Hi Peter! Thanks for the video. I just got one of these the other day from a local discount store (Ollie’s) that are selling them for $10. I didn’t expect much; but figured what the heck. If it works, I might go back & grab a few to give out as xmas gifts. After testing it out, I have to admit I was impressed. It worked as good as I could’ve hoped for; but as you discovered in your video, there are a few tid-bits I learned that people should keep in mind when using this thing… 1. Lava Stone - Yes, it’s not “bio-degradable”, but it is eco-friendly & is commonly used to condition soil. So, it’s fine to break it up & spread around in the dirt. 2. Quick Oxylite Bamboo Charcoal Briquettes - These will ignite, burn, & cook a lil different than regular charcoal…. You’ll see them “sparking” when lit. I believe they use some kind of dry non-toxic chemical to ignite the briquettes, that won’t evaporate over time or create an actual flame when lit (like you see w/ common “match light” charcoal). Also, I only lit the corners (per the instructions), but it still spread & eventually ignited all the charcoal pretty well. A butane lighter seemed easier for me, but if all you got are matches, this is what I’m gonna try doing (as an experiment) next time… Cut/tear the paper bag (it’s packaged with) into 1”-1.5” strips & slide them in between the briquettes. Then take a long 4+” strip & twist it into what looks like a small torch. Light your DIY torch & use it to ignite the paper strips in btwn the briquettes & see if that works. 3. Smoke - These briquettes (& bamboo charcoal in general) are supposed to burn cleaning w/o much (if any) smoke. The smoke you saw in the video, I believe, came from the burger grease dripping down onto the hot coals. It might even be safe to use this thing indoors; but if you do, I’d suggest only doing so on the stove or by a window that has an exhaust fan to remove any smoke created from the food cooking. 4. Cooking Tips: For burgers, making the patties thinner will cook faster; but if too thin, the meat can sag a lil bit in btwn the bamboo grates. Also, since the cooking area is small; to maximize your space, before you light the charcoal, cut/tear the paper packaging into a rectangle the exact size of the charcoal bed, then fold it in half 2x to make 4 equal sized rectangles. Then use that as a template to make 4 square’ish patties. That way you can… A. Cook 4 patties at once. & B. They’ll cook faster b/c it’ll trap more heat under the meat. For hot dogs etc… If they’re thin enough to slip through the grates, you’ll have to place them horizontally across the sticks, but if thick enough to not slip through (like most brats), placing them in btwn the grates work well to keep them from rolling & allow you to rotate them 1/4 turn at a time. 5. Utensils - If you don’t wanna toss this in your car, bag, etc. & not wanna worry about needing utensils for cooking or eating… Grab a handful of bamboo skewers, use 1 to poke a tiny hole in the bag, slide it all the way in, & then use the same hole to add as many as you think you’ll need. Obvi, they can be used for kabobs, but you can also: skewer each hot dog, hold 2 of them in a “V” shape & smush the wide end into your burger patty (to flip it), or if you wanna make s’mores for dessert… since by that point the coals are thoroughly lit, you can remove the cardboard legs & place them on top (above the grates) & use them to hold your skewered marshmallows until they’re good & gooey. Bottom Line: Get creative & have fun!
Wowww 😲that is so cool!!! I never even knew these were a thing!! I’m so glad I came across your channel by acccident ,love your videos man been binge watching afew lol
Hi Peter! Thanks for the video. I just got one of these the other day from a local discount store (Ollie’s) that are selling them for $10.
I didn’t expect much; but figured what the heck. If it works, I might go back & grab a few to give out as xmas gifts.
After testing it out, I have to admit I was impressed. It worked as good as I could’ve hoped for; but as you discovered in your video, there are a few tid-bits I learned that people should keep in mind when using this thing…
1. Lava Stone - Yes, it’s not “bio-degradable”, but it is eco-friendly & is commonly used to condition soil. So, it’s fine to break it up & spread around in the dirt.
2. Quick Oxylite Bamboo Charcoal Briquettes - These will ignite, burn, & cook a lil different than regular charcoal…. You’ll see them “sparking” when lit. I believe they use some kind of dry non-toxic chemical to ignite the briquettes, that won’t evaporate over time or create an actual flame when lit (like you see w/ common “match light” charcoal). Also, I only lit the corners (per the instructions), but it still spread & eventually ignited all the charcoal pretty well.
A butane lighter seemed easier for me, but if all you got are matches, this is what I’m gonna try doing (as an experiment) next time… Cut/tear the paper bag (it’s packaged with) into 1”-1.5” strips & slide them in between the briquettes. Then take a long 4+” strip & twist it into what looks like a small torch. Light your DIY torch & use it to ignite the paper strips in btwn the briquettes & see if that works.
3. Smoke - These briquettes (& bamboo charcoal in general) are supposed to burn cleaning w/o much (if any) smoke.
The smoke you saw in the video, I believe, came from the burger grease dripping down onto the hot coals.
It might even be safe to use this thing indoors; but if you do, I’d suggest only doing so on the stove or by a window that has an exhaust fan to remove any smoke created from the food cooking.
4. Cooking Tips:
For burgers, making the patties thinner will cook faster; but if too thin, the meat can sag a lil bit in btwn the bamboo grates. Also, since the cooking area is small; to maximize your space, before you light the charcoal, cut/tear the paper packaging into a rectangle the exact size of the charcoal bed, then fold it in half 2x to make 4 equal sized rectangles. Then use that as a template to make 4 square’ish patties. That way you can… A. Cook 4 patties at once. & B. They’ll cook faster b/c it’ll trap more heat under the meat.
For hot dogs etc… If they’re thin enough to slip through the grates, you’ll have to place them horizontally across the sticks, but if thick enough to not slip through (like most brats), placing them in btwn the grates work well to keep them from rolling & allow you to rotate them 1/4 turn at a time.
5. Utensils - If you don’t wanna toss this in your car, bag, etc. & not wanna worry about needing utensils for cooking or eating… Grab a handful of bamboo skewers, use 1 to poke a tiny hole in the bag, slide it all the way in, & then use the same hole to add as many as you think you’ll need. Obvi, they can be used for kabobs, but you can also: skewer each hot dog, hold 2 of them in a “V” shape & smush the wide end into your burger patty (to flip it), or if you wanna make s’mores for dessert… since by that point the coals are thoroughly lit, you can remove the cardboard legs & place them on top (above the grates) & use them to hold your skewered marshmallows until they’re good & gooey.
Bottom Line: Get creative & have fun!
Dude Jerry you are the best. Totally cool. I like your personality. Thanks for the product review. 💪
Jerry?
Wowww 😲that is so cool!!! I never even knew these were a thing!! I’m so glad I came across your channel by acccident ,love your videos man been binge watching afew lol
You didn''t show what the thing looked like after it had cooked everything. I wanted to see what was left of it.
U serrious clark?
youtube need better algorithm, u should have thousands of views haha