UDS Firestarter (cubes)

[drallan81]

Looking to simplify with lighting up my UDS. Has anyone lit a UDS just by dropping a lit cube, tumbleweed, even a blasphemous matchlight, etc... on top of the cold coals in the basket? I'm not really worried about speed getting up to temp. I typically use Lump if that influences your opinion.

I'm sure many will reply with their alternative methods, but I'm looking for an easy, load basket, light something, drop it in, walk away method.

I have a chimney, I have a propane weedburner torch, I have a fan (partyq), I've used leaf blower, etc. I've done them all, and they all work great and get things hot and ready nice and fast. All also require some amount of participation (even if it is just dumping from chimney).


Maybe light the cube under charcoal basked and place in UDS vice just dropping on top?

Thoughts?

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

I do that, but I also have a "Bub Cage". The cage is just a piece of expanded metal that is bent and sits in the middle of my basket. It creates two spaces, one for starters and one for wood chunks. If I didn't have the cage I would probably just dig out a little spot to drop the starters into.

 

[drallan81]

I do that, but I also have a "Bub Cage". The cage is just a piece of expanded metal that is bent and sits in the middle of my basket. It creates two spaces, one for starters and one for wood chunks. If I didn't have the cage I would probably just dig out a little spot to drop the starters into.

Thanks,
What kind of starter do you use? The weber cubes, tumbleweeds, etc?

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

Thanks,
What kind of starter do you use? The weber cubes, tumbleweeds, etc?

I use the weber cubes. I will drop a couple into the coals and put the basket in the barrel. I leave the lid open until the cubes have burned up.

 

[Smoke on Badger Mountain]

I often put 2 Weber cubes in the center and light them. It works just fine. Not quite as quick as a few lit pieces of charcoal though. I also use lump though. But I think it would work for briqs

 

[jeffeg]

I have a homemade basket expanded (metal around a propane tank method), i bolted a pizza pan to the bottom as an ash catcher (around a 2 1/2 inch gap to the bottom expanded metal base) I just stick a cube or two in the center of the pan and put it in the drum. I don't really like the cubes though because of the white stuff that always fall out of the package and makes a mess. I need to remember to bring the package off the deck before i remove the cubes.