Charcoal chimney

[rws]

I use the chimney every time I grill. I like the taste of charcoal grill over propane. I burnt out the cone grill in the bottom, and made a new one following the same shape. I'm good for another 10-15 years.

[JRouche]

What is a charcoal chimney?

Its a chimney like pipe to start charcoals without using lighter fluid.

They work well, fast start for the coals. JR

https://www.target.com/p/weber-rapid...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Tom S]

Just lit mine to get some bacon and kassler smoking. I like the KISS simplicity of the chimney, not much to improve on there without making it more complicated.

[A.K. Boomer]

I can think of a real nice improvement --- have the grill grid on a linear gear rack so that you can lower or raise the food accordingly, want to sear a steak real quick and keep it totally bloody then lower it down and pull it right back out and flip it once, chicken that has to be cooked all the way through keep it way up high so it won't burn...

[Tom S]

I can think of a real nice improvement --- have the grill grid on a linear gear rack so that you can lower or raise the food accordingly, want to sear a steak real quick and keep it totally bloody then lower it down and pull it right back out and flip it once, chicken that has to be cooked all the way through keep it way up high so it won't burn...

You mean like a santa maria grill? Does exactly that, but really you can set up something like a weber kettle for everything from a hot smoke at 225F to some steak searing temperatures that would make a propane grill blush out of shame. Still not hot enough? Set your grill grate right on the chimney and light it up. People have measured over 800F using that method. Great for thinner steaks that would cook through at a lower searing temperature. For thicker steaks I prefer the reverse sear, where you set the steak on indirect heat until the center is a bit rarer than you like it, then a quick sear on the direct side for that malliard reaction flavour. Lots of ways to skin a cat with a charcoal grill.

[A.K. Boomer]

I have a typical conventional propane BBQ with one big difference --- it has the lava rock just over the flame as a defuse'r and to add flavor as the dripping hit it and immediately become part of a "kinda" charcoal flavor effect,,, it really does make stuff taste good, this steak I cooked up last week could not have gotten any better - it was a NY strip Angus and I think was at least in the top ten best I ever had in my life...

Every once in a great while I have to do a preheat on the lava rocks to keep them from getting too choked up and gummy, then they are good to go again for quite awhile...

[elf]

Sous Vide, then sear for an even better steak.

[Tim Clarke]

Sous Vide, then sear for an even better steak.

Yup. And if ya want to really sear a steak, put a cake cooling rack or similar on top of the charcoal chimney and throw on the steak. Watch it though, it doesn't take long!!!!

[garyhlucas]

I made one years ago by punching holes in a can for short lengths of hanger wire with loops on one end. Fire it up and use a hook wire to pull the wires out to dump it.

[JRouche]

You mean like a santa maria grill?

Yup. We had been doing the ol Santa Maria BBQ with Tri-tip, corn on the cob, beans and garlic bread (some throw in a salad which is also top notch) for years now. Its a thing around here. JR

[Bob La Londe]

Yup. We had been doing the ol Santa Maria BBQ with Tri-tip, corn on the cob, beans and garlic bread (some throw in a salad which is also top notch) for years now. Its a thing around here. JR

A buddy of mine has been making old barrel grills for a while. As he's gotten fancier making new ones and modifying old ones I've watched them evolve into Santa Maria style grills over the last few years. A few weeks ago on the phone I mentioned that I liked seeing the evolution of his Santa Mari grills. He looked up Santa Maria Grill and said, "Yeah I guess they basically are." Seems he had never heard the term before.

[R.Bolte.Jr]

Ive use a charcoal chimney forever, but didn't like all of the ash from the burning paper. About 10 years ago I was working on a documentary at Memphis In May, one of the teams was starting their charcoal outside the smoker so they could evaluate it before it went in during a 16 hour smoke. Instead of paper, they put the chimney on one of those propane fired turkey friers. Its fit perfectly on the burner, and started the charcoal in minutes with no ash or fluid. when I got home I tried just holding my bernzomatic under it, play the flame on the bottom for a few minutes and then let it set, takes maybe 10 minutes and the charcoal is ready, clean and neat. For ten years now, the neighbor still has to comment about using a "blow torch" to light the bbq... oh well, it works.

Yup. And if ya want to really sear a steak, put a cake cooling rack or similar on top of the charcoal chimney and throw on the steak. Watch it though, it doesn't take long!!!!

Perfect, favorite way to make tuna steaks! I bought a replacement grill for the Weber "Smokey Joe" the little one, perfect sear, still nearly sushi inside.

Yea, its 70 here, and the pork steaks are on the grill.