How Do You Start a Charcoal Grill?
Summer is here, and grilling season has officially kicked off. No matter what kinds of foods you like to eat, you can enjoy grilling food outside in the summer. It is definitely a good idea to know how to use your charcoal grill. This is one way to get the classic grilled flavor that is so reminiscent of the summer of your childhood. However, if you have never used a charcoal grill before, it can look like somewhat of a challenge to try to start.
You should keep a few things in mind before you try to light your charcoal grill. You want to make sure that the grill is clean, both so that you don't have extra fire hazards in the form of debris in the grill and so that you can barbecue your food as effectively as possible. You also want to make sure to use high-quality charcoal, and you need to make sure you are arranging it properly on the grill.
In addition, there are a few different methods that you can use to light a charcoal grill.
Lighting a Charcoal Grill with Lighter Fluid
Before you start trying to light your grill with lighter fluid, keep in mind that it can be dangerous if you don't do it properly. If you are trying to light a charcoal grill with lighter fluid, the first thing that you should do is arrange the charcoal into a type of pyramid shape. Start with a large base, and stack the charcoal on top of each other into layers getting smaller as you go up. Then, pour the lighter fluid according to the directions on the package. Coat the coals as evenly as possible with this liquid. Wait about 30 seconds so that the coals have a chance to absorb the lighter fluid before you light them. Then, using either a match with a long nose or a grill lighter, evenly light the coals in multiple places. Do not make the mistake of adding more fluid once the coals have started to light up. Once the coals are ready to be used for grilling, they will turn white. Spread them evenly across the grill, top them off with the grate and start grilling your food.
Lighting a Charcoal Grill with a Charcoal Chimney
Some people might prefer to use a charcoal chimney to light a charcoal grill, as this will provide proper ventilation around the coals as they heat up. This method will also give you easy mobility.
To light your grill with a charcoal chimney, fill the chimney with the amount of charcoal noted in the instructions. Generally, you are going to want the charcoal to reach the top of the chimney without overflowing. Then, put the starters under the chimney. You can use items that will catch on fire easily, such as old newspapers, wood chips, paper cups, or anything suitable that you might have around the house. Then, light the starters on fire under your chimney. Watch the coals carefully for about 10 minutes or more. When you start to see flames coming through the coals, then you will want to flip the charcoal chimney over. What you should do is grab the handle very gently and slowly pour out the coals. Once you see that the coals have turned white, which should happen after a few more minutes, you should spread them out across the grill, cover them with a grate, and start grilling your food.
Lighting a Charcoal Grill with an Electric Starter
Some people see using an electric fire starter as a good option for starting a charcoal grill.
As with the other options, the first thing you want to do is arrange your coals. Spread them all over your grill, and arrange them into a pyramid shape. Then, plug in the electric starter, and put the nose directly into the coals. The starter will begin heating the coals right away. When you start to see sparks, pull the lighter away so that it is a few inches from the coal pyramid. Keep the starter a few inches away from the stack of coals, but start moving it around and heating all the coals until you start to see fire. Take the starter away, and then wait until the coals turn white. When this happens, spread them, add the grate, and start grilling.
Charcoal Grill Lighting Leads To Delicious Food
As you can see, you do have different options when it comes to starting a charcoal grill. You should choose the one that seems the most straightforward and least dangerous to you. After all, you do need to keep in mind that this is literally playing with fire. Safety should always come first. However, it is probably easier than you think, and once you have mastered starting a charcoal grill, you can look forward to several nights of summer fun and backyard barbecues!
