Just as a PSA: If you're going to do Beer Can Chicken, remember to make sure whatever brand you're using doesn't line the inside of their cans with plastic or use additives that can cook into your chicken. You can buy Beer Can Chicken cans made specifically for this type of cook that doesn't include any type of harmful/hazardous materials.
As an American, I will do what I damn$d well please and will go out of my way to find a plastic lined canned to get the full flavour profile of a beer can steamed chicken.
The best thing about the chimney is you can start your charcoal with newspaper and not have to use lighter fluid which leaves a chemical taste. That's the main reason I use it when I grill
Yes, why the fire starter things? Just wad up a bit of newspaper and put that at the very bottom and after putting the charcoal in the top you light the newspaper. That is all it takes.
Thank you Jamie, for pointing out they're $10 in America. I was all upset that you spent 27 pounds for it. That's just outrageous. The Weber one is $10 here too.
@@SortedFood Wait, you're in Texas? WHERE!?!? I can't travel much right now, but if that's a TX resort, I have to visit! Also, the chimneys are, from what I've seen, exactly as you said, either for when you're cooking for a LOT of people and have to keep it going a while, or in competitions when you need to set up fast and keep the grill hot for a long time.
my parents have had a chimney starter for over 10 years even though they grill make 4 or 5 times a year, and it makes grilling so much more enjoyable bc you don't have to wait as long for the food to be ready; after all, the best part of grilling is eating the food together, and not the waiting around bit.
For the starter chimney - put the firelighter (or rolled up scrap paper) under the chimney (not in it!)... The chimney works because of vortex heat - essentially as the coals start to get hot, they draw cold air in from the bottom and the side holes, this accelerates as it flows up the chimney and draws ever more air in - more air with lots of fuel - very hot! (fire triangle...) I would say that this is a critical piece of regular BBQ cooking, particularly if you are using good fuel.
Someone needs to send one of those beer-can chicken bikes to Josh from JOLLY, first because of his love of BBQ and second because can you imagine the comments Ollie will make?
On chimney starters, the speed at which the charcoal is ready, allows for charcoal grilling as a mid-week thing. Start the chimney, prep some veg, boil water, season the meat, burgers, chicken, etc...meal in 30 minutes. Also, we use a lot of mesquite lump charcoal in Arizona. The pieces are often irregular. So, the chimney gets the various pieces going really well.
I've been using the same $10 supermarket charcoal chimney every summer day for the last 15 years, and I will probably be using it for the next 15. You didn't take advantage of one of the handiest features of that 30 quid Weber chimney, though! The lever in the handle is a spring-loaded release lever that will drop the bottom and allow you to position the glowing coals wherever you want them without having to upend the chimney to spill them out. It's a nice safety feature. Also, there's no need for commercially prepared fire starters. Stuff the bottom with crumpled up newspapers, junk mail, or documents you might otherwise put in the shredder.
Tip for doing beer can chicken: The liquid in the can doesn't matter. No flavor transfers to the meat. The secret of beer can chicken is that the position of the bird puts the more delicate breast meat in a lower temperature area of the grill. So drink all the contents of the can, replace it with some water for ballast, and let your grill rip.
Chimney starters are also clutch for getting a wood campfire going in no time. It’s part of our regular camp kit. When starting a wood campfire, the trickiest and most time consuming part of it is keeping a very hot spot of the fire going long enough that it can ignite other bits of wood AND keep them burning. Something that charcoal is literally made for. So we put a handful of charcoal into the chimney (we have a smaller one than they used), ignite it with paper/pine needles/tinder from below (as others have pointed out, not in the same compartment with the charcoal, but in the space below it), and let the charcoal get all white hot. Them dump them into the base of your fire pit, and just arrange the logs over them. Beautiful roaring campfire in no time! My friend taught me this awesome trick, and now I share it will you. Happy camping! :)
Sooo tomato sized chorizo is now officially a vegetable. I think I can take my next step towards vegetarianism. Great video guys, I had to realise again that I could spend all the fortune I don't have on kitchen gadgets.
You should try those sieve/cage things with mussels and/or clams, that would be an interesting flavour experiment. Seems like those devices would work pretty well for that particular application.
I saw them drop the fire starters inside the chimney, they actually go on the bottom, below the internal grate. Also, as some have said, news paper, paper towels, even the paper bag the charcoal came in (if you have a storage bin for charcoal), can be shredded up and placed under the chimney. Some would sprinkle some cooking oil on the paper as well..
I noticed that too. The fire starter shouldnt come in contact with the coals. There's no need and the chimney can be moved around so that the bottom layer of coals gets evenly lit.
For the chimney starter using old newspaer or brown paper bags, rip & stuff paper under where coals go. Then add coals place on grate where coals go and light the paper. 15 - 20 minutes later, super hot coals.
Yeah, they're dirt cheap in most places and you only need the cheapest one. So for $15-20 you'll be saving more than that each summer in starters, time and peace of mind.
I laughed so hard at the motorcycle beer can chicken thing 😂😂😂 it’s definitely a silly gift for the bbq enthusiast, but I think it’s also a gift that would get used. My dad got a chimney thing for the bbq.. it gets used a lot!
