Low Budget BBQ Chimney Starter, IKEA Hack

Last year we decided that we want to use a chimney starter. We bought one from Weber and it works very well! But some times we don't need all the charcoal fitting in the big Weber chimney. We wanted a smaller one.

Step 1: Tools and Material

You will need:



• Kitchen utensil rack, stainless steel like the IKEA "ORDNING", Diameter: 4 3/4", Height: 7 1/8" (Diameter: 12cm Height: 18cm)
• Wood hammer handle, around 350 mm - will be cut to desired length
• 4 Steel plain hanger bolts, 8mm, 50mm long (M8x50)
• 4 Steel hex-head cap screws, ~8mm (depending on the utensil rack, 8mm matches the IKEA one)
• 20 matching screw nuts
• NOT USED HERE: Additional metal sheet to save hands from the heat of the briquettes.


As tool you will mainly need a wrench in screw matching size.

Step 2: Attach the Feet

To make four feet use the hex-head screws.

1. Insert screw from the inside using the four corner holes as marked with the red arrow.
2. Fix the screws with one nuts.
3. Use one to two additional nuts to make the feet at the end of the screws. When using two nuts you can screw them against each other and the foot will be sturdier.

Addition: After we used the Chimney Starter we noticed that burning the briquette takes some time. We would now suggest cutting out some parts from the bottom of the utensil rack for better ventilation. But not too large to prevent the briquette from falling through the holes.

Step 3: Attach the Handle

Use the hammer handle and the plain hanger bolts for the chimney handle.

1. Cut the hammer handle to a length comfortable to grab. We used about 17cm.
2. Choose one row of holes. Mark the second hole from above and the second hole from the botton in this row. Measure the distance between these holes.
3. Mark two points with the measured distance on the small side of the hammer handle. Screw the plain hanger bolts into the hammer handle at the marked positions.
4. Screw one nut on each plain hanger bolt
5. Attach the hammer handle to the utensil rack
6. Fix the handle with two additional nuts.

Addition: If we would build the chimney starter again we would add a metal schield at the outside of the utensil rack. Therefore just use a metal plate in matching size. Drill two holes in the measured distance in the middle of the plate. Slide the metal plate over the two hanger bolts fixim them between the nut and the outside of the utensil rack.

Step 4: Use It

Use your finished low budget BBQ chimney starter as you would use any other chimney starter. The chimney will get hot - be careful with your hands and wear a leather glove.

After a while of usage there are two main things which we would do better next time:



1. Make some bigger holes on the button for more air ventilation
2. Attach a metal schield to the handle to protect the hands from the heat.