BBQ Firestarters.
Every Clean Way to Light Charcoal.

The right method depends on your cooker, how often you cook, and how patient you are. Here is the framework that works across most setups.

For kamado cookers (Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe): Use either a Pyralit Organic firestarter cube placed directly on the lump charcoal, or the Big Green Egg EGGniter butane torch for the fastest possible light. Avoid chimneys with kamados, the lump pieces are too large to fit chimney baskets cleanly.

For kettle BBQs (Weber Kettle, charcoal grills): A chimney starter is the gold standard. Fill with charcoal, drop a firestarter cube underneath, light, wait 15 minutes. Pour ready coals into the kettle. Pick the Argie Grillz Chimney for entry-level, or the Pyralit Hero for premium build that lasts for years of weekly use.

For offset smokers (Yoder offset, Oklahoma Joe): Firestarter cubes plus a small kindling pile in the firebox to get the initial flame, then build the charcoal and wood mix on top of the coals.

For pellet smokers (Yoder, Traeger, GMG): Pellet smokers self-ignite, no firestarter needed. The hot rod in the pellet burner pot lights the pellets electronically.

No. Big Green Egg's own dealer documentation explicitly warns against lighter fluid, and the same advice applies to any ceramic kamado (Kamado Joe, Primo, Vision Grills).

The reason: ceramic kamados have porous interior walls and a fire ring that absorb lighter fluid vapours during ignition. The fluid then off-gasses into food on subsequent cooks for weeks or months afterward, leaving a chemical taste that lingers in the meat. Once the ceramic absorbs lighter fluid residue, there is no way to remove it. The cooker is permanently affected.

The same logic applies to match-light briquettes (charcoal pre-soaked in lighter fluid at the factory). These are also not safe for ceramic kamados.

The correct firestarter methods for ceramic kamados are: natural firestarter cubes (BGE SpeediLight or Pyralit Organic), or butane torches (BGE EGGniter).

Each method has trade-offs. Here is how to pick.

Chimney starter (one-time purchase, needs firestarter cubes ongoing). Best for kettle BBQs and offsets. Walks the line between cheap and reliable. Takes 15 to 20 minutes to get charcoal ready. Downside: bulky to store, needs a heat-safe surface to set down.

Within chimneys, you have a choice. The Argie Grillz Chimney is the well-priced entry-level pick, fine for weekend cooks and casual use. The Pyralit Hero Ignition Unit is the premium-build chimney, heavier-gauge construction and sturdier frame designed to last for years of weekly use. If you have worn out a budget chimney before, the Hero is the right upgrade.

Butane torch (one-time purchase, butane refills ongoing). Fastest method, kamado favourite. Lump charcoal lit in 1 to 2 minutes. Precise heat control means you can light specific zones (handy for two-zone cooking). The BGE EGGniter is the dedicated kamado torch. Downside: needs butane refills, small ongoing cost.

Natural firestarter cubes alone (consumable, low upfront cost). Cheapest to start, works in any cooker. Pair with a chimney for kettles, or use directly under lump in a kamado.

Heuristic: Kettle cook → chimney (Argie Grillz or Pyralit Hero depending on budget). Kamado cook → butane torch or cubes directly. Cooking only occasionally → cubes alone are enough.

Time from cold cooker to ready-to-cook coals:

Butane torch (EGGniter): 1 to 2 minutes to light a small section. Add 5 minutes for the lump to heat through the rest of the pile.

Chimney starter (Argie Grillz or Pyralit Hero): 12 to 20 minutes total. Coals are ready when you see flames licking out the top.

Natural firestarter cubes alone (no chimney): 15 to 25 minutes, depending on charcoal type. Lump catches faster than briquettes.

For kamado cooks targeting stable 110 to 120°C for low and slow, allow an extra 10 to 15 minutes after the initial ignition for the ceramic to fully heat-soak and the cooker to stabilise at temperature.

Yes. Pyralit Organic firestarters are made from compressed wood-wool fibres soaked in food-grade paraffin wax. Both materials are food-safe and have no chemical residue that transfers to food during the cook.

The wood-wool burns first, igniting the wax which sustains the flame for 5 to 10 minutes, enough time for lump charcoal or briquettes to catch fully. Once the cube is consumed, there is nothing left in the cooker except a small amount of inert ash, indistinguishable from the charcoal ash itself.

This is in contrast to lighter fluid (petroleum solvent), match-light briquettes (charcoal pre-soaked in petroleum solvent), and self-igniting "starter pellets" with chemical accelerants, all of which leave residue that affects food. Pyralit Organic is the food-safe alternative.

Yes. Across the Sydney metro area we offer same-day or next-business-day delivery on firestarters. Orders dispatch from our Wetherill Park showroom in Sydney's west.

For the rest of Australia, firestarters ship through our standard parcel service. Note: butane torch products (BGE EGGniter) ship without butane fuel due to flammable goods restrictions. The butane canister is sourced locally at any hardware store or service station.

Pickup from the showroom is also available any business day. Call us on 0434 010 411 to confirm stock if you want to grab them for a weekend cook.