Posts tagged: grilling FAQs

Grilling 101: How to Light a Charcoal Grill

Hey BBQ peeps! Put down the lighter fluid and listen up. It’s about time you quit it with that stuff and learned how to light a proper grill, isn’t it?

Yea, that’s what we thought too. There are some hard and fast rules that you need to know when lighting a charcoal grill. Get to know them, memorize them, and never stray from them. Trust us, we won’t steer ya wrong!

Don’t Use Briquettes There are wayyyy too many fillers and chemicals in briquettes. If you use them, all that nasty stuff is getting into your food and no one wants that. Real hard-wood charcoal is the only way to go - it even burns hotter without the chemicals which is a major bonus. Don’t Use Lighter Fluid Lighter fluid = NO. Repeat that 10 times if you have to in your head. The chemicals in lighter fluid ruin the whole point of using real hard-wood charcoal. Don’t do it. It’s also a major fire hazard and no one wants to go the summer without eyebrows.

Use a Chimney Starter For REAL, folks. This is an easy one. If you’ve never tried lighting one before just follow these steps:

1. Stuff 2 pieces of newspaper in the chimney starter.
2. Fill the chimney with charcoal.
3. Light the newspaper with a match or lighter.
4. Remove the grate and set the chimney down in the grill, letting it burn for a bit.
5. Make sure there’s smoke coming out of there or else that’s a sign the fire’s died.
6. When ready to grill, dump out the coals. If you need a two zone grill for direct and indirect heat, set the coals off to one side when you pour them in (they don’t exactly move around easily once they’re in there!)

Easy right?

Clean Your Grill Clean your grill before you use it, ideally right AFTER you use it each time. Having that leftover ash and residue will block the airflow and that will kill your fire. With these four things in mind, you’ll be grilling stronger, longer and cleaner than ever before!