I was impressed that Ben got chicken from the chick reference. Especially since the description was so well done and out of this world. 🤣 Love how his brain works! 😄
I'm a Chimney Starter user from way back. It is the biggest time saver, and is far more reliable than other starting methods. I found packing the bottom with crushed up newspaper was a great way to get it started, no need for firefighters etc.
I don’t own the Billows, but I have something very similar. The beauty of it for me is that it makes for incredibly efficient cooks because I have learned to trust it and I no longer have to keep lifting the lid to check on heat and progress. The second advantage of it over say Jamie’s BBQ is that I have kamado style BBQ, a kettle, an offset smoker, a vertical smoker and a tandoor. With a small amount of modification to each cooker I can use the one piece of kit on all of them.
odd the chimney was only appreciated for speed and not its ability to evenly heat all the coals. Ben mentioned it quickly but for me thats the number one reason, i want a consistent temp across the grill. same as mentioned in other comments though, lump charcoal is where this tool really shines.
Lol. My husband has always used a chimney. When you want something bbq’d for dinner during the week, it’s fast and easy. 30 years married and I think we’re on our 3rd $10 chimney. Also have a bunch of different shaped pans with holes to go on the bbq. Amazing for veg. The motorcycle beer chicken is just so silly. But very amusing for a party.
I’m so here for watching the boys just have fun and laugh together in a big vacation house with multiple kitchens on a sunny, summer day while wearing Hawaiian shirts and shoving beer cans up various foods (or maybe just the one chicken). More of this energy plz🙏🏻
One cool thing about the Bellows air gadget is that it lets you keep the lid down more. I dont cook with timers on the grill, i like to see how it looks which means raising the lid and releasing that heat energy you had. This probably helps a ton with fuel efficiency.
I'm so glad you guys feature the signal and billows gadget. I thought it really should've been included in the bbqs comparison as a way to improve a cheap/portable bbq
you payed the weber premium price, there about 15 euro, they start in 10 minutes if you put 2 starters, below the ting instead of in it. one extra plus is whatever starter you use it wont end up in the bbq so no stinking petroleum on your food.
It was such a shock for me to call the chimney starter a gadget and Barry to question its use because where i live its literally somthing everyone has. Having to wait for ages for your charcoal to get going in your barbecue is basically a failure state where i live Edit : also they are like 5 euros here in greece
Remember, there's not enough sun in Britain for barbecue to be a daily. Actually, that should add to it. The chimney starter can get your barbecue up to heat before the sun goes away.
@@MuriKakari but its not daily here in greece too. Its just that a 5 to 10 euro device that saves you half an hour of effort every time you use a couple time a year and basically never breaks is a no brainer
I've been using this type of charcoal chimney gadget for 30+ years. I use newspaper as a starter on the bottom. Absolutely love it. No need for smelly starter fluid
A charcoal chimney is a very common thing here in the US. I keep empty charcoal bags to tear up and use for lighting. 50 years ago my father used a large coffee can with the bottom cut off and holes punched in the side for a chimney. Basically free after the coffee was used up. If you get a chimeny and leave it outside when not using it, cover it or you may find a bird has set up housekeeping in it. That's how I came to have two chimneys. I couldn't bear to displace Mrs. Mourning Dove and her eggs. :)
Neatest thing to use a chimney starter for is get the charcoal going, put a grate on top. and use it to give a quick sear on something already brought up to temperature using sous vide. This way the sear is done fast enough to not overcook the item.
My dad has one of the Weber charcoal chimney things, it cost about $20 and I'd say it paid for itself the first summer he had it. We're American, and I do think the smoking/grilling/barbequing culture is pretty strong here, but he's one of those "enthusiasts" you spoke of, and he seems to love that thing. He likes that you don't need to use lighter fluid/ignition accelerator stuff to light it. It definitely makes getting your coals going much easier. If you enjoy the BBQ experience, I think he'd recommend it.
I laughed so hard at that beer can chicken motorbike, it would make an absolutely amazing gift and well it shows how far Ben has come given he was actually on board with it.
It's a good spot for incidentally vegan food, too. Grilling involves primarily whole foods, so the number of finickly vegan rules you have to remember drops to near zero. I'd really like to see Sorted do that. Vegan original recipes instead of meat&cheese replacement recipes.
Smoke a cauliflower head in smoker. Bbq sauce and cook high again. 👍 we have vegetarians all the time even though we mainly do smoked meats. They love it. The other veggies in the smoker are good too. But the cauliflower holds up nice and kind of looks like a pork shoulder
My friend has two of the chimney starters and they’re sooo good! We find it brilliant for very last minute, week night, after work bbqs, which in summer we do a lot of! I’ll get all text from my mates asking if I fancy a bbq for tea (most of us finish at 6/7) and with the help of these we get amazing food done really quickly and can saver the summer nights more!
I would love to see you guys make unique flavors of things- for example; weird flavored candy or ice cream, or even oatmeal- with the attempt of making these things taste good
This is excellent! Love you guys. I have been watching since last year! I actually work at a Weber grill Restaurant outside Chicago, so it's nice to see the gadgets put to the test!
