Anyone used "fatwood" as a starter?

[Stoneage]

They say it can be used for grills, but does it add any funky flavors when you do?
I'm not real partial to Pine flavoring.

Fatwood is Great for Grilling

Fatwood is resin rich pine wood that can be found in pine trees. It is probably the best natural fire starter available and is waterproof, rot-resistant, very flammable and has an indefinite shelf-life.

When it's time to fire up your grill, you don't want to use chemicals and other synthetic firestarters with your charcoal. That's why Fatwood makes the perfect firestarter for your charcoal.

Fatwood is only a firestarter, not firewood. That means you don't want to grill your food over it. Here's how to use it properly and start your charcoal quickly.
How to Light your Grill with Fatwood

Because Fatwood is 100% natural with no chemicals or petroleum additives, there's no chemical smell or taste added to your food.

Use Fatwood with natural lump charcoal and you can cook knowing that no harmful chemicals or toxins are released into your food.
Arrange your favorite lump charcoal or briquettes to form a pyramid. Insert 2 to 3 pieces of Fatwood Firestarter through the pile so that the ends of the wood stick out 1 to 2 inches from the pyramid.
Light the ends of the Fatwood sticks and leave the fire uncovered for 10-15 minutes.
When coals are covered with a thin layer of white ash and the Fatwood sticks have completely burned away, your fire is ready.

What is the Black Smoke?

If you're unfamiliar with fatwood, you may be surprised by the black smoke it gives off while burning. This is simply the natural resin and nothing to worry about.

That is why we stress that it is a firestarter, meant for lighting your charcoal, not cooking over. Once your fatwood sticks are burned out in 10-15 minutes, you can start putting your food on.

[stillgriller]

My knee-jerk reaction is to not do this.

[Stoneage]

Yeah, mine too!
I got them for starting logs in a fire-pit, but wondered.

[bamakettles]

No, I got a propane torch/flamethrower which works pretty well.  Introduced it on a Kamado Joe FB forum and got pretty much ousted by those snobs.  Therefore I highly recommend it!


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[blu082003]

No, I got a propane torch/flamethrower which works pretty well.  Introduced it on a Kamado Joe FB forum and got pretty much ousted by those snobs.  Therefore I highly recommend it!


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Hahaha 🤣


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[stillgriller]

No, I got a propane torch/flamethrower which works pretty well.  Introduced it on a Kamado Joe FB forum and got pretty much ousted by those snobs.  Therefore I highly recommend it!


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A propane torch? Oh no, sacrilege!

Do you know how many of those hypocrites have a Genesis?

[bamakettles]

One idiot even said, "We are adults, Webers are for kids."  Made me want to catapult my Kamado into the field behind my house.  I'm still cooling down from that comment.


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[stillgriller]

One idiot even said, "We are adults, Webers are for kids."  Made me want to catapult my Kamado into the field behind my house.  I'm still cooling down from that comment.


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There's a lot of BS from the fanboys. I ignore it, and like what a I like.

One reason I wanted a Kamado was for winter cooks, where I struggled to maintain temps on the Weber. Maintaining consistent temps during longer smokes is another. That said, and getting back to the subject at hand...

I would not want fatwood anywhere near my bbq. Regardless of which grill I'm using.

[Mr.CPHo]

I've been using Stump Chunks in the bottom of my chimney since switching to lump.  It lights quickly and prevents the smaller pieces of lump from falling through. 

I don't THINK it's considered fatwood, just loose fibrous wood pieces.

[michaelmilitello]

One idiot even said, "We are adults, Webers are for kids."  Made me want to catapult my Kamado into the field behind my house.  I'm still cooling down from that comment.


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That group has some the most arrogant kamado snobs on the planet.   It's as if they have some "secret" outdoor cooking knowledge that the rest of us cannot possibly know or understand.   

I may be a Weberphile but I'd stand with anyone who enjoys cooking outdoors. 


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[bamakettles]

One idiot even said, "We are adults, Webers are for kids."  Made me want to catapult my Kamado into the field behind my house.  I'm still cooling down from that comment.


Sent from my iPad using Weber Kettle Club

That group has some the most arrogant kamado snobs on the planet.   It's as if they have some "secret" outdoor cooking knowledge that the rest of us cannot possibly know or understand.   

I may be a Weberphile but I'd stand with anyone who enjoys cooking outdoors. 


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Well said...... Once I cooled down and thought about it, I realized that there can be jerks anywhere.  The Kamado is a tool, not an identity and I can have fun with it without associating myself with one particular jerky person or group.  And I agree, it's all about outdoor cooking!  Doesn't matter if it's a Weber or another brand, charcoal, gas, pellets or burning sticks it's all fun and that's the purpose - good food and having fun while making it.

To answer the original question, no I don't use fatwood on a grill.  A good friend taught me that it works amazingly though for lighting a camp fire on the beach!

[Pioneer]

I once tried using a few small pieces of fatwood to start a chimney of charcoal. Never again. There was a slight, but very noticable, "creosote" taste to the food.

[stillgriller]

I once tried using a few small pieces of fatwood to start a chimney of charcoal. Never again. There was a slight, but very noticable, "creosote" taste to the food.

There it is, the test results you were looking for. Don't do it, just don't. 

[Stoneage]

Thanks, that's what I was looking for.
I'll keep it for the firepit.

[Stoneage]

I've been using Stump Chunks in the bottom of my chimney since switching to lump.  It lights quickly and prevents the smaller pieces of lump from falling through. 

I don't THINK it's considered fatwood, just loose fibrous wood pieces.

Its not. Fatwood is a type of pine.

Fatwood is the extremely flammable resin-soaked wood that forms after a pine tree has died.

After a pine tree has been cut or damaged, the tree sends a terpene-rich sap into the damaged area and it becomes fatwood soaked in resin.

As the tree dies, the resin-soaked wood near pine knots and at the base of the stump gets hard and remains. The resin includes an all-natural hydrocarbon called terpene, which is also used in the production of turpentine. That is what makes fatwood fire starter so flammable.

Terpene is an organic but highly volatile chemical, which is why terpene is the "secret sauce" that helps turn dead pine wood and pine stumps, including the tap root, into Fatwood fire starter... one of nature's best water repellent (some would say waterproof) firestarters.
What Kind Of Tree Does Fatwood Come From?

Fatwood comes from many different types of resinous trees but historically the most common source of Fatwood is pine. Historically, in the United States, fatwood was most commonly associated with the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris).