Starting your fire

[bhorrocks]

Re: Starting your fire

I've been firing my brand-new FB oven for a few weeks, and I use the tops-down. I do a three-layer stack with thick logs on the bottom, with progressively smaller sticks on the top. I use 4 white Weber charcoal starter cubes, and I light them on the floor of the oven. They produce enough heat to get my top layer cranking. It's like someone else on the forum said, once you've figured it out, you can light a fire and the oven gets to cooking temp without having to add more fuel. I'm teaching my cub scout how to do it - it's that easy.

[Filthymutt]

Re: Starting your fire

Rolled up newspaper on bottom, one sheet on top, a hole heap of twigs above that for kindling then two or three of the thinnest logs teepeed over that.
I use a long neck lighter for lighting BBQ grills and such. Then add bigger logs once the smaller ones catch

[mrchipster]

Re: Starting your fire

Here is how I start a fire and it works with one match every time.

1. Start with two pieces of wood about the size of your wrist and at least 1 ft (25cm) long.
2. Take 4 pieces of dry news print or other suitable paper and crumple into separate balls.
3. Split about 16 pieces of kindling no larger than .5 in thick (2cm) or so.
4. Place the two larger pieces of wood about 6 inches (15cm) apart and have a vertical face of each piece face inward, and just inside the inner arch of your oven.
5. Put the balled paper between the wood just placed.
6. Place 4 of your smaller kindling pieces over the paper bridging between the two larger pieces of wood.
7. Layer the next smallest 4 pieces of wood over the previous kindling.
8. Repeat your Cris-cross pattern of wood until your kindling is gone.
9. Light the paper on fire.
10. When well lit take a 3rd piece of wood long enough to contact both of the larger pieces of wood and use it to push the fire to the middle of the oven.
11. Add additional wood to the pile with your banjo peel or some other tool that allows you to place the wood carefully.

Works for me every time.

BTW the fire sequence photos were taken about 15 seconds apart.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Starting your fire

Actually, I use the Austin Chronicle, it is free and useless for anything else.

[mrchipster]

Re: Starting your fire

I do not think Tscar would fire up well, I think he might smolder a lot and give off to much smoke.

[boerwarrior]

Re: Starting your fire

I hope you are referring to some kind of local newspaper and not Mr Tscarborough!

[GarnerAC]

Re: Starting your fire

Waste of time, effort, and resources. It takes one section of a newspaper and a match.

So we've found something the Austin Statesman is good for.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Starting your fire

Waste of time, effort, and resources. It takes one section of a newspaper and a match.

[MSmallsr]

Re: Starting your fire

I am building a Pompeii oven as part of an outdoor kitchen. The architect shows a gas line terminating at the opening of the oven for a gas log starter. Has anyone done this or know what exactly this is? I am thinking this is a great idea but have never heard of or seen one.

Thanks

[blacknoir]

Re: Starting your fire

I actually just watched it and was going to post the link.

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f41/...ideo-5294.html

[Les]

Re: Starting your fire

Works for me - James has a video posted somewhere. I think he didn't even add more wood to get to temp. I'm not there yet...


Les...

[blacknoir]

Re: Starting your fire

wait, so it's like a multi-layer sandwich with a couple sheets of paper in between? ie.

kindling - this is the top
paper
small wood
paper
medium wood
paper
large wood - bottom

I thought top down just had paper on the very top?

[Les]

Re: Starting your fire

I tried top down a couple times tonight with no luck.. it seemed like there just wasn't enough oxygen in the oven to keep the paper knots burning let alone start the kindling beneath it.

Shay, you may have it backwards. I will NEVER start a fire the old way. You put the big stuff on the bottom and increment up to the kindling on top. After the first course, I crumple up a couple of sheets of newspaper. Stack a couple of more rows of wood and do the same. At the end, I top it w/ kindling and the puppy takes off like no other. The great thing about it is you can walk away for 1/2 to an hour without looking back - gives you some time to address the real work.

Les...

[blacknoir]

Re: Starting your fire

I tried top down a couple times tonight with no luck.. it seemed like there just wasn't enough oxygen in the oven to keep the paper knots burning let alone start the kindling beneath it.

What did work was the blow torch method! I held that on the lower pieces for a bit and soon enough I had a fire going.

I haven't given up though with the top down method. I'm going to get a better axe tomorrow so I can cut up some smaller kindling to put on the top of the pile and give it another go. I'm curious though where you guys build the fire when you do this. In the middle of the oven, in the entry or in between?

-Shay

[Frances]

Re: Starting your fire

Hey Jeff, you're back from the wild! With free wood no less, you lucky luddite!

SwissBrit? Now who on earth could that be ???