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

[BertVentures]

I like to use Kingsford briquettes for pizza making, but I hate the white smoke it gives when I light it in my Weber chimney starter using weber firestarter cubes, it completely fill my entire backyard (and my next door neighbors too) with white thick smoke, it doesn't last for long, but long enough to be annoying.

I have seen few people light the briquettes with gas torch which seems to generate no white smoke, is there any other way to minimize or eliminate white smoke? .

[MikeRocksTheRed]

When I use my looftlighter it doesn't smoke very much...that's basically the same as a gas torch though.  That is one of the things I like about the Weber Briquettes...it lights a lot cleaner, at least compared to KBB.  It puts out at least have the smoke, and the smoke doesn't smell like KBB does.   Weber is kind of expensive to use for a pizza cook though.  I've been out of gas for my gas assist for a few months and can't remember if that helps reduce the smoke.

[HoosierKettle]

Go lump. Lights in half the time. Still smokes but it's smoke period is very short. Personally I think weber briquettes take forever to light and still smell like shit. They are great long burning coals for low and slow though. My favorite for that.


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[MattF]

When I am lighting briquettes in a chimney I use a gas burner. Started this for the same reason you are asking, too much smoke. Using a turkey fryer burner cuts down on the smoke by probably 75% and as an added bonus, coals are ready quicker. I dont run the burner the whole time, just long enough to get the coals going really good.

[Schaefd2]

Go lump. Lights in half the time. Still smokes but it's smoke period is very short. Personally I think weber briquettes take forever to light and still smell like shit. They are great long burning coals for low and slow though. My favorite for that.


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This.
I started using Weber briqs and Weber start cubes at the same time so I'm not sure which one has the funny smell initially, but I really REALLY miss my lump charcoal. But I use up what I have before I buy more so I'll continue to use my Weber briqs for awhile. I do like them a lot, just not as much as Lump.


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[michaelmilitello]

Go lump. Lights in half the time. Still smokes but it's smoke period is very short. Personally I think weber briquettes take forever to light and still smell like shit. They are great long burning coals for low and slow though. My favorite for that.


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I'm with you HoosierKettle.  I use royal oak lump.  With my performer has assist, I can have a chimney ready in 10 minutes with little smoke that smells like a campfire. 


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[michaelmilitello]

Go lump. Lights in half the time. Still smokes but it's smoke period is very short. Personally I think weber briquettes take forever to light and still smell like shit. They are great long burning coals for low and slow though. My favorite for that.


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I'm with you HoosierKettle.  I use royal oak lump.  With my performer has assist, I can have a chimney ready in 10 minutes with little smoke that smells like a campfire. 


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Gas assist*


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[michaelmilitello]

Go lump. Lights in half the time. Still smokes but it's smoke period is very short. Personally I think weber briquettes take forever to light and still smell like shit. They are great long burning coals for low and slow though. My favorite for that.


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I'm with you HoosierKettle.  I use royal oak lump.  With my performer has assist, I can have a chimney ready in 10 minutes with little smoke that smells like a campfire. 


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Gas assist*


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[BertVentures]

Thank you all, I like charcoal briquettes, it burns longer and cheaper. There must be a simpler way to eliminate briquettes smoke, someone will figure it out one day.

[Bubblehead]

I started using a cane torch to light all my cookers (years ago) and never really have issue with heavy smoke.

[hawgheaven]

Thank you all, I like charcoal briquettes, it burns longer and cheaper. There must be a simpler way to eliminate briquettes smoke, someone will figure it out one day.

Best answer I can give you to eliminate the smoke, don't use them...  I love my lump!

[greenweb]

I think the key is to getting  it started fast. - looftlighter as Mike suggested, My choice- chimney of insanity with BBQ Dragon fan, or as per the experiment I did. Did someone mention lighter fluid.

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/lighting-charcoal-faster-with-no-or-least-amount-of-smoke-experiment/msg291520/#msg291520

[HoosierKettle]

I'm glad my neighbors are not sensitive. Start up smoke has never caused a problem where I live. Most of my neighbors burn in fire pits for fun as well as cook on charcoal so There's plenty of blame to go around. My start up smoke gets lost in the mix.


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[BertVentures]

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 

[LiquidOcelot]

Coconut charcoal has very very little smoke when lighting. Kingsford has like 150x the smoke of coconut charcoal

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