A solid fuel burner and method uses a low oxygen concentration gas as a transporting gas for a low grade solid fuel such as brown coal or the like, provides for accelerating ignition of the fuel and for preventing slugging caused by combustion ash. Mixing of fuel and air inside a fuel nozzle 11 is accelerated by an additional air nozzle 12 and a separator 35 for separating a flow passage, arranged in the fuel nozzle 11, and an exit of the additional air nozzle 12 is set at a position that overlaps with the separator 35. Additional air is ejected in a direction nearly perpendicular to a flow direction of a fuel jet flowing through the fuel nozzle 11. The amount of air from the additional air nozzle 12 is varied corresponding to a combustion load, in order to assure stable burning of the fuel, and, to suppress radiant heat received by structures of the solid fuel burner and walls of the furnace.