Weber 87886 Chimney Starter

A couple years ago my wife complained about how she could taste the lighter fluid in some of the things I grilled. The charcoal just wasn't getting hot enough to burn it all off, especially on cold, rainy days. By the time the ligher fluid was burned-off, the coals were nearly gone, too. We had just seen Alton Brown's Good Eats episode, The Grill Seakers. He had used a chiminy starter to get his charcoal going, so when we saw one in the store, my wife told me to buy it and try it.

Well, after two years of use, that cheap starter has gotten to the point where it's ready to fall apart. I needed a new one, and I needed to add something inexpensive to my Amazon.com order to qualify for free shipping, so I ordered this one.

I've got to say, even though I read the reviews, I just wasn't expecting something so big! This thing has half-again as much capacity as my old one. It's also a heavier guage metal, and a better handle.

One hint: I lightly spray my newspaper with corn oil before putting it in the chiminey. It never burns away too fast, as just two sheets can do if there's enough wind, and I don't find myself packing too much newspaper in. I always get a good fire going, with no lighter fluid taste.