How to Light Charcoal Grills
Lighting charcoal is one of the top reasons why some people decide to go with a gas grill. This isn't necessarily because it is hard to do, but it adds about 30 minutes to your grilling session to get the charcoal lit. There are two primary methods of lighting charcoal grills that are used today. Knowing that heat always rises, these two methods have been devised to stack charcoal together in a group formation so all of the coals work together to light the coals and turn them to a glowing white hot color.
How To Light Charcoal With The Pyramid Lighting Method
The pyramid is the most commonly used technique for lighting a charcoal grill. You simply set the coals into a grouped formation to form a pyramid. This allows the heat to rise up from the bottom and the coals are close enough together to disperse the heat from one coal to the next. The down side to this method is you have to completely soak all of the goals in lighter fluid prior to lighting them. Make sure you let the lighter fluid soak in for at least 3 minutes prior to lighting the charcoal. Otherwise, the lighter fluid will quickly burn off without lighting the charcoal. You can also use matchlight charcoal if you don't want to buy lighter fluid or wait for it to soak in. Just remember to keep your grill lid off while your coals are being lit because the more air flow the better. If you close the lid during this lighting process, you will kill the fire and have to start over.
The pyramid is the most commonly used technique for lighting a charcoal grill. You simply set the coals into a grouped formation to form a pyramid. This allows the heat to rise up from the bottom and the coals are close enough together to disperse the heat from one coal to the next. The down side to this method is you have to completely soak all of the goals in lighter fluid prior to lighting them. Make sure you let the lighter fluid soak in for at least 3 minutes prior to lighting the charcoal. Otherwise, the lighter fluid will quickly burn off without lighting the charcoal. You can also use matchlight charcoal if you don't want to buy lighter fluid or wait for it to soak in. Just remember to keep your grill lid off while your coals are being lit because the more air flow the better. If you close the lid during this lighting process, you will kill the fire and have to start over.
How To Light Charcoal With The Chimney Starter Method
The chimney starter method is a more recent technique developed by barbecue experts to advance the pyramid method and actually channel the heat straight up. This device allows the coals to work even better together and can actually light the charcoal faster. This may seem like an unnecessary expense, but it can actually end up saving you money over time. The reason why is because you do not need to buy lighter fluid with this method. Simply stuff some newspaper or some of the paper from your bag of charcoal under the bottom compartment of the chimney starter and light it. The lit paper will channel the heat straight up and your charcoal will be ready in about 30 minutes. You will know when your charcoal is ready when the coal at the top of the chimney turns to a white glowing color.
The chimney starter method is a more recent technique developed by barbecue experts to advance the pyramid method and actually channel the heat straight up. This device allows the coals to work even better together and can actually light the charcoal faster. This may seem like an unnecessary expense, but it can actually end up saving you money over time. The reason why is because you do not need to buy lighter fluid with this method. Simply stuff some newspaper or some of the paper from your bag of charcoal under the bottom compartment of the chimney starter and light it. The lit paper will channel the heat straight up and your charcoal will be ready in about 30 minutes. You will know when your charcoal is ready when the coal at the top of the chimney turns to a white glowing color.