Chimney starters are especially good for natural lump charcoal which can be significantly harder to both light and get hot. It make heating it up much more consistent and easy and no lighter fluid
My dad is a huge Dutch Oven fan, so I had no idea people used charcoal without a chimney starter. He'd even made his own on a few occasions out of old coffee cans.
I'd buy the rollers, that's an amazing idea. Only because, when I've over used them to the point they don't work as they should, I could then use them as bird feeders to keep Ben happy 😁
A great quartet of tools this go-round! My late hubby (both a motorcycles & bbq enthusiast) would have loved the last one. TBH, I’ve always had a concern about the safety of the super-heated, (I’m guessing) not-necessarily-food-safe inks from the beer can contaminating the chicken.
We usually put newspaper at the bottom, then add coals, light and wait for a bit and voila!!! It's super commonly used here in the US! 😅 I'm not a fan of the Wok, I saw the stuff fly out the bottom holes. The cages are nice. 😊 Beer can chicken is so common here too!! Choose carefully so you don't get a can with a liner!!! There is a great rack you can use, the bike is silly! 😊
The chimney starters also (depending on brand) can also dump the coals from the bottom and yeah Jamie is right, they are dirt cheap. I think the motorcycle chicken was probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen but it does look fun
I love those birdfeeders! I always find pick up the veggies from the grill (I rarely use skewers) takes so long everything get's cold. Just picking up the cage and pouring them out in a bowl or on a tray sounds brilliant!
Almost anything you would put in the baskets you could put in the wok instead. Except items that are so small they might fall through. Like Bay Shrimp, which was the 1st thing I thought of for the baskets. I have seen mesh grilling baskets which could double as a colander. I have a beer can chicken gadget that I got from ceramic vendor @ craft fair. It's like a cup & plate fused together; the cup part being about 3/4 the size of a can of beer, and plate about 6" in diameter. Works great. I usually put it (w/chicken) in an 8x8 stainless pan I delegated for grilling.
Must say chimney starter is a must have. Allows you to easily measure how much charcoal you typically use (I have a mini one and regular one - mini is perfect for 2 of us, bigger for more) and it’s fool proof - fire lighter, 1 piece of kindling underneath, light and come back 15/20mins later. It’s great for consistency
My dad had a barbecue starter which was effectively a 1800W "hair-dryer" which pumped hot air through a metal tube into the bottom of the charcoal pile, usually took about 20 seconds from scratch to get lit. We got it second-hand by which point the end had melted (or possibly rusted) off the metal tube: the previous owner had been a little over-enthusiastic! Awesome gadget, miss those days❣
Ebbers: "Down on all fours..." Me: "Welp, here we go..." Ebbers: *demonstrates his blowing technique* Me: Welp, can't unsee that. Best to just suppress it. 🙃
So nice to see the BBQ Discussion continue. I loved the gadgets in the last video and I wish everyone good luck with the Summer ‘Love Island’ but platonic and culinary that will follow. Happy Sunday!
Here in the southwest the weather allows us to BBQ pretty much year-round. Sometimes we’d rather cook outside then stay inside a hot house so we cook on our BBQs a lot. The chimney starters are great. You don’t have to use added chemicals as that chimney gets the charcoal hot really fast. We have several of them, but the Weber is really the best. We just use crumpled up newspapers in the bottom and they work just as well as starters. We use a variation of the rolling baskets and wok and they are great to add that smokey flavor to smaller veggies like mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Thanks for the tip on the Thermoworks gadgets. It’s convenient that they work with different types of BBQs and not just their brand or a specific brand of BBQ. The chicken thing is a hoot.
I think almost everyone in Denmark use a chimney starter when they charcoal grill. Fascinating to see that this is not a normal thing in other countries 😅
Here in the US where BBQ is a national pass time, chimney starters are KEY. Most people I know have 2 so they can get the grill started faster and keep it going longer.
I wouldn't say that they are better for coal than briquettes. I would say they're amazing for either one, absolutely no lighter fluid and way easier, faster and more reliablefor anyone to light a BBQ
@@Pepzi987 Fair. I guess I meant that coal can be pretty hard to light without these. Whereas briquettes (thanks for the spelling correction) are pretty easily lit.
@@joshp8535 You're right. Coal can be a pain to light without one. Maybe I should've said that coal gets more of a benefit than briquettes but they both end up on the same level of convenience with one.
The bird feeder roller things could be a great deal if you have friends who also enjoy grilling. Split the cost, or keep what you'll use yourself and give the rest away as gifts.
I LOVE my chimney starter! It makes starting the barbecue so much easier, and I don't need lighter fluid at all. I like that I can use a bit of scrap paper or just one of those starter bundles to light the charcoal, even to relight pre used charcoal. Also with the chimney I can light my barbecue when it's a bit windy, where if I was using lighter fluid I wouldn't for fear of setting my yard/house on fire.
re the charcoal starter...it can also be used as a tiny bbq by itself just put a small amout of charcoal in the bottom and any steel grill on top and away you go. i usually can do a few hotdogs or 2 burgers at a time..its great when backpack camping or for when you want a small very quick bbq at home
I use my charcoal chimney for getting the grill started and it also serves as a rocket platform later in the evening. Those holes and side walls make great places to set up a dozen bottle rockets and light them all in one go with a torch. Good stuff!
There are a couple tricks with the chimney… Use the fire starters, but fill your charcoal chimney about halfway and make sure air flows good and you can also use a paper plate to fan it and make it hot but the main reason why a charcoal chimney works because it makes the charcoal uniform
Great gadgets. I especially like the round cages. I have the pan with holes, I season everything before putting it in the BBQ pan. All in all, great gadgets!
I love my chimney starters for my smoker, best part is, if you don’t want to spray lighter fluid or have no. Food safe lighting material, you can use the chimney to help keep that stuff out of your bbq
Grabbed one of the chimneys for dirt cheap at Lidl, I've found that it's also good for minimising coal wastage as you're getting them all going much faster.
Another use for the chimney starter - Buy a cast iron grill grate and place on top after the coals are lit. Sous vide a steak and use the rip, roaring heat to sear with sides.
We've used the veggie pan on the grill for years and have thrown just about any kind of veg you can think of on the grill. It's a great (and cheap) investment!
As someone that lives where chimney starters are not common, getting one completely changed my grilling life... it's the difference between being able to fire up the grill on a weeknight dinner or not
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Jamie telling Barry how to use the chimney starter was such a dad moment. It really looked lika a dad teaching his son.
🤣yeah i can just imagine Barry in a diaper with runny poo dribling down his leg and Jamie wiping it
@@Professor-Scientist what in the fuck
@@Professor-Scientistwhat the actual fuck.
Yes, too bad he was doing it all wrong!
Jamie had the pent up impatience and Barry was too happy and curious. Very father son.
Just as a PSA: If you're going to do Beer Can Chicken, remember to make sure whatever brand you're using doesn't line the inside of their cans with plastic or use additives that can cook into your chicken. You can buy Beer Can Chicken cans made specifically for this type of cook that doesn't include any type of harmful/hazardous materials.
Not just the plastic lining, but the inks often used on drink cans are not safe at temp.
Oh wow. I've definitely done this before and I never even thought about that!
YES! THAT! THANK YOU!!
Also don't worry about drinking out the cans, they are perfectly safe, but they cease being perfectly safe when you, you know, literally cook em
As an American, I will do what I damn$d well please and will go out of my way to find a plastic lined canned to get the full flavour profile of a beer can steamed chicken.
The best thing about the chimney is you can start your charcoal with newspaper and not have to use lighter fluid which leaves a chemical taste. That's the main reason I use it when I grill
Yes! It's the main reason why I bought it too. I can also use twigs and stuff from my backyard in a pinch.
or just put a layer of coal in the bottom, briquettes on top, and light the coal with a blowtorch.
Yes, why the fire starter things? Just wad up a bit of newspaper and put that at the very bottom and after putting the charcoal in the top you light the newspaper. That is all it takes.
Try the used paper egg cartons tip, less smokey!
Also like the ones that have the lever to drop the coals out of the bottom.
Thank you Jamie, for pointing out they're $10 in America. I was all upset that you spent 27 pounds for it. That's just outrageous. The Weber one is $10 here too.
Weber is crazy money. Every shop in Sweden has them for about 10-15 USD.
38 eur in Slovenia... But you get 2kg of charcoal for free.
@@weebeep72that ain’t free bro lol
You can also make them out of a large tin can. Back when coffee mostly came in cans, they were called "coffee can charcoal chimneys".
@@brycepatties Shhhh. Thats the secret part. Don't tell them about that.
Jaime must be having the time of his life with this videos! The dad jokes must be abundant as he grills right guys!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
He’s seriously loving life right now……. And being in Texas currently too!
@@SortedFoodlove the lone Star states, You guys too!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
@@SortedFood On a pilgrimage?
@@SortedFood Wait, you're in Texas? WHERE!?!? I can't travel much right now, but if that's a TX resort, I have to visit! Also, the chimneys are, from what I've seen, exactly as you said, either for when you're cooking for a LOT of people and have to keep it going a while, or in competitions when you need to set up fast and keep the grill hot for a long time.
@@SortedFood PWIMMMM PWIMMMM
my parents have had a chimney starter for over 10 years even though they grill make 4 or 5 times a year, and it makes grilling so much more enjoyable bc you don't have to wait as long for the food to be ready; after all, the best part of grilling is eating the food together, and not the waiting around bit.
You’re totally right, the best part is the eating!
I can feel Jamie's energy when anything related to Barbeque...Spaff is really in his element in this series!!
For the starter chimney - put the firelighter (or rolled up scrap paper) under the chimney (not in it!)... The chimney works because of vortex heat - essentially as the coals start to get hot, they draw cold air in from the bottom and the side holes, this accelerates as it flows up the chimney and draws ever more air in - more air with lots of fuel - very hot! (fire triangle...) I would say that this is a critical piece of regular BBQ cooking, particularly if you are using good fuel.
I agree put the starter underneath the chimney works even easier.
If you are going to do a review it’s best to know how something works before doing the review.
