BBQ DragonCharcoal Chimney Starter for Coal Grill (Extra Large)

Powerful fan!!! Had my charcoal lit up within 5 minutes. Worked great when deciding to reverse sear a steak. The chimney is also very large! Can't wait to try this on my Santa Maria grill!!! Very easy to use, time saver, lighting was simple & quick. I highly recommend this for the day to day griller!!!

The media could not be loaded. This product worked great! The charcoal starter really held a lot of coals and the tube to insert the fire starter was a nice touch, but what really makes this product is the portable fan that you can buy that plugs right into this thing. My full chimney of coals were ready to spread in about 10 minutes. Alternatively I also hooked this fan up to my side firebox and used it to circulate the air when I added more coals to the fire. This kept my temps at a constant level and really made long cooks easier. Highly recommended by myself for backyard bbquer's and anyone who uses charcoal chimneys.

As you can probably tell from the photos: it's a charcoal chimney with a twist - it has tube in the base.The idea is you take a source of forced air, intended to be the BBQ Dragon fan but it could be about anything, and blow air through the tube and thus up through the charcoal. i.e. you're creating a mini coal-powered blast furnace at home. The forced air makes the charcoal start much faster.As a chimney *without* the BBQ Dragon or other fan/forced air source: zero advantage over the average one you find at the hardware store. A little nicer, and with cool lettering. But it won't do any better at lighting your charcoal.As a chimney *with* the BBQ Dragon or similar: GAME CHANGER. This chimney plus the BBQ Dragon on max blast really does light your coals to the point you can cook on them in 5 minutes or less. That means BBQ, steaks on the grill, smores, whatever in much less time.For best results:* use the chimney first with the BBQ Dragon as instructed* use the Dragon on max for about 2 minutes. You're instructed to not go longer because you can damage the chimney, or even melt it. I believe it. I left it on for 2-3 minutes and burned off the anti-rust coating on the dragon. Why? Remember what I said earlier: at-home BLAST FURNACE. It's not a joke* pour out the coals in layers. The bottom half are completely lit and blazing hot. The top coals are partly to completely unlit - the base gets too hot. So get a layer of unlit coals on the bottom, then top with a layer of lit coals as you pour out* then take the BBQ Dragon fan (or whatever you're using) and blow on the coals for another 1-2 minutes. In practice you stop because the heat coming off of blown coals starts burning our hand. I reiterate: BLAST FURNACE.In total this process takes about 5 minutes if you have all the materials at hand.Alternatives to the BBQ Dragon: I consider the fan to be the weak point of this setup because it costs an eye-watering $60. If you're getting an upscale gift for a grill enthusiast it's worth it. Otherwise there has to be a better way. And I think there is: LEAF BLOWER.* loosely place paper into the hole/tube and light it* point the leaf blower on low toward the hole, the fire will quickly propagate to the rest of the paper an on through and up the tube to light the coals* as the paper burns down (this happens quick, especially under forced air) get the blower closer to the hole and turn up the power* you'll know when the coals are ready about 1-2 minutes later just the same as with the BBQ dragon: fire spitting out the top* you REALLY know when it's ready when the side walls of the chimney start glowing a dull red. Because I repeat for the final time: BLAST FURNACE.Don't have a leaf blower? Use the hair dryer. The wife might try to kill you, but you're now armed with hot coals. I give you a 50/50 chance of survival.Honestly, it's worth the $40 just for a pre-made mini blast furnace. So much fun.PARTING WARNING: forced air through lit charcoal = a volcano of sparks. Part of the fun. But if you're in an area with high fire risk and lots of dry tinder easily set on fire with sparks, this is NOT a good idea. Test at home for sure before taking it camping. Kingsford charcoal seems to spark less, while Fogo charcoal (way better than Kingsford for cooking btw) seems to be about 20% charcoal and 100% made of sparks. I know that adds up to more than 100%; that's how extra the sparks are.

As stated in my original (1 star) review, if the problem was corrected, I'd update my reviewAnd let me tell you, what an improvement.The first charcoal started I received had a defect that would not allow the BBQ Dragon fan to fit into the hole on the side of the starter, making both items not worth their purchases.However, thanks to Amazon, I got a replacement starter in 1 day! It's a great time to be alive.I was able to fire up the new charcoal starter, use the BBQ fan and both work very well.The starter alone works as well as any other starter I've ever used, but when you include the fan, it works great.If you've used starters in the past, be warned, the fan will get your coals ready very quickly. So get ready to dump those coals into your BBQ and start cooking right away.Happy Q'ing

You have to have this for searring your steaks.I know, I know, their are lot of different ways to sear meat, but nothing gives the flavor of charcoal. And since your meat is already cooked, you just want it to be HOT and sear it quickly, so as to not dry out or further cook your meat.BTW, I had my first one of these fir 3 yrs... No telling how many times I used it... 100+ ?I often left it outside in the rain, and rust finally got it... Probably more than the fire. But that's okay. I definitely got my money's worth of use out of it.Didn't think twice about ordering a new one today 🙂👍Oh btw, charcoal chunks, never briquettes 👍

i have been eying this chimney, and the accompanying fan for years, but always balked at the price. over the years i have spent $15 three times over for charcoal chimneys. this one is BUILT well, and as long as i dont neglect it in the rain, looks like it will last for ever. used the fan with it and was ready to cook faster than i can preheat the propane griddle....its insanity. i love it.