I see several posts about Smokey Joes (or other small tabletop grills) are nice to have for starting chimneys. Why is that? If you're going to cook on another kettle, why not just light the chimney in that kettle? Is there some sort of benefit that I am missing? Is it just an effective line to say to the wife to justify acquisitions?
Give me some clarity!
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Quote from: Schaefd2 on November 16, 2017, 04:59:08 PM
Give me some clarity!
Here you go!(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171117/4320026a11b48aebf77837e66e64e25e.jpg)
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Lol! That's wonderful Charlie.
Dave, just get on board already. You'll have 7-10 by end of 2018.
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Quote from: kettlebb on November 16, 2017, 05:36:43 PM
Dave, just get on board already. You'll have 7-10 by end of 2018.
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Negative my man. Money is tight. And some 17 year old cut in front of me last night and wrecked my car too. Not fun.
But I am genuinely wondering if there is a benefit I'm missing out on by lighting chimneys on a SJ. If I end up with 8, I guarantee they'll all be curb finds or $10 acquisitions. And they'll probably end up as gifts lol I'm working on a 5th and 6th convert right now haha
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I know brother. Just busting is all. You done good on that redhead. Hell, you might even find a yellow at the curb up there in the north. You're doing a hell of a job converting and teaching the ways of the kettle too. Glad to see you posting on here.
SJ, I can't answer as I haven't actually used one yet. They are cool little grills though and you should probably look to score at least one just to kick the tires.
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I love the SJ's too! I've never used one to start my chimneys though... picking up a copper, non-taco tomorrow!
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Quote from: kettlebb on November 16, 2017, 06:05:59 PM
I know brother. Just busting is all. You done good on that redhead. Hell, you might even find a yellow at the curb up there in the north. You're doing a hell of a job converting and teaching the ways of the kettle too. Glad to see you posting on here.
SJ, I can't answer as I haven't actually used one yet. They are cool little grills though and you should probably look to score at least one just to kick the tires.
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Scoring that redhead on my birthday was FUN! I grinned myself to sleep that night and I told somebody at work about it today.
I have a couple SJs on my mental map I'm keeping of kettles I locate while driving around. I got about 7 total spotted. One is a nice 22, faded black weathered warrior with wood handles and no rust. It's purty.
Johanna is looking too....lol
When we hanging out? I'm OOTO til after TG.
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SJs are cheap and plentiful on the used market, and not much more when new. That's why we have them: temptation. The rest is just portability and placement that lends them to be good chimney holders if you lack a cement slab to set it on.
I have one SJ. Drove too far to get it and give $5 for it because it had a wood handle. Abused it by ignoring it until the kids knocked the lid off the deck and left it there for 2 months. Maybe more. When I went to retrieve it, saw the lid was dented in. I turned the lemon into lemonade by installing a Weber smoker thermometer that not only concealed the dent but now looks nicely flush, almost. It's currently part of a mini WSM.
But that's not the kind of answer you're looking for. This one might not be, either.
When I start charcoal on the grill I'm cooking on, I invariably get ash on the Performer's table when dumping coals into the kettle. It's not that my aim is bad, it's that ash falls though the chimney as I pick it up and tilt. For some reason, if/when I use a different grill I make a point of shaking it first before carrying over.
So that may be the most arcane reason you'll read.
Most folks use newspaper to light a chimney....I do....and I don't want the remnants of that newspaper floating around over or under the charcoal grate in a cooker I am gonna add food too. Plus most of us have so many cookers have a dedicated charcoal station in a cooker beside the one we are cooking on is convenient and makes sense. Better than a SJ is actually a 18 OTG...it is more on the height of what you are likely cooking on and has higher sides to protect from the wind.
I like to have my charcoal all set up and ready without having the chimney to worry about so I start it on one of my other kettles
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Iv done it once, didn't seem convenient at all ( if I can avoid bending over I will)
Quote from: Schaefd2 on November 16, 2017, 04:59:08 PM
I see several posts about Smokey Joes (or other small tabletop grills) are nice to have for starting chimneys. Why is that? If you're going to cook on another kettle, why not just light the chimney in that kettle? Is there some sort of benefit that I am missing? Is it just an effective line to say to the wife to justify acquisitions?