Someone needs to send one of those beer-can chicken bikes to Josh from JOLLY, first because of his love of BBQ and second because can you imagine the comments Ollie will make?
I can more imagine Ollie making this chicken and serving it to Josh....I am not sure Josh would actually use it...but Ollie would.
Knowing Ollie he’s already buying it
On chimney starters, the speed at which the charcoal is ready, allows for charcoal grilling as a mid-week thing. Start the chimney, prep some veg, boil water, season the meat, burgers, chicken, etc...meal in 30 minutes. Also, we use a lot of mesquite lump charcoal in Arizona. The pieces are often irregular. So, the chimney gets the various pieces going really well.
Yup, it gets you pretty close to the convenience of a gas grill.
Lump charcoal tastes best
I've been using the same $10 supermarket charcoal chimney every summer day for the last 15 years, and I will probably be using it for the next 15. You didn't take advantage of one of the handiest features of that 30 quid Weber chimney, though! The lever in the handle is a spring-loaded release lever that will drop the bottom and allow you to position the glowing coals wherever you want them without having to upend the chimney to spill them out. It's a nice safety feature. Also, there's no need for commercially prepared fire starters. Stuff the bottom with crumpled up newspapers, junk mail, or documents you might otherwise put in the shredder.
I have that one, it doesn't release anything. Not really sure what that spring thing is for. Perhaps I'm using it wrong.
no it isn't, it's just another handle
Handle #2 is helpful for stability when pouring out the charcoal.
@@tmarritt Must be a different model then.
Tip for doing beer can chicken: The liquid in the can doesn't matter. No flavor transfers to the meat. The secret of beer can chicken is that the position of the bird puts the more delicate breast meat in a lower temperature area of the grill. So drink all the contents of the can, replace it with some water for ballast, and let your grill rip.
Cans are lined with plastic/epoxy and covered in paint. Both of which burn and leech chemicals into the meat.
Chimney starters are also clutch for getting a wood campfire going in no time. It’s part of our regular camp kit.
When starting a wood campfire, the trickiest and most time consuming part of it is keeping a very hot spot of the fire going long enough that it can ignite other bits of wood AND keep them burning. Something that charcoal is literally made for. So we put a handful of charcoal into the chimney (we have a smaller one than they used), ignite it with paper/pine needles/tinder from below (as others have pointed out, not in the same compartment with the charcoal, but in the space below it), and let the charcoal get all white hot. Them dump them into the base of your fire pit, and just arrange the logs over them. Beautiful roaring campfire in no time! My friend taught me this awesome trick, and now I share it will you. Happy camping! :)
Sooo tomato sized chorizo is now officially a vegetable. I think I can take my next step towards vegetarianism. Great video guys, I had to realise again that I could spend all the fortune I don't have on kitchen gadgets.
You should try those sieve/cage things with mussels and/or clams, that would be an interesting flavour experiment. Seems like those devices would work pretty well for that particular application.
we have bigger ones for our bbq and do prawns and vege and chicken wing nibbles, they are great.
I saw them drop the fire starters inside the chimney, they actually go on the bottom, below the internal grate. Also, as some have said, news paper, paper towels, even the paper bag the charcoal came in (if you have a storage bin for charcoal), can be shredded up and placed under the chimney. Some would sprinkle some cooking oil on the paper as well..
I noticed that too. The fire starter shouldnt come in contact with the coals. There's no need and the chimney can be moved around so that the bottom layer of coals gets evenly lit.
For the chimney starter using old newspaer or brown paper bags, rip & stuff paper under where coals go. Then add coals place on grate where coals go and light the paper. 15 - 20 minutes later, super hot coals.
Lol. Yeah, I was almost yelling at the screen.
Yeah, they're dirt cheap in most places and you only need the cheapest one. So for $15-20 you'll be saving more than that each summer in starters, time and peace of mind.
YES! Or even paper towels work as well…….or even better yet, the bag the charcoal is in. Just rip some off the top
@@bobhawkey3783I was talking to the screen saying newspaper in the bottom, not on the screen.
Yeah and not too much - I typically use only one full sheet of newspaper
I laughed so hard at the motorcycle beer can chicken thing 😂😂😂 it’s definitely a silly gift for the bbq enthusiast, but I think it’s also a gift that would get used.
My dad got a chimney thing for the bbq.. it gets used a lot!
So when things have'nt fit under the cloche in the studio I kind of want to find a giant comedy sized mega cloche and send it to you guys.
That would be funny 😂
@@SortedFood repurpose round BBQ lid ;)
You can do chicken wings very nicely in those rolley cages. The holey wok is great for shrimp.
I was impressed that Ben got chicken from the chick reference. Especially since the description was so well done and out of this world. 🤣 Love how his brain works! 😄
The pan with the veg. roller is amazing! I had no idea anything like that existed.
I'm a Chimney Starter user from way back. It is the biggest time saver, and is far more reliable than other starting methods. I found packing the bottom with crushed up newspaper was a great way to get it started, no need for firefighters etc.
I thought Firefighters put out fires.
Ideally none of your cookouts require firefighters, unless you've invited them over for dinner.
