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I’ve been using the FireStarters lighter cubes from Weber for years. They’re fantastic for getting a chimney or Vortex full of charcoal going in no time. At less than $0.15 a piece they’re an inexpensive way to get a fire going. But, I decided to see if I could make homemade fire starter cubes. What I ended up with light very, very well and burn for a good amount of time. The final cost was less than $0.10 for each cube, not exactly a huge savings, but that was only part of my reason for the pursuit.

Quick-Lighting, Long-Lasting

You need just 4 things to make homemade fire starter cubes. It doesn’t get much easier.

Weber Pecan Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Apple Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Cherry Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Fire Starter Cubes

Author Mike

Equipment

small crock pot or double boiler

Ingredients

Wood chips I found a big bag of alder wood chips on the clearance rack for $1. You can also substitute hamster cage liner from what I’ve heard
1 pound household paraffin wax
4 cardboard egg cartons do NOT use Styrofoam cartons

Instructions

Place the wax in the crock pot or double boiler over slowly boiling water until melted.
Separate the bottom of the egg cartons and discard the tops.
Fill each egg cavity with the wood chips. I started by only filling them 1/4th of the way through but later found that you can fill them completely.
Add the wax until the cavity is full.
Let cool overnight before cutting into individual cubes.
To light, place under a chimney full of charcoal, open-side up (so that the melting wax doesn’t drip down) and light with a match or lighter.

Notes

Store in an air-tight container for best results.

Nutritional values are approximate.

The cubes don’t have to be perfect. Just fill them with wood, add the wax, and let cool. They burn for about 7 minutes, more than enough to light charcoal.