A propane grill is fast & convenient, but can we light a charcoal grill fast enough for mid week cooks? To find out I put one of the …
source
44 Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
A propane grill is fast & convenient, but can we light a charcoal grill fast enough for mid week cooks? To find out I put one of the …
source
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I’ve started my Akorn kamado with a heat gun and blow torch for years. It’s always ready to cook on in 15 minutes.
Do you find that using the grill blazer full blast makes a lot of sparks? I’m on a wooden deck!
There has got to be a more affordable version of the grill blazer. $175 is a ripoff
Don't get one of these over priced cheap torches. A propane full size torch(weed burner) costs under $30, this is an absolute ripoff!
What about the age old chimney carcoal starting method? Or does this not work with a Joe cooker?
I use my paint stripper to stoke the coal. It's cheap because it's already in my tool kit.
Not sure if this question has been asked but I bought the gun and shipped it to Belgium (Europe). It cost me 50 EUR shipping costs and 62 EUR tax fees. Bad start. Then I found out that all gas bottles in Europe have a different fitting. I can find the Coleman propane bottle but it costs 22,90 EUR per bottle!! That’s crazy. I wonder if there are other Europeans who bought this toy and how they deal with this challenge. I just don’t see myself spending a fortune on gas bottles and I’m not a fan of adapters in combination with gas 😬
The price for the grill gun is bs :/
Bro you talk to much
I started watching but I didn't want to invest 15 minutes for what could have been condensed into 5. Thanks anyway.
the electric starters work well . it takes me about 30-45 min to get the coals ready with one, i would never use a starter cube type thing on a kamado grill
Looflighter works for me I got it for $60..
I’m getting my own hair dryer!😊
Hi James – love the video. I live in a townhouse, and my big priority is minimizing white smoke that ends up in my neighbors yard during startup. I don't care how long the startup takes – but which method has the lowest white smoke?
I thought low and slow was 225F? Can anyone help? I been coooking meat at 225 for low and slow?
which one is best to go with the Su-V or the grill gun? I will be using it mainly for lighting charcoal but will also be using it to sear fairly frequently
Buy a cheap pain stripper ;). Its a good budget option but not half as cool and fun as that 100x overkill torch that we all really NEED!! 😅😂
250 in the Netherlands. Pf ff ff😓
Way to expensive
The gas has gotten too expensive, unfortunately. For starting an Amaze-N-Smoker pellet cold smoker 3 row tray, I just use the el cheapo plumbers propane torch – plus a 3/8" wide strip of the lighter board material by the light hole. Must let it burn for 10 min as the instructions say, for a good light. Just uses your normal wood pellets. 3 hours per row, fill all 3 rows, about 10 hours total cold smoke with the corners and all. When lighting put in a place or Brinkman smoker with the lid off so it doesn't blow out if windy.
If I could only buy one should it be the grill gun or su-v grill gun only really using it to start my kj
How long does the propane tank on the grill gun last? You said you hold the flame when lighting the coals for 1 full minute?
Is this safe for ceramic grills like kamadoes? Just always heard to not use any type of chemical
Does the Grill Gun still have the safety valve issue you didn't like 2years ago?
I use a looflighter. It does the trick for me
A hot air gun, e.g. LooftLighter or MonoLighter, would be a environmentally friendlier option. They are also cheaper to buy and don't need refilling.
I start my kamado grill by using chimney starter with 1 starter cube on the bottom inside the fire basket, thus allow the grill to warm up also. Depending on what I am cooking, I can take it off after a couple of mins for smoker set up. If I want to grill then wait for the chimney starter to get all the charcoal lit and dump into the firebox. <$20 for chimney starter and 1 starter cube is convenient for me, but have a flame thrower is nice lol🔥
Great video James, I use 3 fire starters to get mine going a bit quicker but the GrillBlazer grill gun sure speeds things up. thanks for sharing
Great vid, I converted to a Grill Gun as well, even though I didn't want to deal with a propane tank. Other options didn't work nearly as well. Wasted more money trying other things hah. 🍻
Doesn't that blazer gun spikes affect your grill gasket? I myself prefer a "calm method" because of this. BTW, really enjoying your videos and learned A LOT from you, can't thank you enough. But I am on the team green so far )
Most economical may be large cotton balls kept in a jar of Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol. Clean burn, and no aftertaste given by some of the chemical cubes. 3 or 4 cotton balls get the charcoal going quickly. I have the Walmart version of the Akorn Grill, and for the charcoal basket I sue a metal colander from the dollar store 🙂 Hard to justify some of your accessories that cost more than the price of my "Expert Kamado Grill" I do have a propane torch, but the cotton balls work fine for me. – Love your channel!!
I have a BGE since 2013. I use a "only fire #8537 Charcoal Ash Basket, Stainless Steel Charcoal Holder with Handles" from AMZ (excellent – super heavy duty). I arrange 3 or 4 Rutland fire starters on the grate, light them, and place the basket on top of the lit starters. It gets things going v quickly. The basket is awesome, just shake it out over the trash before using the next time. Cuts way way down on back having to clean out ash etc. I use an Iwatani Chef torch to light the starters, which is plenty for searing when sous viding. I like this method better than blasting the lump with my Benzomatic weed torch or my heat gun, both of which I've done. The double pack of Rutlands on AMZ is $39 for 144 of them. I think they are the best starters. I use Thermoworks products / pends and their dual probe unit — all excellent.
I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned this but another thing some people may have is a leaf blower.
I've used a petrol blower in the past and the intensity it creates is incredible.
i use the harbor freight propane torch – was like $25 and does the same thing….
I see you have a smaller version in the background, how do you find that? Can’t get the long version in the U.K.
I use the Kamado Joe electric starter in my Big Joe 2. So far it works great and I get to temp in around 15 minutes. What are you thoughts on the electric starter?
How long will a propane tank last? As in, how many starts at 1 min is the average? I wouldn't want to be refilling the tank after 5 starts for ex. 🙂 Thank you in advance.
Just use egg cartons
Great tip about dome heat 👍
I just watched your video comparing the Grill Gun to the other methods of starting charcoal. I believe that I may invest in one. I just have a question about the size. They are both the same price and I have a KJ Classic III. Do I need the larger Grill Gun or would I be good with the smaller one? Thx.
Denatured alcohol.
I wish we could buy grill guns in Australia, I would use my Kamado so much more if I could light it quickly 🙁
great info
Instead of using your wife’s hair dryer, get a handheld fan, battery or usb charger. Another option is an air mattress pump
I find a firestarter in a chimney yields about the exact amount of time I need to get the food prepped. I thought going from a pellet grill to a charcoal setup would be a lot more time consuming etc but it's not any longer by the time everything's factored in. The gun setup is cool though.