@@carmenclemons2556 lol, that should have said firefighters... but I think it works
@@scottmcginn2169 Damm you spell check!
The chimney starter is the best. Use newspaper in the bottom and for an extra boost give either the paper or charcoal a squirt of vegetable oil
Ben's Vatican joke deserves more appreciation! #PunAppreciationSocietyArise
The boys getting gradually more toasted during the bbq episode was funny as hell 😂
Barry's look of confusion is adorable 😂
He doesn’t really BBQ at home. He leaves it to those who know what they’re doing 😂
@@SortedFoodwise
@@SortedFoodHahaha it's veeery evident!
I don’t own the Billows, but I have something very similar.
The beauty of it for me is that it makes for incredibly efficient cooks because I have learned to trust it and I no longer have to keep lifting the lid to check on heat and progress.
The second advantage of it over say Jamie’s BBQ is that I have kamado style BBQ, a kettle, an offset smoker, a vertical smoker and a tandoor. With a small amount of modification to each cooker I can use the one piece of kit on all of them.
odd the chimney was only appreciated for speed and not its ability to evenly heat all the coals. Ben mentioned it quickly but for me thats the number one reason, i want a consistent temp across the grill. same as mentioned in other comments though, lump charcoal is where this tool really shines.
Lol. My husband has always used a chimney. When you want something bbq’d for dinner during the week, it’s fast and easy. 30 years married and I think we’re on our 3rd $10 chimney.
Also have a bunch of different shaped pans with holes to go on the bbq. Amazing for veg.
The motorcycle beer chicken is just so silly. But very amusing for a party.
I’m so here for watching the boys just have fun and laugh together in a big vacation house with multiple kitchens on a sunny, summer day while wearing Hawaiian shirts and shoving beer cans up various foods (or maybe just the one chicken). More of this energy plz🙏🏻
One cool thing about the Bellows air gadget is that it lets you keep the lid down more. I dont cook with timers on the grill, i like to see how it looks which means raising the lid and releasing that heat energy you had. This probably helps a ton with fuel efficiency.
You can achieve the same with a £30 InkBird, though.
I'm so glad you guys feature the signal and billows gadget. I thought it really should've been included in the bbqs comparison as a way to improve a cheap/portable bbq
you payed the weber premium price, there about 15 euro, they start in 10 minutes if you put 2 starters, below the ting instead of in it. one extra plus is whatever starter you use it wont end up in the bbq so no stinking petroleum on your food.
It was such a shock for me to call the chimney starter a gadget and Barry to question its use because where i live its literally somthing everyone has. Having to wait for ages for your charcoal to get going in your barbecue is basically a failure state where i live
Edit : also they are like 5 euros here in greece
Remember, there's not enough sun in Britain for barbecue to be a daily. Actually, that should add to it. The chimney starter can get your barbecue up to heat before the sun goes away.
@@MuriKakari but its not daily here in greece too. Its just that a 5 to 10 euro device that saves you half an hour of effort every time you use a couple time a year and basically never breaks is a no brainer
@@DimT670 Everything you say is true; that was mostly just a joke about the stereotypical perception of British weather
@@DimT670it might not be daily but your weather is a HELL of a lot better than Britain. It’s july at the mo and I have a jumper on today!
@@redeye1016t's July at the moment and I feel like seared by the sun. Weather is weird
I've been using this type of charcoal chimney gadget for 30+ years. I use newspaper as a starter on the bottom. Absolutely love it. No need for smelly starter fluid
A charcoal chimney is a very common thing here in the US. I keep empty charcoal bags to tear up and use for lighting. 50 years ago my father used a large coffee can with the bottom cut off and holes punched in the side for a chimney. Basically free after the coffee was used up.
If you get a chimeny and leave it outside when not using it, cover it or you may find a bird has set up housekeeping in it. That's how I came to have two chimneys. I couldn't bear to displace Mrs. Mourning Dove and her eggs. :)
Neatest thing to use a chimney starter for is get the charcoal going, put a grate on top. and use it to give a quick sear on something already brought up to temperature using sous vide. This way the sear is done fast enough to not overcook the item.
My dad has one of the Weber charcoal chimney things, it cost about $20 and I'd say it paid for itself the first summer he had it. We're American, and I do think the smoking/grilling/barbequing culture is pretty strong here, but he's one of those "enthusiasts" you spoke of, and he seems to love that thing. He likes that you don't need to use lighter fluid/ignition accelerator stuff to light it. It definitely makes getting your coals going much easier. If you enjoy the BBQ experience, I think he'd recommend it.
That’s great to hear your dad loves it too!
I laughed so hard at that beer can chicken motorbike, it would make an absolutely amazing gift and well it shows how far Ben has come given he was actually on board with it.
I would love to see you guys have a go at Vegetarian Barbecue cooking, because people like me are very often left out when it comes to barbecue.
It's a good spot for incidentally vegan food, too. Grilling involves primarily whole foods, so the number of finickly vegan rules you have to remember drops to near zero.
I'd really like to see Sorted do that. Vegan original recipes instead of meat&cheese replacement recipes.
Its quite a few years old but they have actually done a vegetarian bbq segment in the past if you look it up.
