Any advice to minimize or eliminate charcoal briquettes initial white smoke?

[Big Dawg]

Thank you all, here the thing, I like to use briquettes and I like the convenience and simplicity of just lighting a cube under the Weber chimney starter.  So, till I find or figure out an alternative that is as simple as that, my neighbors will have to tough it out 

With you on that ! ! !





BD

[Jules V.]

I have less than 2 bags of briquettes left and i don't plan of buying anymore. Aside from heavy smoke, my eyes and nose  can no longer tolerate the fumes that comes out of it.  Going forward, I'll be using lump  exclusively.

[BertVentures]

I asked one of the manufactures of what causes this smoke, no answer yet.

I think it is mainly due to the starch they use as a binder and it only happen when briquettes are exposed to low heat.

[IndianBBQ]

Lump with some homemade fire starter ( like cotton dipped in wax) is the only way I know. Never had any 'bad smoke' issues. Good luck.

Sent from my SM-G7202 using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[BertVentures]

I ended up going with the propane torch... I bought one from Harbor Freight near me for about $28.

[19266022mw]

I use one of those single burner butane can stoves & sit the chimney on it. Works awesome with minimal smoke for both lump and briquette charcoal.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[addicted-to-smoke]

Yes, a can of Sterno should be more economical than using Weber cubes. But it takes more effort, as you'd want to obviously lift the chimney away and kill the flame prior to the coals being completely lit. (As with a gas-assist Performer, it won't be necessary to leave the flame on all the time, unless you're in a hurry or like replacing fuel more often.)

Bert
You're halfway there with the torch. But I'm telling ya, the cheap briquets DO produce more nasty, acrid smoke when starting up compared to Weber or Stubbs. And quite frankly, unless Kingsford Blue is on sale, it's not really that much cheaper than Weber or Stubbs briquets because they WILL last a bit longer.

Also, be on the lookout for something called "hardwood briquets." They'll still have a binder of course, but are nicer briquets in my opinion. Price varies, as does availability. Can't say they're any better than Weber or Stubbs briqs, but the labeling and branding tell you they are a step up from all the cheap stuff.

[BertVentures]

@addicted-to-smoke I think @19266022mw is referring to something like this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1RO9WG/

I haven't tried Weber or Stubbs briqs. I buy Kingsford 100% Natural Competition Charcoal Briquets form costco, the price has been reasonable.

[addicted-to-smoke]

Ah, well their Natural Competition stuff is nicer than the blue bag, which is probably what we all assumed you meant.

[19266022mw]

@addicted-to-smoke I think @19266022mw is referring to something like this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1RO9WG/

I haven't tried Weber or Stubbs briqs. I buy Kingsford 100% Natural Competition Charcoal Briquets form costco, the price has been reasonable.

Yeah that's the type i was talking about. They do a great job!

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[Jules V.]

Also  avoid exposing your charcoal to moisture as much as possible. Don't keep it in the bag once oened, especially outside. Charcoals are a magnate to moisture. Store it in a 5 gallon bucket with a good lid so you can leave it outside in the rain, snow, hurricane etc  without any problems.  Though more expensive, rectangular buckets are preferred since it's much easier to pour the coals inside the chimney or grill.

[hawgheaven]

I use RO lump and sometimes RO briquets. I ALWAYS use a Sterno can to light. Never had a problem with thick white smoke.

[BertVentures]

@hawgheaven I will try sterno can, but I am looking to eliminate or generate minimal smoke, which I achieved with my propane torch. My neighbors are happy but my guests are scared of me...  , single butane burner is less intimidating option if it performs as good as the propane torch.

@Jules V. that's a good point, I do store my open bag in an outdoor storage box, not very tight. I will start storing them in an empty dry acid bucket.

Any recommendation for a good charcoal scoop?

[hawgheaven]

My charcoal lives in my shed in its original bag. No moisture problems. The Sterno can works excellent. Light it, sit the chimney over it and when you see flames coming out of the chimney, set it aside and cap the Sterno to extinguish. I light my coals this way on the grates, then dump. Easy peasy.

[addicted-to-smoke]

One advantage the SSP has over subsequent Performers is that the charcoal bin has that rubber-ish gasket like thing at the top. It "seals" well enough to the SS table top that the interior will stay dry, although you'd still want to leave them in the bag with the bag top rolled down.

I'm a happy user of the Kingsford Kaddy. Holds a full bag's worth of briquets, is waterproof, and I pour straight from that into the chimney. There are other brands of the same container (sold as pet food containers) that are identical.

My original Stereo comment was made in the context of it being CHEAPER to use, long term, than Weber cubes. But the key to minimizing the acrid smoke is to hit the coals with as much flame as possible, which is why an over exuberance from a torch or large gas burner works best (and is faster.)