Lighting Is Easy With The Rapid Fire Chimney Starter:
Give Some Thought To Your Fuel
The best type of fuel to use on your barbecue will depend on what you’re cooking and how long you want to cook for.
‘Charcoal briquettes are uniform in size and burn at an even temperature for longer periods so theyre perfect if youre cooking for large crowds or roasting a whole joint of meat,’ explained an expert from Weber. ‘Lumpwood charcoal, on the other hand, lights quicker, burns hotter and and delivers a subtle smoky flavour. You’ll get up to one hour of cooking time from lumpwood charcoal so it’s suited to grilling smaller cuts of meat or vegetables that take no longer than 15-20 minutes to cook.’
Using Charcoal Infused With Lighter Fluid
If you dont prefer using lighter fluid, you can use charcoal infused with fluid to get similar results.
The only difference here is you wont have to add the fluid as its already in your charcoal. All you have to do is light it up and wait for several minutes to start making your meals.
Normally, though charcoal infused with fluids is efficient, it costs a lot more than the ordinary charcoal.
These charcoal light up well when monitored. If you leave them out for long, they risk drying up.
Recommended Reading: Propane Grill Hamburgers
How To Light Charcoal Briquettes
Then apply lighter fluid to the top charcoal briquettes.
Spray it in an outward, circular motion until all the charcoal briquettes have been covered.
Dont over soak.
You should leave enough fuel to properly light the charcoal briquettes.
Let the liquid soak into the coals by waiting for five minutes.
After five minutes, use a barbecue lighter to light the bottom of the pyramid.
To distribute the heat evenly, you should light in several different spots.
It could take as much as 30 minutes until the coals have been properly heated.
They would die down after burning quickly at first.
Just give them time to light up.
Finally Get A Kick Ash Basket

We know weâre biased, but weâre not the only ones who love the Kick Ash Basket. Just put your charcoal in the Kick Ash Basket so itâs easy to light, and then shake out the ash after youâve finished cooking for super easy cleanup. If you want to make grilling with charcoal way easier, youâll definitely want a Kick Ash Basket in your grill kit.
Donât forget a pair of charcoal prep gloves, too . Theyâll keep your hands clean and safe while youâre loading fresh charcoal in your grill.
You May Like: How To Clean Traeger Grill
How To Light A Hybrid Bbq
A hybrid barbecue you might have heard them referred to as combo grills are at their most simple level a dual fuel option: one side of the barbecue is for charcoal grilling, the other for gas.
There are, however, more combo options. A hybrid infrared gas grill is a gas grill on one side you get traditional convection burners, and on the other an infrared burner. On this infrared burner, you can cook foods at lower temperatures as well as high.
Gas smoker combo grills are another option allowing you to cook on gas and charcoal and to smoke foods, too. See more on smoker grills below and lighting tips above.
Lighting Charcoal With Lighter Fluid
Read Also: Weber Ceramic Grill Grates
You Dont Use Real Charcoal
Well all know lighting hardwood charcoal is tough, but its really important to stick at it and not cut corners.
Avoid the temptation to use prepackaged briquettes. While convenient to use, theyre often loaded with fillers, binders and chemicals which not only is bad for the environment but it will heavily affect the flavor of your food.
Instead, be sure to get real hardwood charcoal. These are completely made of wood and burned until they form carbon. They burn much hotter, and give you a beautiful, natural smokey flavor with absolutely no chemicals. Grilling perfection.
Tips For Getting Started With Charcoal Grills
- Its important to prepare the grill for lighting. This part needs to be done long before you start. Make sure to buy the best quality charcoal you can find within your budget. If you save bucks in this step, your food might end up tasting a bit off. As the charcoal gives the smokiness, picking the right type is essential.
- Choosing the right charcoal includes figuring out whether you want big lumps or smaller chunks. What kind of scent you want. Whether you want hardwood or oak or cedar. Certain dishes benefit from certain smokes. So do your research on this part.
- Arranging the charcoal is not as simple as you might think. You cant just dump all your charcoal into the grill. You need to arrange the pieces from bigger to smaller. This way you get the best smokiness and result. The way you spread your charcoal also ensures even/uneven heat distribution.
You May Like: Why Did Mcdonald’s Get Rid Of Grilled Chicken
S For Building A Charcoal Fire Quickly And Without Frustration
Are your memories of cooking with charcoal filled with frustration and embarrassment? Do you enjoy cooking with charcoal, but end up losing interest in cooking before you even get the fire ready?