Give me some clarity!
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The SJ gives you a place to put a hot chimney after you dump out the coals.
Quote from: addicted-to-smoke on November 16, 2017, 06:35:31 PM
SJs are cheap and plentiful on the used market, and not much more when new. That's why we have them: temptation.
When I start charcoal on the grill I'm cooking on, I invariably get ash on the Performer's table when dumping coals into the kettle. It's not that my aim is bad, it's that ash falls though the chimney as I pick it up and tilt.
Makes sense with the temptation part. And I agree about ash and hot embers flying out the bottom of the chimney when pouring. I don't have a performer or a nice table nearby, so that's why that has never occurred to me. Makes sense why a SJ comes in handy. Thanks!
Quote from: MrHoss on November 16, 2017, 06:42:25 PM
Most folks use newspaper to light a chimney....I do....and I don't want the remnants of that newspaper floating around over or under the charcoal grate in a cooker I am gonna add food too.
This I can relate to the most! I also use paper as I used to work in a print shop and I have an abundance of it. But those paper remnants are annoying!! I dealt with them as I grilled steaks tonight! Still never occurred to me I should light a chimney elsewhere, but now..... hmmmmmm
Thanks!
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When I set up for a snake method cook, the first thing I do is light 12 briquettes in a chimney to get ready while I am setting everything up. By the time I get the snake stacked and everything ready, they are almost there.
Lighting a chimney on concrete is not a good idea. I have heard many stories of rocks exploding in the concrete leaving a crater and shrapnel flying every where. I have used a Smokey Joe for this, but lately just set the chimney on a couple of bricks to get it off of the concrete
I find my SJ is a good place to get the coals safely going so I can set up which ever other grill I'm using. I cook on mine a ton as well.
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Quote from: Schaefd2 on November 16, 2017, 06:00:36 PM
Quote from: kettlebb on November 16, 2017, 05:36:43 PM
Dave, just get on board already. You'll have 7-10 by end of 2018.
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But I am genuinely wondering if there is a benefit I'm missing out on by lighting chimneys on a SJ.
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If you are wondering if it makes your fire hotter or your food taste better the answer is ...no. ;)
I️ light mine in a spare 18WSM bowl, the kettle I'm cooking on, or in an aluminum foil pan on the ground.
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Quote from: Harleysmoker on November 16, 2017, 08:30:39 PM
... Lighting a chimney on concrete is not a good idea.
I agree, and should have been more clear in my earlier post. I was meaning to say that cement can be (in my experience) an acceptable place to set a hot (empty) chimney ... they very quickly cool down. But I prefer using another grill for that. Less walking around and bending over.
It should also be noted lots of guys light a chimney sitting in some kind of metal tray or pan. I think you'd still have to be aware of what's below the now-hot pan when doing it that way.
I use an old black SJ to start my chimney most of the time. It is a habit that was formed because I started out on a WSM. The charcoal grate isn't available when doing the minion method and I needed a place to start the chimney that wasn't my concrete patio or driveway. Enter the beat up SJ I got from a friend!
Quote from: pbe gummi bear on November 16, 2017, 07:19:39 PM
The SJ gives you a place to put a hot chimney after you dump out the coals.
This. ^^^. I also use mine at the end of a cook. I use my ash scoop and charcoal rake to scoop up the hot coals and into the SJ to kill them out faster. I then reuse them to top off the baskets or vortex or as starter charcoal for the minion method on a long smoke.
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I cook on my SJ from time to time, and never gave it a thought as a coal starter. I set an old, crummy grate in the kettle I'm cooking on, light the chimney, remove from the grate, remove the crummy grate and dump the coals. Put your good cooking grate in place and go to town!
PS: I don't use newspaper. Just Sterno.
I converted from using newspaper to Weber cubes a couple years ago, even on my Performers. The cubes produce no ashes like newspaper and don't need to be shut off like the Performer.
What does this have to do w/ using a Smokey Joe to light a chimney? Nothing. :)
As for a place to put a hot chimney after dumping, I've put them down on grass, patio block, and concrete sidewalk w/ no ill effect. There is very little hot that touches these surfaces, assuming the chimney is stood upright. I dump the hot coals, do a quick back and forth wave to cool the chimney, then place it down.