Smoke a cauliflower head in smoker. Bbq sauce and cook high again. 👍 we have vegetarians all the time even though we mainly do smoked meats. They love it. The other veggies in the smoker are good too. But the cauliflower holds up nice and kind of looks like a pork shoulder
My friend has two of the chimney starters and they’re sooo good! We find it brilliant for very last minute, week night, after work bbqs, which in summer we do a lot of! I’ll get all text from my mates asking if I fancy a bbq for tea (most of us finish at 6/7) and with the help of these we get amazing food done really quickly and can saver the summer nights more!
My first thought when seeing the rolling cages was to throw some nuts in. Like the chestnuts at the Christmas market.
Yep same! Haha.
Barry's laugh when Ben put the glasses on the chicken was great.
I would love to see you guys make unique flavors of things- for example; weird flavored candy or ice cream, or even oatmeal- with the attempt of making these things taste good
Ben is right about the bird bike. I wouldn't buy one for myself, but would definitely give one as a gift to a friend with a fun personality.
This is excellent! Love you guys. I have been watching since last year! I actually work at a Weber grill Restaurant outside Chicago, so it's nice to see the gadgets put to the test!
Chimney starters are especially good for natural lump charcoal which can be significantly harder to both light and get hot. It make heating it up much more consistent and easy and no lighter fluid
My dad is a huge Dutch Oven fan, so I had no idea people used charcoal without a chimney starter. He'd even made his own on a few occasions out of old coffee cans.
Yes! I learned about a chimney for Dutch ovens. It is totally important for that and not at all a fancy gadget
I'd buy the rollers, that's an amazing idea. Only because, when I've over used them to the point they don't work as they should, I could then use them as bird feeders to keep Ben happy 😁
My husband has a smaller version of gadget #1. We use it constantly!
Mark this moment. They liked EVERYTHING! That my friend is the power of BBQ. 🔥
This was such a fun episode! I love these!
Got to Love Ebbers impression of the big bad wolf. He huffed and he huffed.....and the bbq started!
A great quartet of tools this go-round!
My late hubby (both a motorcycles & bbq enthusiast) would have loved the last one.
TBH, I’ve always had a concern about the safety of the super-heated, (I’m guessing) not-necessarily-food-safe inks from the beer can contaminating the chicken.
We usually put newspaper at the bottom, then add coals, light and wait for a bit and voila!!! It's super commonly used here in the US! 😅 I'm not a fan of the Wok, I saw the stuff fly out the bottom holes. The cages are nice. 😊 Beer can chicken is so common here too!! Choose carefully so you don't get a can with a liner!!! There is a great rack you can use, the bike is silly! 😊
The chimney starters also (depending on brand) can also dump the coals from the bottom and yeah Jamie is right, they are dirt cheap. I think the motorcycle chicken was probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen but it does look fun
Missed opportunity with the motorcycle: when Ben said "the beer's half drunk" nobody responded "and so is the chef!"
I love those birdfeeders! I always find pick up the veggies from the grill (I rarely use skewers) takes so long everything get's cold. Just picking up the cage and pouring them out in a bowl or on a tray sounds brilliant!
With some products you wonder why they exist. But like my dad taught me: there’s truly a market for everything. 😂
Ooooooodles of fun
Almost anything you would put in the baskets you could put in the wok instead. Except items that are so small they might fall through. Like Bay Shrimp, which was the 1st thing I thought of for the baskets. I have seen mesh grilling baskets which could double as a colander.
I have a beer can chicken gadget that I got from ceramic vendor @ craft fair. It's like a cup & plate fused together; the cup part being about 3/4 the size of a can of beer, and plate about 6" in diameter. Works great. I usually put it (w/chicken) in an 8x8 stainless pan I delegated for grilling.
Why couldn't you have done this video before father's day? Love gadget reviews!
Must say chimney starter is a must have. Allows you to easily measure how much charcoal you typically use (I have a mini one and regular one - mini is perfect for 2 of us, bigger for more) and it’s fool proof - fire lighter, 1 piece of kindling underneath, light and come back 15/20mins later. It’s great for consistency
those chimneys are so common in denmark, anyone with a charcoil bbq use these and has been doing so for a decade at least.
They’re very handy indeed.
My dad had a barbecue starter which was effectively a 1800W "hair-dryer" which pumped hot air through a metal tube into the bottom of the charcoal pile, usually took about 20 seconds from scratch to get lit. We got it second-hand by which point the end had melted (or possibly rusted) off the metal tube: the previous owner had been a little over-enthusiastic! Awesome gadget, miss those days❣
ThermoWorks makes some great kit. Definitely a fan of all their gear.
Ben putting that sprig of mint on the chicken head absolutely slayed me.
That house looks amazing!
I thought the motorcycle was stupid until the chicken was given sunglasses. Now I'm 100% on board, 10/10 truly amazing.
Ebbers: "Down on all fours..."
Me: "Welp, here we go..."
Ebbers: *demonstrates his blowing technique*
Me: Welp, can't unsee that. Best to just suppress it. 🙃
😂🤦♂️
@@SortedFoodthat's what i said!😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@SortedFood I hadn't got to the chicken yet either 😂 What a terrible day to have eyes.
