbi' weekend in Blighty? I've been at a meeting in southern France; it was supposed to have been in Tarbes but had to be moved to an hotel in Lourdes. Which is a thoroughly wretched place with what seems like a year-round Hajj for left-footers....:uhoh:

ha ha ha...
 

"moved to an hotel in Lourdes"

:}:E:}:E:}:E:}:E:}:E:}:E

not many of us left doing "an hotel".

My opinion, Sir Beagle, has [despite your reflexive but feeble Met-baiting] gone up a notch.

Help yourself to a free Actual next time round!

Mr Beagle,

Happy to record a smashing afternoon with family in "pig atop hill" today around our charcoal loaded orb. A full Sunday roast, vegetables, and even a Rhubarb crumble and custard were enjoyed (though SWMBO insisted on producing the custard in her gas thingy). A very pleasant day, hope you enjoyed your "pilgrimage" :rolleyes:

Smudge :ok:

I have seen the dark side and it is not pleasant. Just returned to the fold with the acquisition of a gleaming new three legged dome of awesomeness. I must have been under the influence of the heat of the Arabian sand pit when I bought a gas Weber a couple of years ago, and I have paid the price in self loathing and profound frustration at its irredeemable ****eyness.

Her indoors insisted on a coloured example so we have a lush green behemoth with the lid support thingy and the removable saucepan type catcher of ash at the bottom. Had a go at effects of control straight away and had to debrief myself for poor preparation. Must remember to allow charcoal to die back a bit before attempting to nuke sausages etc. Get longer tongs, and have cold beers at the ready, always.

Also bought a chimney starter device and gazed in wonder at the humungous jet of flame attempting to set light to the 20 foot high tree immediately above it.

I am a born again Weber aficionado and it feels good to be back. A salutary lesson to anyone thinking of dabbling with the satanic vile puny over complicated trash that is gas cooking.

Would appreciate the customary advice on lumpwood V briquettes. Now that winter is upon us and the killer humidity is on the wane, I'm ready to log as much stick time as possible.

PS. Would have posted a pic of the behemoth taking shape but I am refused permission to add attachments. Apparently.

After today it's purely an academic question as to which fuel, charcoal or gas, is best ... by 2025, one will only need to offer up one's steak in the general direction of Hinkley Point and it will be cooked almost instantly ... along with the rest of the population :uhoh:

I always go for lumpwood, one never quite knows what goes into the briquettes ........ :eek:

As winter draws on, the mind concentrates on the Teetering Towers Christmas BBQ Turkey (now a tradition).

See my post 1327 on page 67 for my first effort 2 years ago - for this year I have acquired an "extension" for the black orb (sort of a metal ring which raises the lid) - which should allow the Turk to sit upright a la "beercan-up-the-bum" routine.

Stand by for further pix come St Stephen's Day.......

Edited to add:

Pix (not mine) of the "extension":

http://www.barbecuestacker.com/img/D...rill_small.jpg http://www.barbecuestacker.com/img/B...cken_small.jpg

BLOGGSONE, how reassuring it is to read that those tempted by vile, unnatural practices can be successfully cured and rehabilitated from such deviance!

Lumpwood is preferable, but briquettes provide a more consistent burn - but they don't really add to flavour. Either are clearly better than that awful breath of Satan's backside though.

teeteringhead, the bum and thighs of that turkey bear a striking - and horrific - resemblance to a person-formerly-known-as-WRAF officer who served at BZN in the mid-1980s :eek: 'BFA' for those in the know..... Once greeted by the late RFK with the words "With an ar$e like that, you must pack a mean fart!". "What did you say?", she replied, to which he repeated his earlier comment only rather louder...:ok:

RIP, RFK.

Beagle, that is another keyboard you owe me!!

I think my bbq weather has gone for this year. Time to clean up, wrap up and store for a few months. Mind you, I'll be deploying again shortly, so there may be some opportunities before the wonderful British Spring.

The turkey only needs the newspaper to look like he's perfectly at home on the throne, a moment of quality time captured ... I must get an extension, will be checking the Weber web site for details.

Why didn't I think of this before?

As to lump wood, I find that if I build a base of briquettes, and then add a half dozen lumps of presoaked mesquite or hickory, I get a nice flavoring from the wood and the more or less even burn.

We did pork tenderloin, steel head trout, and chicken on the Weber last weekend with soaked Mesauite. Added a bit more clove and paprika to the rub for the pork this time ... got rave reviews from Lady Wolf and Son Wolf, as well as Daughter Wolf and her husband.

Don't you guys have electric charcoal starters on that side of the pond? Sure, if you're at the park or out in the boonies somewhere you'll need some other way of starting the fire. But in the backyard, just stack the charcoal around the electric starter, plug it in and wait about 10 minutes.
No worries that the electricity will taint the taste :E

I use a bit of newspaper in the bottom of one of them chimney things.

Does not look too good for St Nicholas family gathering next Saturday. Seems like the "breath of Satan's backside" gas rotisserie will need to be fired up inside, in the garage to avoid gales.

This is a bugger because the garage is attached, with easy egress for delicious pork loin aroma to permeate the house, thus attracting a dozen half-drunken family members and two dogs to stand around the beast.

That means I will need to placate them with bratties done on the side.

Please can I have a little calm slot around mid-day on 5th December? My crystal ball is ballsed, seaweed withered, pine cone burned, and mystic casting bones dried up.

Woe woe thrice woe.

Bratty, anybody? With or without onion?