How to Start a Charcoal Grill Without Lighter Fuid
You don't need lighter fluid to start your charcoal grill. You can easily light up your charcoal for that backyard barbecue using items you might have around the house and a little ingenuity. Think about it--you won't have to go to the store and spend money on lighter fluid every time you want to barbecue, and you won't be risking that funny flavor that food sometimes gets from being cooked over charcoal started with lighter fluid. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Charcoal
- Charcoal grill
- Newspaper or other kind of kindling
- Match or lighter
Instructions
-
-
1
Dump the old charcoal and ash, and clean the grill. Scrape the remnants of the last barbecue off the grill, if necessary. Starting clean makes it easier to light your charcoal.
-
2
Place a layer of kindling, such as newspaper, or wooden tinder along the bottom of the kettle or brazier. Make sure you have a good amount to burn for a few minutes. Make the layer dense enough to burn slowly, but leave enough airspace to enable the flames to spread.
-
-
3
Distribute the charcoal evenly over the kindling so you can use as much of the grill surface as you need, but leave adequate space between the briquets so as not to smother the flames prematurely. Place enough briquets for the level of heat you desire and the amount of food you will be cooking.
-
4
Light the kindling or tinder at different places in order for it to burn evenly. You can drop lit matches on the pile, or use long matches or a long-reach lighter to prevent burning your fingers. In a few minutes your charcoal should ignite as well
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Alternatively, you can use a gadget called a charcoal chimney starter, which operates on the same principles as the above method, but in a portable metal cylinder. Once the charcoal is lit, you can pour the briquets into the kettle or brazier. Heating the briquets over a wire mesh on the stovetop is another way of lighting the charcoal without lighter fluid. You can then transport the briquets to the grill. Using hickory or mesquite tinder and smoking chips also can help season your meats. Conversely, using questionable material for kindling--pressboard, for instance--might infuse your food with unintended flavors like glue or varnish.
Any time you deal with open flame, be mindful. Keep a bucket of water or a fire extinguisher handy in case the flames get out of control, and keep the cooking area as free of flammable material as possible. Try to keep children and pets a safe distance from the lit grill, because although it may not look hot, heat from the metal can cause serious burns. Keep matches and lighters away from kids and pets, too. Keep your grill on a flat surface to avoid accidental tipping. Wear protective gear like an oven mitt, and use the proper utensils.
