Those brickets are wood (and hopefully just wood?)
A lot of briquettes have coal in them, as well as occasionally stuff like sodium nitrate or wax for faster burning.
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paultimate14@lemmy.world 4 months agoGood points: I forgot that most people (at least in the US) are probably thinking of charcoal brickets, using some sort of chemical fire starting product or accelerant.
Those brickets are wood (and hopefully just wood?) that has been burned in a low-oxygen environment, ground down, combined with a bunch of chemicals and fillers and binder, then pressed into bricks.
I use natural chunk charcoal. Just pieces of wood burned in a low-oxygen environment with none of the extra junk, although I get the occasional rock or piece of masonry.
Also the chimney is great. Since I have a gas stovetop, I usually take my chimney inside and put it directly over the biggest burner on high for maybe 30-60 seconds, and that’s all it takes to get it going. There’s of course the risks of fire, carbon monoxide, or getting soot inside which is why you don’t want to use charcoal indoors, so I try to be quick about it.
Alton Brown is a great resource for anyone looking for more about any sort of cooking. Both the clips from Good Eats and the various YouTube videos and other stuff he’s done since.
Sludgehammer@lemmy.world 4 months ago
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I like the briquettes but just because they burn more evenly. Gotta maintain 225 for days for a nice brisket.
jdf038@mander.xyz 4 months ago
I use crumpled up paper at the bottom of mine. Oxygen and the chimney do wonders to get it started. Living in the suburbs I’m always grossed out when I walk by an outdoor BBQ and smell lighter fluid.
I also love Alton Brown and there are other videos that will teach you how to do a lot on a simple Weber style kettle grill.
Also: once you get other accessories like pans to hold and divide the charcoal for indirect heating then you’ll even open up more especially if you have a thermometer in the grill. While keeping it as low as a smoker isn’t easy it’s not impossible and I’ve done some great pork and slower cooked meats on mine.