I remember making the charcoal chimney with the old metal coffee can back in the day. Easy to make and pretty much free
So nice to see the BBQ Discussion continue. I loved the gadgets in the last video and I wish everyone good luck with the Summer ‘Love Island’ but platonic and culinary that will follow.
Happy Sunday!
Here in the southwest the weather allows us to BBQ pretty much year-round. Sometimes we’d rather cook outside then stay inside a hot house so we cook on our BBQs a lot. The chimney starters are great. You don’t have to use added chemicals as that chimney gets the charcoal hot really fast. We have several of them, but the Weber is really the best. We just use crumpled up newspapers in the bottom and they work just as well as starters. We use a variation of the rolling baskets and wok and they are great to add that smokey flavor to smaller veggies like mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Thanks for the tip on the Thermoworks gadgets. It’s convenient that they work with different types of BBQs and not just their brand or a specific brand of BBQ. The chicken thing is a hoot.
I think almost everyone in Denmark use a chimney starter when they charcoal grill. Fascinating to see that this is not a normal thing in other countries 😅
You actually put your starter on the grill grates underneath the chimney. That why there’s slits in the side. Much love from the south, U.S.A.!!
As an American I’m like of course you’d own a coal chimney if you have a grill.
Love this series of videos 👍
Here in the US where BBQ is a national pass time, chimney starters are KEY. Most people I know have 2 so they can get the grill started faster and keep it going longer.
Aren't those chimney things even better for when you aren't using brickettes and are using like nice chunk coal?
I wouldn't say that they are better for coal than briquettes. I would say they're amazing for either one, absolutely no lighter fluid and way easier, faster and more reliablefor anyone to light a BBQ
@@Pepzi987 Fair. I guess I meant that coal can be pretty hard to light without these. Whereas briquettes (thanks for the spelling correction) are pretty easily lit.
@@joshp8535 You're right. Coal can be a pain to light without one. Maybe I should've said that coal gets more of a benefit than briquettes but they both end up on the same level of convenience with one.
The bird feeder roller things could be a great deal if you have friends who also enjoy grilling. Split the cost, or keep what you'll use yourself and give the rest away as gifts.
Love your review videos. Plus this video is making me excited for the Live Weekend! The countdown has started!! 🎉
💯 the countdown is on!
@@SortedFoodYAY!🎉🎉🎉🎉
Charcoal starter works really well for starting your coals for a Dutch oven. My family will use it practically weekly in the summer
Ben insisting he didn’t forget to bring the cloches. 😂
I LOVE my chimney starter! It makes starting the barbecue so much easier, and I don't need lighter fluid at all. I like that I can use a bit of scrap paper or just one of those starter bundles to light the charcoal, even to relight pre used charcoal. Also with the chimney I can light my barbecue when it's a bit windy, where if I was using lighter fluid I wouldn't for fear of setting my yard/house on fire.
that moment of Ben's brain short circuiting at the implication that you put birds in the bird feeder, so wonderful XD
THIS! It's Spaf's video! I bought the beer can chicken motorbike for my Dad.....so fun! He did it in his smoker. Yum!
re the charcoal starter...it can also be used as a tiny bbq by itself just put a small amout of charcoal in the bottom and any steel grill on top and away you go. i usually can do a few hotdogs or 2 burgers at a time..its great when backpack camping or for when you want a small very quick bbq at home
I use my charcoal chimney for getting the grill started and it also serves as a rocket platform later in the evening. Those holes and side walls make great places to set up a dozen bottle rockets and light them all in one go with a torch. Good stuff!
There are a couple tricks with the chimney… Use the fire starters, but fill your charcoal chimney about halfway and make sure air flows good and you can also use a paper plate to fan it and make it hot but the main reason why a charcoal chimney works because it makes the charcoal uniform
Great gadgets. I especially like the round cages. I have the pan with holes, I season everything before putting it in the BBQ pan. All in all, great gadgets!
I love my chimney starters for my smoker, best part is, if you don’t want to spray lighter fluid or have no. Food safe lighting material, you can use the chimney to help keep that stuff out of your bbq
The charcoal starter is also an excellent super high temp grill for searing steaks very quickly. Put a cooling rack over the top and sear away
The Chimney starter is a real game changer. Remember when i used it the first time, was very impressed.
Grabbed one of the chimneys for dirt cheap at Lidl, I've found that it's also good for minimising coal wastage as you're getting them all going much faster.
Can I just say I love that embers joins in on the fun on the beer can roaster! Naughty Ebbers is best Ebbers!
I have that exact chimney starter, and it makes things a *lot* easier when it comes to lighting the grill and getting it up to temperature!
Radiation heat is lovely in winter
Another use for the chimney starter - Buy a cast iron grill grate and place on top after the coals are lit. Sous vide a steak and use the rip, roaring heat to sear with sides.
We've used the veggie pan on the grill for years and have thrown just about any kind of veg you can think of on the grill. It's a great (and cheap) investment!
As someone that lives where chimney starters are not common, getting one completely changed my grilling life... it's the difference between being able to fire up the grill on a weeknight dinner or not