He's doing that wrong...

[Paul W]

I went to an Australian friends BBQ a while back, bought some chicken legs, marinated them in piri piri sauce overnight and arrived to my horror to discover his BBQ was a hot plate and he was (frying) stuff, though he insisted frying on a hot plate is BBQ in Australia. I pointed out he could only cook processed meat (burgers, sausages ect) and technically this makes MacDonalds a BBQ shop in Oz.

A few months back I invited him round mine for a BBQ over a fire with coals and some oak chippings where I slow smoked a chicken and some ribs. Afterwards he still insisted frying is BBQ though.

 

[mousey]

So does that mean I have a BBQ using my aga everyday?? or does it have to be outside to qualify as a BBQ - what about using a BBQ indoors [I'm NOT recommending that by the way]

 

[cbr6fs]

At home i really can't be bothered messing about with paper, twigs, feathering etc so the vast majority of the time i just throw in a couple of blocks of fire lighter.

Few years ago we had a weekend away in a cabin, it was lovely in the day, but bloody freezing at night.
Unfortunately the wood supply was as damp as a wet sponge.
Tried a bit of feathering, paper etc, but after 5 mins i couldn't be bothered anymore.

As the kids were with us i had the Nitro RC car in the boot of the car, so i threw on a load of nitro fuel and up it went.

Ok the fireball pretty much sucked all the oxygen out the room and the flames out the chimney were reminiscent of interbalistic missile launch.
BUT 20 mins later the other guests seeing smoke from our chimney and kept coming and knocking on our door to ask how we got the fire started


So for me i don't really care how i get a fire started as long as it's safe (relatively) and quick.

 

[Fraxinus]

It's amazing how many people dont have a clue when it comes to lighting fires !

Not really, with the advent of central heating those skills were not passed on to the children. As kids we were taught to light the fires (living room with back boiler that fed two radiators upstairs and the hot water tank and front room which had the telly and three piece suite) it was the first one home after school that had to get them going, another had to prep the veggies for dinner. My parents only got central heating in the late 90's !
As to the main question, I will offer my assistance if someone is struggling or doing things in a dangerous manner...unless they are being an egotistical donkey's rear, then, I sit back and watch.
(not if it is really dangerous though, I think I've seen enough deceased people thank you.) Sometimes people will insist on learning the hard way. okenest:

I will always appreciate someone saying to me "Hey, buddy need a hand?" it's how we learn.

 

[Bowlander]

I always have fire lighters in stock but usually use newspaper and loads of kindling. I have a pot of parrafin with sticks soaking in it, one of them on the fire works a treat.

Was once showing a neighbour a kitchen knife and he was about to run his finger ALONG the blade to see how sharp it was! Numpty!!

 

[Bowlander]

Double post.

 

[Stew]

It's a very fine line though between that and becoming a "bushcraft bore" which is why I left the hotel fire bloke to his devices.

Nail on head!

I guess the chap may have actually appreciated your help if you had delivered it to him in the right way.
A 'cough, cough, that's not how you light a fire booooy, this is how a bushcrafter does it - now get out of my way!' might not go down too well.

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

Ah Homo Spaien Eyebrowless... most commonly found at BBQ's surrounded with tins of lighter fluid and box's of spent matches.

While not the best fire maker in bushy society, I am reliable in making a fire and have laughed myself silly watching friends try and light BBQ's from the top, using fire lighters, lighter fluid and news paper at the same time. I show up reorganise and apply a match and do the manly steak an burger commentary. It's depressing to watch them try but funny at the same try, such a simple tool but so far away from some... I have seen a fire lighting app on a smart phone, totally wrong but people say "That's what the app say's, your doing it wrong"... as a bushy, and a geek it makes me face palm in disbelief.

 

[cbr6fs]

It's funny how different societies view things as well.

When i was growing up we had to get a fire going daily to have heat in the winter and hot water the year round.
It used to be my job to start the fire some days, but clean it out most days.

Today i still find myself flinching when i see a fireplace in a apartment

Yet most the Greeks absolutely love fireplaces, to the point where we struggled to rent one of our apartments until we put a fireplace in

For me in this day and age here in Greece a fireplace is just something that takes up valuable space, yet many of my generation and younger love them

 

[Fraxinus]

It's funny how different societies view things as well.

When i was growing up we had to get a fire going daily to have heat in the winter and hot water the year round.
It used to be my job to start the fire some days, but clean it out most days.

Today i still find myself flinching when i see a fireplace in a apartment

Yet most the Greeks absolutely love fireplaces, to the point where we struggled to rent one of our apartments until we put a fireplace in

For me in this day and age here in Greece a fireplace is just something that takes up valuable space, yet many of my generation and younger love them

Oddly enough when I lived in Crete I knew a family who had their house done up with all the mod-cons inc a lovely kitchen, but Elpida (the matriarch) used to do all her cooking across the alleyway in her mums old place...on an open fireplace. She was a wonderful lady and fantastic cook. Many used those wood burning stoves, kind of like a poor mans Aga, of sheet metal (as did we for the first few months living there).
I miss those days, even the stream that ran through the lounge and out the front door when it rained.

 

[roger-uk]

I've had Cub Scouts crying because they were frightened to strike a match.

 

[greensurfingbear]

In August I did a firelighting session for families. Spent a while going on about how important it was to start small and work your way up. I gathered loads of material to show them how I do it step by step.The kids with their mum and grandmas got their fires going fastest compared to the kids that were with their dad. He just wouldn't listen and insisted on doing it his way. I tried really hard to repeat the instructions and to give him guidance with out being condescending or making him looks bad in front of his kids. What was frustrating was his kids were telling him they needed smaller twigs and birch bark etc but he ignored them as well. Some people you just can't get through too no matter what you say or do.

The tragic part was that his kids ended up roasting their marshmallows over another groups fire as he never managed to get his going.




Orric

 

[Snowfire]

I've had Cub Scouts crying because they were frightened to strike a match.

Only Cub Scouts? I've got an Explorer who's terrified of matches. But give him cotton wool and a firesteel and there'll be a blaze in no time.

 

[santaman2000]

It could be worse: www.break.com/pictures/you-are-doing-it-wrong825477.html