You can master building a charcoal fire and learn how to light your charcoal quickly and without a hint of stress. In this article, I will show you how.
To light a charcoal fire successfully, youll need to budget enough time to get it lit and youll need the right tools for your smoker or grill. Below Ive outlined five methods for lighting charcoal to help you decide when to use each one.
Prefer to talk with us? With the right tools and know-how, lighting a charcoal fire is quick and easy. Visit our store at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA or call us at 355-0779 for help building a charcoal fire in minutes and without frustration. Our store hours are listed at the bottom of this page.
Using Newspaper To Start Your Charcoal Grill
One of the easiest ways to recycle newspaper is to use it as a fire starter for your charcoal grill. Insert rolled up newspaper underneath closely-packed charcoal in several different spots. Light the newspaper with a fireplace match or lighter. Add newspaper to the fire until its well-lit.
While there are several effective methods to light charcoal, using special equipment can make the job easier. Here are a couple of tools that make lighting charcoal faster and easier.
Read Also: Remove Grill Grease From Concrete
Fire Safety We Cant Ignore It
I want to remind you that fire can quickly get out of control when you disregard common sense. Heres just one example from a recent NBCNews report.
A Denver man in his mid-30s had been using a charcoal grill. But. It wasnt getting hot enough, so he decided to pour lighter fluid on the coals to get them going. Unfortunately, the coals were already lit, the fluid exploded, and the man received head-to-toe third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body. He did not survive.
I dont want to be morbid, but it happens all too frequently. Take a moment to review these top three, very wise, grilling safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association. They have more excellent safety tips you can use on their site.
- Use extreme caution with lighter fluid and other volatile fuels.
- Do not add fuel to an already lit fire the flame can flash up into the container and explode.
- Do not lean over a grill when lighting using flammable fluids.
YouTube is full of grill fails videos where flammables and stupidity collide.
People get excited about grilling out. Like a kid in a candy store, theyve brought that huge steak home and cant wait to grill it. They just tend to forget the risk of dealing with lighting a charcoal grill properly. So be very cautious.
S To Light Your Charcoal Grill The Right Way

We have 5 methods here of lighting charcoal. Some of them require special equipment, others none at all. And we have ordered them from top to bottom in order of our preferred way of lightingand we have tried them all many, many times.
This first method is one of the simplest ways you can get a large number of coals red hot and ready to cook on in just a few minutes.
You May Like: What To Clean Stainless Steel Grill With
Using The Turbo Flame
Step 1: Pour The Charcoal Into The Grill
Apart from the chimney, you can have another option which is the turbo flame. It is kind of either an extended lighter or a small torch to get your charcoal going.
As always, the first thing to do is take the charcoal and pour it into the grill. Then, you need to make a mound out of it so as to get some air inside.
Step 2: Extend The Lighter Past The Turbo Flame
After that, you can get your turbo flame product together with the lighter. Extend the lighter past the nozzle of the turbo flame, and you can get it on.
As the flame gets going, it is going to spark again. However, you can see that it is a little more accelerated this time.
As a result, do not forget to stand back from the flame. The great thing about the turbo flame is that you can get 10 or 15 minutes before the can runs dry.
Before ending my sharing, I still have a fantastic tip regarding the used charcoal. Since it is a natural product, you can add the ashes to the soil amendment.
And then, you can put this mixture right back into your garden. It will provide great nutrients for your plants.
Ever Since I Bought My First Grill Invited Some Friends Over And Started The Fire With Match Light Charcoal The Stuff
Best way to light a charcoal grill without lighter fluid. The lighter fluid thats used to ignite charcoal fires is an aliphatic petroleum solvent that was designed to ignite charcoal for grilling. Which is why i started using a charcoal chimney and never looked back. Even with lighter fluid, it seems to take forever.
How do you light charcoal without lighter fluid 1. The result is often uneven burning and the everlasting essence of lighter fluid. How to start a charcoal grill without lighter fluid.
The below process is made even easier if you use a charcoal chimney starter. 6 best & effective methods on how to light a charcoal grill without lighter fluid or chimney. How to light charcoal without lighter fluid.
Start and build small fire at the base of the grill the add charcoal. Cut the bottom of the can off and then rinse, clean, and dry. There are three basic types of lighter fluid:
In this guide, we talk you through 5 different ways to light your charcoal grill or smoker without lighter fluid. Final thoughts on how to light charcoal without lighter fluid. The chimney is a metal can with a shelf in it.
