You can easily start a charcoal grill if you know the basics of how to start a charcoal grill. When briquets are kept close, fire spreads easily from coal to coal because the fire is contagious and the briquettes are ready for quick use.
Whether you like the taste of fried vegetables or steak, grilled is one of the best ways to make a staple summer meal. Knowing how to get a charcoal grill hot & how to cool down a charcoal grill is essential in summer. Charcoal grills are the right way to get that classic grilled taste. If you’ve never used it before, you may wonder how to light a charcoal grill properly.
Starting a charcoal grill is not difficult, but you must get used to it. But once you master the process, you’ll be one step closer to that perfect hamburger and you’ll be able to show up at the backyard barbecue next time.
How to Prepare a Grill for Lighting
Clean your grill properly before you start adding charcoal so that you can get the most effective barbecue. If you are working with a new charcoal grill, you can skip this step. But if you reuse a previously used charcoal grill, it needs to be thoroughly cleaned and relatively stain-free before reuse. It would be best if you cleaned all the dirt well before you started working.
Choose The Right Charcoal
There are different types of charcoal in the market to choose from. We like to use brands like Royal Oak Lump Charcoal ($ 13). It is a light smoky aromatic charcoal that gives you a good temperature and can be burned clearly. Another great option for charcoal picking is Rockwood All-Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal ($ 40), made using a blend of oak, hickory, maple, and pecan wood. Do not skip this step if you want to get good and tasty food from a charcoal grill.
List of best Charcoal for Grill
| Product Image | Product Name | Product Price |
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Royal Oak 195228021 Lump Charcoal |  |
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Fogo Super Premium Oak Hardwood Large Lump Charcoal | |
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Rockwood All-Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal | |
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Jealous Devil All Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal | |
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Cowboy 24220 Lump Charcoal | |
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FOGO Premium Oak Restaurant All-Natural Hardwood Lump | |
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Springbok Braai Hardwood Briquettes Charcoal for Smoker | |
Learn How to Arrange The Charcoal
Although it is much easier, throw the charcoal on your grill and hope for the best results. But for best results, you need to arrange the charcoal pieces neatly. Again, this may vary depending on the method you choose-if you use a chimney. It will be arranged differently than using a light liquid.
How to Start a Charcoal Grill with Lighter Fluid
Light liquids are a method that is very popular with all grill lovers around the world, but experts warn that using light liquids can be potentially dangerous if you do not use them properly. Often people light incoherently or give extra compensation and add more fluid than needed. If you prefer light liquids, we recommend following these steps.
- Arrange The Coals into a Neat Mound:
Place your charcoal in the shape of a mound or pyramid and make sure it has a large base, on top of which place the charcoal smaller and smaller. Increases the contact of coal with coal and helps to spread the fire.
- Add Carefully lighter fluid to the pile of unlit coals and light immediately:
In this step, you need to carefully squirt the lighter fluid on the top and side of the charcoal mound following the lighter fluid instructions. Wait 30 seconds to allow the coals to absorb the lighter fluid before lighting. Then using a grill lighter or match with a long nose, light the charcoal in several places as soon as charcoal absorbs the fluid. Never pour lighter fluid on burning or hot coals.
- Top with Grate When Coals Turn White and Covered with Gray Ash.
Once the liquid is burned, the coal is ready for use when it turns white, and its edges turn gray. When the coal burns, the ash spreads and covers the briquette. Spread the burning coals evenly, then top with a grate and start grilling. This whole process takes about 15 minutes.
How to get the charcoal grill hot with a Chimney
A charcoal Chimney is one of the best methods we offer for burning charcoal grills. This is the preferred method for burning charcoal grills. In the chimney, the coals are placed within the boundaries of a metal cylinder then the paper is placed down and ignited. This simple device allows the air around the coil to circulate properly, causing the coal to burn very quickly.
- Add charcoal to the chimney:
Fill the chimney with a certain amount of charcoal, but be careful not to overflow. A standard chimney has about 100 charcoal briquettes, but you may not need that much.
- Place starters under the chimney:
Add one or two sheets of newspaper as a starter, following the chimney instructions. Illuminate the starters in several places. When the starters in the lower chamber ignite, the flame illuminates the upper charcoal edges. Peek through the chimney vent to see if the coal has started to burn and the coal edges have turned gray. If the coal does not start burning, put another piece of newspaper in the chimney. You can rub the newspaper with cooking oil before lighting the fire so that it burns longer.
- Pour coals on the grill when you see flames:
After 10 minutes, you will see that the coals start burning with the vent and the flame starts burning in the upper layer of coal. When the coals are mostly covered in ash and gray, scatter the coals. This whole process takes about 15 minutes to complete.
- Top with grate when coals turn white:
After a few more minutes, spread it out and cover it with a grate when the coal is white. Now your charcoal grill is ready to make a delicious grill for you.
How do you light a charcoal grill with an Electric Starter?
Electric firestarters are also being used as an alternative to starting your charcoal grill. There are many electric firestarters on the market that you can pick up. However, if you do not know the correct method of using this electric firestarter can be dangerous. So we’ve described its use consistently below.
- Arrange your coals:
Spread the charcoal on your grill and arrange it in the shape of a pyramid.
- Place the starter in the middle of your coals:
Plugin your electric firestarter, then place the nose directly into your charcoal. It will start to heat up immediately and after a while, the charcoal will start to burn.
- When you see sparks, pull the lighter slightly away:
Once it starts to sparkle, pull the nose of the lighter a few inches away from the pyramid. Remove the firestarter a few inches from the stack and heat the coal until the fire starts. When the fire starts, remove the firestarter.
- Top with grate when coals turn white:
When the coals are completely ignited and white, disperse the coals. Then cover with a grate and now charcoal is ready to make your grill.
Final Word
In our article, we have discussed three methods of how to start a charcoal grill in detail. Whether you prefer a chimney, a lighter fluid, or an electric starter, it can be dangerous for you if you do not know the details of these methods. So we hope you find this article useful for burning charcoal grills. Once you master a method, you can grill as you wish.