How to Light a Charcoal Grill Without Lighter Fluid

A well utilized chimney charcoal starter

Lighting a grill with a chimney charcoal starter is the easiest and most effective way to light charcoal for grilling. Using the chimney keeps grilled food fresh tasting since lighter fluid is no longer necessary. Charcoal heats up evenly and keeps its heat for hours. The chimney is a segmented cylinder with an upper section and a lower section. The lower section is for newspaper and it has vent holes so the newspaper can burn. The charcoal goes in the top section.

Things You'll Need

• Charcoal grill
• Chimney charcoal starter
• Old newspapers
• Long matches or long utility lighter
• Oven mitt

Instructions

1. Start with a clean, ash-free charcoal grill. Remove the grill cover and the upper grate that the food is cooked on.

2. You'll see that on the chimney the section with the vent holes is smaller than the other section. This is the bottom of the chimney. Crumple the old newspaper and secure it in the lower section. Rest the chimney on the lower grate.

3. Fill the chimney with charcoal. If you'll be grilling a lot of food or need the coals to burn longer, use two chimneys.

4. Using the long matches or the utility lighter, insert the flame through various holes in the bottom of the chimney. Light only the newspaper on the bottom layer, leaving the charcoal untouched. The newspaper will ignite the charcoal.

5. Once the smoke has died down and you can see the coals in the top of the chimney are giving off heat, put on the oven mitt and turn the chimney over using the wooden handle. Spread the coals evenly on the bottom of the grill and place the upper cooking grate back on. Set the chimney aside to cool.

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes the fire in the chimney will get so hot the sides will start to glow. Don't panic, just wait it out. Once the red hot metal has cooled a bit, turn the coals over into the grill.