Fire

[MileHighSmokerGirl]

On a stick burner, I'm assuming the purpose is for just all wood and no charcoal?

That's part of the reason I bought my Oklahoma Joe's Highland.

So if you're just using all wood, what is your go to method for starting your fire?

Do you start with chunks of wood? Or full splits? Or full logs?

I'd rather not use charcoal. Just hickory, oak, pecan, cherry or apple wood.

 

[JckDanls 07]

I use half a chimney of charcoal just to start my wood (pecan)... Put 3-5 splits on... leave door open until splits are buring good.

Some use a big propane blow torch to start the splits...

 

[02ebz06]

Don't have a stick burner, but I used to have a wood-fired pizza oven.
I had a thing called a Kindling Cracker.
As name says, it makes kindling wood.

 

[JIMSMOKES]

You could go full on boy scout and use some tender with a striker. Followed by twigs and small sticks.
Easier to just start with a small bed of charcoal.

 

[Chasdev]

I use a mini propane blow torch to light everything, it's cheap and very effective.
I used to use balls of newspaper but that stuff gives off bad smelling smoke, which I don't want anywhere near my food or lungs.
You can pick up a peizo electric torch head as low as $10/$12 and two 16 oz bottles of propane cost $10 at home depot.
One 16 oz bottle will last more than a year.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

A weed burner such as THIS works well. Attach it to a 20 lb. propane tank. There are several different ones out there...

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Here's another option...

New BBQ and smoking tool/toy

I have been using a creme brulee torch forever to start my BBQ and it does pretty well to get charcoal started it is a bit more difficult if I am only using wood. I don't like using lighter fluid on my cooks. Watching videos of the pros using the giant offset smokers they were using pretty...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[Newglide]

I typically use charcoal to start off with to get a good bed of coals.
Once the charcoal is ready I throw a couple of logs on the coals to keep the coal bed going and get the smokeing process started. I have had to add charcoal on longer cooks to get the coal bed back up.
The coal bed is where you are getting the bulk of your heat from when you cook in the cook chamber. If your coal bed goes then you loose the bulk of your heat.
You can use all wood and do like others have suggested and build a fire and keep feeding it until you get to the desired temp the coal bed built up enough to get you started.

 

[Redicans]

I use a chimney of good lump charcoal to start then it is splits the whole smoke. Lump gives me a good coal bed right off the bat.

 

[jcam222]

I use a small pile of charcoal in my Lang. I fire it up with a weed burner than add wood when the coals are nice and hot.

 

[MileHighSmokerGirl]

I bought this stick burner so I don't have to use charcoal. Pretty sure that's whole reason it's called a "stick burner", otherwise it would be a coal burner or stick and coal burner smoker would it not?


I did find this guide today which fits what I was looking for.

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-barbeque-with-a-stick-burner

 

[jbruce]

When I clean out my stick burner from the last use, I save the charcoal. I use a small chimney starter to ignite those to get things going. Next is small sticks [oak and hickory] from the yard. Next is splits.

My smoker has a built-in weed burner which I've never used.

 

[jcam222]

I bought this stick burner so I don't have to use charcoal. Pretty sure that's whole reason it's called a "stick burner", otherwise it would be a coal burner or stick and coal burner smoker would it not?


I did find this guide today which fits what I was looking for.

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-barbeque-with-a-stick-burner

You can certainly start with wood only. I use a very small amount of charcoal to just speed up the process of starting a coal bed. I only use it at the very beginning. I have used my weedburner to just fire up small splits at startup too. It's all a matter of preference

 

[Newglide]

I bought this stick burner so I don't have to use charcoal

You realize burning wood turns to charcoal right?
You do what works best for you, I use lump charcoal (Burn't wood) to start the process and speed things up like jcam222 said.

 

[Fueling Around]

I used pretty much the same technique as Newglide

Here's another option...

New BBQ and smoking tool/toy

I have been using a creme brulee torch forever to start my BBQ and it does pretty well to get charcoal started it is a bit more difficult if I am only using wood. I don't like using lighter fluid on my cooks. Watching videos of the pros using the giant offset smokers they were using pretty...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Thank you Charles!
I was looking for that thread and realized it wasn't bookmarked.

 

[Newglide]

Thank you Charles!
I was looking for that thread and realized it wasn't bookmarked.

After reading that post awhile back I picked one of those up from Amazon.The title of the post is perfect because I don't know if it's a tool or toy. Wife hears me use it when I light my kettle or smoker and thinks a jet is in the back yard.

 

[chopsaw]

You realize burning wood turns to charcoal right?

Mines been gone a long time , but when I first got it I was using an old kettle grill to burn oak logs into coal , then shoveling that into to the firebox of my OFFSET smoker .
Adding logs to that , and tending the fire in the kettle .
After I came to my senses ( and was to tired to eat when the cook was over ) , I started using charcoal and wood in the firebox of the offset .

 

[Fueling Around]

...
I don't know if it's a tool or toy..
...

Very very fine line sometimes

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

Propane wood burner for me hooked to a 20 lb tank. Light about 6 2” diameter splits and keep a couple on top of the fire box to add as needed throughout the cook. Usually takes a few minutes to get it going.

 

[coronaca92879]

Same as a lot of others on here- Half a chimney of lump and once that’s going I usually add two splits to build my coal bed and once those are burned I’m good to go and my smoker is warm, coal bed is good and my splits burn well.