Never, ever grill over a pure-mesquite fire!

[jmowreader]

Last week I tried grilling some chicken over a mesquite fire.

The only thing I could find that would light the mesquite is my acetylene torch. And I tried everything up to and including petroleum products.

Charcoal with mesquite chunks is great. Hickory and mesquite chunks is great. Mesquite alone will not light.

[bearfan454]

1. Very true.

I have been out of charcoal before and tried it. No dice.

[physioex]

2. Ewww....be careful with all those chemicals..

Its a good thing you weren't able to get it to light. Somehow the notion of using gasoline to light your fire doesn't settle well. The same goes with the lighter fluid, be careful as these chemical contain many organic componds which aren't good for you...

[Zookeeper]

3. My husband tried...

just Hickory chips and couldn't get that to work, either.

[stopbush]

4. Bingo! Mesquite, rosemary etc are used to create smoke, and

that's it. The smoke adds flavor.

I've used rosemary on lamb and pork. I throw a few springs right on the coals, let them catch fire and smolder. It really adds a nice aroma and flavor.

[Sagan]

5. must have been too green...

I've been cooking over mesquite fires for years. I've never had any trouble at all. Trick is to start with small branches and get work your way up to the bigger ones. Small, dead mesquite branches will burn like crazy and fast, generating a bunch of heat.

[jmowreader]

6. This was kiln-dried mesquite

11 percent moisture content by my moisture meter--yes, I have one.

I made a nice little pile of shavings, then had pieces of kindling, then medium-sized chunks, then the big chunks.

I wound up throwing them all in a big pile and lighting them with my welder.

[Sagan]

8. ah, there's your mistake...

Chunks? Shavings?

Never used that stuff. Just the stuff off the tree that is techically known as "branches" and/or "logs". :P

(I'm just playing.. no offense intended.. :) )

[exJW]

7. There's a reason "asbestos" and "mesquite" sound so..

.. much alike, if you mumble very quitely.

[bearfan454]

9. PM me Sagan

I lost your new email address.............Stevo