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Getting Started
12
Lighting a Fire
The Caldera Del Fuego Tallboy is designed to run on
charcoal fuel. Some wood chunks or chips can be used but
too much smoke is not a good thing. When wood smolders it
makes smoke that is rich with creosote or tar that will be
deposited on what you are cooking. A little smoke goes a
long way.
The Tallboy will run on briquette or hard wood Lump. Hard
wood lump is definitely preferred. Good quality hard wood
Lump charcoal won’t smoke much because it has been well
carbonized. The type of wood the charcoal is made from will
have an influence on its smell when burning if not
completely carbonized.
Briquette is made from many sources of woody material,
fillers and binders. If briquette is used, it should be started
well in advance of putting on the food to be cooked. This
will let the strong smells dissipate.
The firebox can be lit in any number of
ways, but we think that the easiest way is
to use a propane torch and the Guru
Straight Club inserted into the front
Inducer sleeve. (This assumes the Turbo
Draft Fan used with the BBQ Guru
Temperature Control is inserted through
the rear Inducer.) After starting the fire,
cap off the front Inducer tube using a kill
plug or draft Regulator plug.
This will allow you to load your Tallboy before it is
lit, if you like. You can light just the front of the
charcoal and let it slowly burn to the back or you
can start a pile in the front then spread it out and
add more charcoal on top. When you are using the
BBQ Guru control, it is only necessary to start a
small fire; the Guru will bring the cooker up to
temperature quickly. Light with drawer closed.
The more you are cooking the more charcoal it will
take to do the job. When cooking a large quantity check your firebox more often. Charcoal
quality and density will also be a factor in how long you can run on a firebox full (12-24 hr.).