Some methods are more efficient, effective, and quicker than others. Naphtha, a liquid hydrocarbon blend The best way to light charcoal the best way to start charcoal is by using a charcoal chimney.
How to Light Charcoal Without Lighter Fluid 5 Easy Ways
You May Like: Cleaning Char Broil Tru Infrared Grill Grates
How To Light A Charcoal Grill Without Lighter Fluid
Are you thinking of using your piles of newspaper in lighting the charcoal? Then you can easily recycle the newspaper as a fire starter. Rolled up some newspapers and put them under the closed packed charcoal. You need to put the papers in several places and then light the newspapers with a match or lighter. We can utilize the newspapers in another way too. Go through the article to find out!
How To Light Charcoal Without Lighter Fluid
If you don’t have a chimney starter, another reliable, yet simple option for starting a charcoal grill is the newspaper method.
You May Like: Cleaning Grease Off Concrete
Paper Kindling Charcoal Method
With this method, you build a fire to light your charcoal.
Its more labor intensive and not always reliable. But, if you can do it with one match you might get a merit badge from the Boy Scouts for fire building.
Step 1 Make a base for your fire by putting down a layer of charcoal or briquettes.
Step 2 Wad up 2 to 4 sheets of newspaper and place them in the center.
Step 3 Add thin, dry sticks in a criss-cross pattern over the paper. Press down to make a level surface.
Step 4 Add some charcoal on top and light the paper.
Step 5 Once some of the charcoal lights and starts to ash over, add more to build up your fire.
Pros
- You need fire building skills, dry kindling wood and patience
- Youre making a fire to start a fire
- Slow
- Hard to do in wet conditions
This method takes the longest. But youll get the satisfaction knowing you can build a fire and that you didnt use any lighter fluid or starters.
How To Put Out Charcoal Grill Reddit
Dont make the paper too tightly crumpled, or it wont burn correctly.Dont pile too much charcoal close around the smoker box when using it, as embers from the fire can fall low in through the holes on the top of the.Eh, it fits the space where it fits the space, but maybe put something behind the wheels to brake it.Even with this, i have been able to cook some delicious ribeyes, burgers, and have somehow been able to perfectly cook chicken breast twice now.
Experts recommend the grillart grill brush as the best tool for cleaning grills.Fill it with charcoal to the top.Fill it with the desired amount of briquettes, crumple a piece of paper under it and set that paper on fire.First you need a removable ash collector.
First, you should do it when the grill is off.Flip the chimney starter upside down.For steaks you want your charcoal grill to be as hot as possible.If you dont do indirect cooking probably not a big deal.
If you like to cook low and slow, i suggest to get some high temperature fiberglass insulation tape, and go around the lid opening and everywhere the are big gaps, so its properly sealed when closed.If you want a more intense, smoky flavor, go with hardwood charcoal .If youre using lighter fluid you should put the spatula down and go back to making camp fires.If youve accidentally let your charcoal ash over a bit too much before beginning to preheat dont be afraid to toss a few more coals onto the lit ones.
You May Like: How To Grill Bone In Pork Chops
Using A Chimney Starter
Charcoal chimneys or “chimney starters” make it easy to light either type of charcoal without the use of lighter fluid, which can add a chemical smell and taste to food. To get your coals lit, you’ll just need a stick lighter and some old newspapers.
Roll a few sheets of newspaper into rings to fit tightly under the chimney. You’ll need enough to burn until the charcoal catches fire. Set the chimney onto your grill gratesthis is the safest place to light it. Never place a chimney starter on anything that could catch fire.
Fill it with the amount of charcoal you’ll need. Then use a stick lighter to carefully light several sections of the rolled paper.
The heat and flames will travel up to the charcoal and gently ignite it. Allow the coals to burn until they are at least two-thirds covered in white ash and have stopped smoking heavily. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the amount.
Wearing heat-resistant grilling gloves, carefully pick up the charcoal chimney and remove the cooking grate. It is safest to pour in the charcoal into the grill by tilting the chimney off the side. Never pour the coals toward yourself or lean over them.
Spread the hot coals as desired using heatproof grilling tools. Replace the cooking grate, open the lid vents and cover the grill. Preheat for 15 minutes before cooking.
You’ve built the perfect firenow it’s time to grill the perfect meal!