Well, this is actually Phase 2, Stage 1: The Log Lighters. Stage 2 will be modifying one of my rotisseries left from several previous grills to work on this one. I won't be able to use the one offered by Sunterra for a reason that you'll understand later. The way I set the log lighters and fuel grates up, they are higher than Sunterra designed their rotisserie to work on and the meat would be WAY too close to the fire.
When I was reading all the specs before ordering my grill I noticed that Sunterra was offering a log lighter option. I didn't read anything because I'd already decided that I was going to build one and install it. My guess is that they are offering a single log lighter configuration. In my estimation that would not be as efficient as I wanted it to be. I want this thing to get coals going in a hurry so the grill will have a lot more usability for me. There won't be an hour or more available in the evenings to get coals going to cook on. I couldn't stand the thought of using lighter fluid for the same reason it's taboo to use the stuff in a BGE. I use lighting sticks in my BGE but they take a long time to get a fire going. My thought was that a log lighter configuration with two units would be far more efficient so I measured everything out, built this one, and installed it by drilling a 7/8" hole through the side of the grill and the fire brick:
Here it is installed and fired up
I took two heavy-duty cooking grates from a previous smoker and installed 3" tall legs on them to be my racks for wood or charcoal and sit above the log lighters. Please note that I turned the lighters 90 degrees so that the air intakes were vertical instead of horizontal so that ash would not fill them up
Loaded the racks with oak from the firewood bin out in the garage to season the grill and lit them up
At this point I realized that I had a bit of an issue. When I first installed the lighters they were too close to the center. The middle of the fuel was lighting quickly but it was taking far too long to get the outsides of the wood into coals. I tore it apart and added longer gas pipe nipples then reinstalled the unit. I now had the exact opposite problem: it was lighting on the outsides but taking too long for the middle to get going. After a moment or two of thought, I decided that if 1 lighter was good, and 2 were better, then 3 would be best. So what did I do? I tore it apart again and installed a third log lighter.
Now we're getting somewhere!!
This should do the trick!! I have not used the grill since adding the 3rd lighter but have the faith that it'll accomplish exactly what I want it to do. Thus far I have cooked 4 meals on the grill (using the two log lighter configuration) and all have been absolutely outstanding!! There will be another post forthcoming with pics and the rundown of the first three cooks. One came out so well that my wife wanted me to make it again 2 days later so no point in posting the same thing twice. Bottom line, thus far I will say that this grill is nothing short of amazing!!
Lightin' it up in Lago,
Robert
When I was reading all the specs before ordering my grill I noticed that Sunterra was offering a log lighter option. I didn't read anything because I'd already decided that I was going to build one and install it. My guess is that they are offering a single log lighter configuration. In my estimation that would not be as efficient as I wanted it to be. I want this thing to get coals going in a hurry so the grill will have a lot more usability for me. There won't be an hour or more available in the evenings to get coals going to cook on. I couldn't stand the thought of using lighter fluid for the same reason it's taboo to use the stuff in a BGE. I use lighting sticks in my BGE but they take a long time to get a fire going. My thought was that a log lighter configuration with two units would be far more efficient so I measured everything out, built this one, and installed it by drilling a 7/8" hole through the side of the grill and the fire brick:
Here it is installed and fired up
I took two heavy-duty cooking grates from a previous smoker and installed 3" tall legs on them to be my racks for wood or charcoal and sit above the log lighters. Please note that I turned the lighters 90 degrees so that the air intakes were vertical instead of horizontal so that ash would not fill them up
Loaded the racks with oak from the firewood bin out in the garage to season the grill and lit them up
At this point I realized that I had a bit of an issue. When I first installed the lighters they were too close to the center. The middle of the fuel was lighting quickly but it was taking far too long to get the outsides of the wood into coals. I tore it apart and added longer gas pipe nipples then reinstalled the unit. I now had the exact opposite problem: it was lighting on the outsides but taking too long for the middle to get going. After a moment or two of thought, I decided that if 1 lighter was good, and 2 were better, then 3 would be best. So what did I do? I tore it apart again and installed a third log lighter.
Now we're getting somewhere!!
This should do the trick!! I have not used the grill since adding the 3rd lighter but have the faith that it'll accomplish exactly what I want it to do. Thus far I have cooked 4 meals on the grill (using the two log lighter configuration) and all have been absolutely outstanding!! There will be another post forthcoming with pics and the rundown of the first three cooks. One came out so well that my wife wanted me to make it again 2 days later so no point in posting the same thing twice. Bottom line, thus far I will say that this grill is nothing short of amazing!!
Lightin' it up in Lago,
Robert
